Cultivation Theory - Admission/Application Essay Example

? Cultivation Theory Cultivation theory Introduction In recent years, scholars have seen it fit to develop communication theories that are likely to reduce the rates of divorces that result from inadequate communication between spouses. Ideally, communication theory in the field of information is a technical process that seeks to study the human communication practice. The origin of communication theory linked to the establishment of the information theory dated in the 1920s, but the major breakthrough for this theory was because of the 1948 theory by Shannon Claude. From its inception, communication theory has evolved because of expansive research in the field to a level that it requires certain elements in order for it to be effective (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011). In essence, communication has to have a source, sender, channel, the receiver, and other elements are the message, the feedback intended, and the positive or negative elements. On the other hand, some of these theories include consistency theory, cognitive constructivism, dialectical theory organizational culture, and the cultivation theory among a list of other communication theories. With this, televisions in cultivation theory createmiscommunication between spouses thatinfluences divorce rates in society. Statement of the problem According to research, most of the problems that may occur in a relationship stem from poor or ineffective communication inany relationship or interactions. Ideally, humans are social beings and they cannot thrive without having to develop relationships with one another that may be either at the work place or in between individuals. Over the years, relationships between man and woman have become the most challenged with other unions that may not be heterosexual that developas a result of the diversity that exists in society. In essence, love can never be the most essential component in the relationship between two people that are more than friends as a relationship requires good communication in order for it to remain healthy. The rates of divorces have been on a shocking increase with many attributing the break ups to failed communication systems within relationships. This has resulted in a significant number of broken families and a high loss of family related morals because of the lack of substantive influence towards healthy societies. Over the years, the inclusion of entertainments gadgets into homes has given rise to communication breakdowns in many homes. In turn, this influenced the social theory or the cultivation theory that has resulted from the television use in homes as a possible effect of broken communication systems. In essence, the cultivation theory dictates that the television causes long-term effects because it has created misconceptions of how the real world should be when it comes to relationships (McQuail, 2012). Theory summary of the cultivation theory According to the basic argument in this theory, many people involved in relationships tend to believe reality to be as portrayed in the television world that may be because of the amount of time spent when watching the same. In essence, Gerbner George and Gross Larry both of the Pennsylvania University established this theory to attempt to explain the communication problems experienced by many of the modern day relationships (Littlejohn & Foss, 2009). As per their research, the American culture that included the high watching of television content was a high influence towards the behavior and attitude developed by the American public (Baran& Davis, 2012). In essence, the effects of the television in this theory are long term because of accumulative exposure that may contribute to individuals being violent or develop the perception that the world is a scary place. In most cases, this tends to affect the ways in which individuals relate to other members of society that may include their spouses. Gerber and Gross equated the love for television to the value that religion carried in modern day society as compared to any other era in history (Dainton&Zelley, 2011). Ideally, television presents the most shared images that society hence pushing scholars to execute a cultivation analysis. The reason as to why televisions have influenced cultivation theory in many people in society is their accessibility and mass production that makes them available in most markets. Further, televisions have also become the shapers of society as this has also created the mass psychology as how society relates to one another. Analysis of cultivation theory According to Gerbner and Gross, televisions tend to occupy most of the waking hours of many individuals hence making this gadget to be most relied shapers of societal thinking than any other device or platform. On the other hand, the effects influenced by televisions tend to be minimal in that it is not as hazardous as many other technological advancements such as the internet. However, this does not imply that the consequences of watching televisions are not visible as many divorces attribute to televisions as the prime distraction of having a healthy dialogue between spouses. The implication of this is that televisions influence the perceptions that viewers may have over reality in a gentle, but dire way. Gerbner and Gross focused on researching the ways in which televisions influence the beliefs that viewers may have on their surroundings and the emotions attached to these beliefs.Subsequently, televisions in cultivation theory create miscommunication between spouses that influences divorce rates in society. In many cases, viewers that spend lesser time glued to their television sets are not likely to view their real world as resembling the television world unlike those that spend more hours on TV screens that develop a false