Impact of Media Violence - Essay Example

Does media violence actually cause people to commit violent Acts? There has been far-reaching research on the link between televised violence and violent behavior amongst adolescents. Current studies have shown a direct correlation between aggressive conduct and watching violence depicted in many media services and suggest that media exposes young people to risk of belligerent behavior (Huesmann, Moise-Titus and Podolski, 210). According to the American Psychological Association, watching and playing violent scenes on games and television, can desensitize children to the misery and suffering of others and may be a greater risk of acting aggressively toward others and they're less bothered by violence in general and less likely to see anything wrong with it.  Studies disclose that children watch roughly twenty eight hours of television a week (Tompkins). Adolescents and children in America are open to the elements of mounting levels of media violence, particularly in video games, movies, television and youth-oriented music. On average, a young individual would have watched 200,000 scenes of violence on television by the age of 18 (Huesmann, Moise-Titus and Podolski, 207). Many of the studies that claim positive results concerning a link between media violence and ensuing aggression, actually have negative or inconclusive results. Media violence researches frequently fail to report for other variables such as heredity traits, personality and introduction to family violence that may explain both the reason some people become violent and why they may decide to expose themselves to violent media. In more recent years, violence has become the most popular form of entertainment. Most fictional programs on television and scenes depicted in most games need this violence to develop a storyline that would be interesting and captivating to most viewers. The violence is far more graphic and disturbing than in the past (Tompkins, 52). Many argue that media violence is at least partly to blame for the school shootings in Littleton, Colorado, Taber, Alberta and Erfurt, Germany.   Proponents of the idea that violence depicted on both television and video games affects the behavior of children state that, contrary to other beliefs, these scenes teach a higher sense of the justification of the use of violence in different situations (Tompkins, 50). It teaches that violence is a correct avenue to solve differences, which is not an acceptable action within real life situations. The classic setting of using violence for a virtuous cause may interpret in daily life into a validation for using violence to even the score against supposed victimizers. Consequently, defenseless youth who have been maltreated may be tempted to use aggressive means to resolve problems. The hero in most of these scenes also teaches them that violence has no consequences because he/she never gets in trouble for their actions. Most psychologists agree that experiences teach children during their early years and have a longstanding effect on their lives. Toddlers between the ages of eighteen to sixteen months are intelligent enough to comprehend the significance of the programs (Tompkins, 48) that they watch and respond in the same manner to both actual and acted violence since their link between dream and actuality is still not strong. Furthermore, toddlers between the ages of three and five years are engrossed by extremely dramatic scenes, which in today’s viewing, is mostly violence. Additionally, children who are in elementary schools believe that TV reflects real life and will become more active in displaying hostile conduct after watching violent scenes because they have been learning form a young age through watching and imitating what they see their through the violent acts of supposed movie heroes (Malamuth and Check, 436). Children who observe the aggressive shows, even hilarious cartoons, were more apt to hit their playmates, quarrel, refuse to comply with class rules, leave tasks uncompleted, and were less eager to wait for things than those who watched the nonviolent programs since children have fewer checks on primal violent urges than adults. It is further noted that further antagonistic children have a higher probability of watching media violent behavior as it makes their own behavior seem common. Their successive screening of violence then raises their violent scripts and viewpoint through observational learning and makes further aggression even more likely (Malamuth and Check, 438). Early TV-violence viewing interrelated with adult bodily hostility for both male and female participants of the research study (Huesmann, Moise-Titus and Podolski 215) suggesting that normative viewpoints about aggression, hostile biases about the world, and aggressive social scripts are all learned. This further suggests that we do not need to be as worried about adults or even teenagers exposure to media violence as much as we do with children’s’ exposure. Media violence may have short-term effects on adults, but the real long-term effects seem to occur only with children from observing violence (Tompkins, 51). Video games are also likely to have the same impact as movies and TV. Studies have demonstrated that violent video game playing has an affirmative connection with aggressive behavior and misbehavior in children. Some psychologists have added to this debate claiming that many of these games involve the use of fake/video guns and teach children how to use such armory and making them expert marksmen. As per this analysis, the more children engage in violent behaviour, the higher the likelihood of engaging in violent behavior. In most video games women are more often than not portrayed as individuals who are acted upon rather than as perpetrators of action (Tompkins, 50). Feminist writers vie that media that portrays violent sexuality has unwanted effects on both attitudes and conduct and found that exposure to violent pornography amplified the likelihood for males having self-generated rape fantasies and alleged less victim ordeal upon hearing a more realistic rape description (Malamuth and Check 440). They also state that studies have proved the link that sexual stimulation to certain types of rape as contrasted with consenting portrayals was certainly correlated for male college students with a self-reporting possibility of raping because of increased acceptance of interpersonal violence against women (Malamuth and Check 441). Additionally, these sexually violent films may confuse men by cunningly communicating false information about women’s response to sexual violence and thus may have more strong effects. The aggression has been argued to be caused by the thought that these children may overestimate their exposure to crime and believe that the world is not a safe place. This further justifies their aggressive behavior because they believe that it is detrimental to their survival and safety. In one up to date study, it was confirmed that 15% of music videos contain violence among people. Furthermore,   there is apprehension about internet sites that may support violence, offer information on the construction of explosive devices, or divulge how to get your hands on firearms (Huesmann, Moise-Titus and Podolski 213). Researchers argue that it is the physiological effects of media violence that cause aggressive behavior. Exposure to violent descriptions is related to increase heart rate, more rapid respiration and elevated blood pressure. Some think that this fake response predisposes people to act aggressively in the real world (Malamuth and Check 446). Child and adolescent psychiatrists, physicians and other pediatricians can have an enormous impact on the effects of media violence. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has formed a list of recommendations to tackle television violence. It suggests that physician’s converse candidly with parents about the characteristics and extent of screening patterns in their homes and they ought to appreciate the risks of exposure to violence and teach children how to understand what they see on television and in the movies, including the intention and content of commercials. The ground of media violence is a new frontier where physicians can endorse health through public education and sponsorship (Malamuth and Check, 441). Positive parenting role models indicate that it is in the best interest of children for parents to limit their exposure to violent acts in the media. Punishment is the most broadly used approach in attempting to stop hostile behavior but research has exposed that parental co-viewing and commenting on the programs seems to diminish the impacts of TV violence on children, in all probability because it lowers the child's identification with the person performing the violent act, lowers the child's understanding that the violence is real and reduces the chance that the child will act out the violent act in fantasy or play right after seeing it on TV (Huesmann, Moise-Titus and Podolski, 211). This is thought to be workable because of the notion that if a child does not learn to hold back their hostility then they will not find out social skills such as the capability to collaborate and make peace with others. Works Cited Huesmann, L. Rowell, et al. "Longitudinal Relations Between Children's Exposure to TV Violence and Their Aggressive and Violent Behavior in Young Adulthood: 1977 - 1992." Developmental Psychology 5 (1992): 202-221. Malamuth, Neil M. and James V. P. Check. "The Effects of Mass Exposure on acceptance of Violence against Women: A Field Experiment ." Journal of Research in Personality 6 (1981): 436-446. Tompkins, Aimee. "The Psychological Effect of Violent Media on Children." Allpsych Journal 7 (2003): 45-56 Read More

 

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