perception about the same. The violence in television programs has a direct correlation with the lives of those that rely on television for guidance about their lives (Dainton&Zelley, 2011). This makes them believe that violence or cursing obscenities as acceptable practice hence treating their spouses in the same manner and their children as well. In other instances, spouses tend to use televisions as escape routes to having constructive dialogues as instead of listening to what one partner is saying, one focuses on the events in a television program. As per research, intense television viewing tends to affect the psychological health of an individual hence leading them to have poor judgment when it comes to handling certain matters in a relationship. Television viewers are in a cluster of three that include high, medium, and low frequency viewers meaning that their perceptions tend to be different (Dainton&Zelley, 2011). Research has established that a significant number of high frequency television vieweris susceptible to believing the messages and communication given through television programs as they believe that they are real and substantial (Baran& Davis, 2012). Many of them may suffer from the ‘Mean World’ syndrome in which they believe that the world that they live in is not as safe as people tend to believe it to be. This explains why the developers of this theory chose to use that title because viewers appear to be developing or cultivating attitudes in relation to the world that television programs tend to communicate. Subsequently, the attitudes created by individuals as influenced by televisions forces high frequency viewers to have hatred towards other people hence minimizing their respect for the laws. On the contrary, televisions tend to influence the acceptable culture in that the communication that divorce is the most accepted way of ending communication problems becomes the reality that the high frequency viewer is likely to buy in to. Therefore, the televisions in cultivation theory create miscommunication between spouses that influences divorce rates in society. Application of the theory As per many films and television programs, people appear as though they are backstabbers and that person cannot develop any fruitful relationships in the real world because of the perception created by this media tool. Therefore, televisions provoke the belief that people are not honest and that trusting anyone sets up an individual for failure and disappointment.In this regard, people tend to equate the events in programs to those happening in real life, hence influencing the continuity of unhealthy relationships (McQuail, 2012). On the other hand, televisions seem to be spreading the feminist agenda in the wrong way as many high frequency viewers may believe in the need to be liberal and not depend on their men for support as they can do without them. The notion that televisions create is that marriage is oppressive especially as spread by the many soap operas that keep brainwashing viewers of how relationships should and can be.The indication of this is that televisions in cultivation theory create miscommunication between spouses that influences divorce rates in society Essentially, women that watch soap operas at a high rate lack the ambiguity of making sane decisions concerning their lives as they tend to use the scenarios in the soaps to make decisions concerning their personal lives. For instance, if a television series encourages women to divorce their husbands because they can also sustain themselves, then a woman viewer is likely to develop an attitude that inclines towards this side. The danger in this is that viewers do not seem to differentiate between the fictitious world of television and the reality that faces in which some misunderstandings in a relationship are workable. On the contrary, men may also develop a different opinion as gathered from the films that they watch in which they may decide that the only way to solving a dispute is by using force or violence. In both situations, there is a high likelihood that couples in relationships may develop mistrust because of the perception that the television might have influenced by them. On one hand, women may seek to be liberal from the perceived oppression that men have subjected them over the years and that forgiveness may not be possible when one’s partner commits any wrong on them. The reverse of this can also be that a woman may want a man to apologize to them in similar fashion as the men in the soap operas that they watch hence making the television programs to be the basis for vetting the validity of their men. In essence, televisions tend to set high standards for people in a relationship in which some may view that if things do not occur as in the movies then a relationship could be dysfunctional. Televisions in cultivation theory create miscommunication between spouses that influences divorce rates in society. According to the research by Gross and Gerbner, the level of violence displayed in television content has remained constant over time, but the distribution level used by high frequency viewers could not be same. A majority of those that have high television watching habits tend to be suspicious of every move that their partners may make as they view this as an attempt to destroy their well being. In the end, this fosters mistrust and unhealthy relationships as these people tend to correlate with other people by issuing threatening statements. Most of them develop depression and loneliness because of them being in a relationship does not give them the satisfaction that they used to have. Their beliefs change to that of being alone helps them to be at peace, which most tends to be the opposite. In addition, television viewers that develop the distrust mentality become defensive even to situations that are likely to attract less harm to them, hence making their relationships to become hostile and unbearable to others. In the end, the ‘protect self first’ mentality influences broken societies because people accept the idea that other people could be the sources to their individual misfortunes and unfulfilled lives. The implication of this is that communicating with an individual that seems to have subscribed to this line of thinking makes it hard to establish any healthy relationships because of the perception that something is likely to go wrong in the relationship. The constant exposure to similar images appears as though this is the reality and that those that do not view life in the same manner may be living life as required by the television world. Therefore, the televisions in cultivation theory create miscommunication between spouses that influence divorce rates in society. Most of the world societies seem to have borrowed the culture that they practice from that of America through the programs developed in Hollywood that celebrate broken families and separation as the only way to solving a communication problem (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011). Fundamentally, the American culture is the most influential culture in the world and that most of the people in developing nations seem to be embracing any way of living that this society adapts to (Dainton&Zelley, 2011). Therefore, the more hours that one spends watching the television, the more they subscribe to the opinions communicated by the programs about the ways in which relationships should be. This indicates that televisions in cultivation theory create miscommunication between spouses that influence divorce rates in society Conclusion The life that those in movies and televisions live may quite contrary to the truth that is life, but many believeit to be the ideal lifestyle of living that is the in thing (McQuail, 2012). In many cases, the attitudes portrayed by individuals may not necessarily be the contributor to the high rates of divorces or broken communication structures. This means that constructive theory is one of the many reasons that can cause people to divorce or have communication failures meaning that solving this problem requires the application of several other factors. The fact that some men have turned to be violent to their spouses in order to fulfill the life lived by fictitious characters make it evident that television can contribute through oneway or another to domestic violence. Essentially, men may opt to be physically violent rather than communicate their needs with their partners effectively because they have bought into the perception that violence is the only way for solving issues. Further, television characters also influence immense mistrust because the plot surrounding uses this trait in order to keep audiences glued to their screens. The moral standards also deteriorate as people that rely on the principles communicated by televisions may have minimal regard for the law or for other society members. Using the cultivate analysis as a way of diagnosing communication problems is essential, but psychoanalysts should communicate the risks involved in relying on this channel to influence societal principles. However, society should rely on the principles that have been in existence for a long time and are similar to the real challenges that people face rather than relying on Hollywood to solve some of these problems (McQuail, 2012). Other than violence, television viewing can also have a detrimental effect on women and relationships at large because they influence unattainable standards to some couple hence becoming a basis for contention. In this regard, televisions in cultivation theory create miscommunication between spouses that influences divorce rates in society Women should not force their men to be as romantic as portrayed in televisions as these channels seems to be indicating that living a soap opera kind of life guarantees happiness, which is the exact opposite. The basic component for ensuring that a relationship is healthy is by influencing communication systems that are effective and complement both parties in order for the relationship not to develop into a violent one (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011). As much as televisions offer entertainment and comfort, they may also be the number one contributors to unstable homes and broken society systems. However, individuals should understand that stereotyping people to be as the characters in televisions that do not rely on trust does not complement relationships in any way but instead cultivates animosity between individuals. Therefore, individuals should relate with people close to them in a respectful wayand open communication as this tends to foster trust, which is an essential ingredient to healthy interactions. Gerbner and Gross’ theory of cultivation is an eye opener to understanding one of the causes of the high rates of separation witnessed across societies because society has not cemented self-principles as a basis for making moral judgment. Hence, televisions in cultivation theory create miscommunication between spouses that influence divorce rates in society as illustrated in Gerbner and Gross’ findings. References Baran, S. J., & Davis, D. K. (2012).Mass communication theory: Foundations, ferment, and future. Boston, MA: Wadsworth. Dainton, M., &Zelley, E. D. (2011).Applying communication theory for professional life: A practical introduction.Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications. Littlejohn, S. W., & Foss, K. A. (2009).Encyclopedia of communication theory.Los Angeles, Calif: Sage. Littlejohn, S. W., & Foss, K. A. (2011).Theories of human communication (10th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press. McQuail, D. (2012). McQuail's mass communication theory. London [u.a.: SAGE. Read More