Influence of TV Programs on Violent Behavior of Teenagers - Essay Example

?Running Head:Forensic Psychology Summary Article Forensic Psychology Summary Article Los Angeles Times, 5 March 2011 Summary Introduction The Los Angeles Times claims that TV viewing is to blame for the violent behavior among the adolescents. This claim is based on the evidence provident by Rosie Mestel, who claims that who teenagers who watch over an hour of television programs a day are highly vulnerable to violent and aggressive acts in adulthood. The article claims that a 17-year research, in the journal science, that tracked the behavior of about 1700 teenagers, during their developmental stages to maturity (adulthood), revealed that adolescents who watch more at least three hours of TV programs daily, are about four times susceptible to perform hostile and violent acts in their later life, than adolescents who watched fewer than three programs a day, which is solid evidence of the harmful impacts of TV watching. The article attributes the cases of crime and moral decay in the society, in America, as linked to adolescent TV watching frequencies. Unfortunately, the article does not clearly indicate the programs adolescents watch that contribute to their violent and hostile behavior later in life as adults. Thus, calling for criticisms form psychology professors and scholars, like Jonathan Freedman. He argues that the article does not clearly indicate that watching TV programs as the cause of resultant violence in adolescents. The discussion will focus on establishing how relevant Rosie's claim is, and investigate evidence on the relationship between TV viewing and adolescent hostile and violent acts. In the light of Rosie's evidence that adolescent TV viewing is connected to violent behavior, the discussion will delve into other factors that may lead to adolescent violent and hostile behaviors later in life, and evaluate the validity of the article in advocating for the abolition of TV programs for adolescents. Discussion A detailed examination of the topic Violence has become one of the most controversial and key issues in modern society. It is true that cases of adolescent violence are on the rise. The main concern for majority parents and guardian is the rise of violence in Movies and TV shows, and the impacts on adolescents’ aggression. Television plays a fundamental role in the modern society, and are available in nearly all homes in U.S. Parents have a whopping concern for adolescents viewing TV, but adolescents all over the United States view about twenty hours or more of TV programs, (Black and Newman, 2005). According to Hutcheon and Cox, (2009), Television programs and other related media accounts for one of the cardinal and unrealized influences on adolescents and children behavior and health in the modern world. Their consequences should be stimulating critical concern, from both educators and parents, as well as from public health advocates, politicians and physicians, (Centerwall, 1993). Although forensic psychological issues such as objections to different advertising and programming practices can occur on practicality, aesthetic, philosophical, public health or humanistic grounds with the absence of firm scientific data, various studies record that an enormous problem exists. Gitlin (1994) state that Adolescents and children watch approximately 10?000-violence acts each year. Research by the national television Violence studied almost ten thousand hours of TV programming over 3 years and discovered that approximately 61% of them involved violence, with children's shows and programming indicating the high percentage of violence, Gadow and Prafkin, 2007). Additionally, 26% of hostile interactions included gun use. Throughout the 3-year study time, there was no change in the violence key indicators, in the media, regardless of the extensive public concern. A current, comprehensive scrutiny of all genres of rock music videos revealed that about 22.4% of all Television Music videos depicted overt violence, approximately 20% of every rap videos involved violence, and 25% of all Television Music videos portrayed weapon carrying. Several researches reveal that TV programs impacts not only the adolescents' aggression, but also affects their knowledge and capacity to differentiate the wrong and the right actions. Some studies reveal that young boys, who viewed non-violent TV programs, tend to show more aggression than those similar boys who viewed violent TV programs. Therefore, violent is evident irrespective of where it originates from, whether from the news, cartoons or movies. Thus, when all the movies and shows, that integrate violence are eliminated, only news are left, which reveals the most real and drastic violence that, is evident, (Freedman, 2002). Other studies argue television shows and media are not to blame for adolescent aggression and hostile behaviors. They further, argue that all children are born tendencies of violence, which most children learn to control and suppress during their developmental stages, (Gadowand and Sprafkin, 2000). Therefore, those children who are unable to learn to control such tendencies manifest violent behavior as adults. Thus, according to this evidence, aggressive behavior among children and adolescents is natural and existed before televisions were created. Freedman also believes argues that finding a linkage between TV watching and adolescents violence does not warrant TV programs them blame. He asserts that children who are born naturally, highly aggressive may be interested to view more violent television programs, (Krcmar and Cooke, 2001). Tremblay disowns the currently renewed criticism of TV or media violence influences of behavior; instead, he maintains that damaged or “unexpressed” genes influencing behavioral skills and abilities are the suspected culprits. He argues that chronically aggressive individuals have more unexpressed genes, this is evidence that the problem is highly suppressed, (Tremblay2009). He further, suggests that other factors like drinking and smoking habits, exposure to stress and poor nutrition of an expectant mother can contribute or cause fetus’s unusual genetic development. Destroyed genes can hinder a child for skill learning for self-expression, limiting his ability to interact socially, and, therefore, making him susceptible to violence. He gave an example of genes responsible for acquisition and development of language; he maintains that if a child is unable to speak well he gets easily frustrated and can result to violence. Some critics are against Tremblay arguments and blame media for adolescent violence. They argue that we are currently living in a world full of violence and youngsters are either masterminds or victims of all these evil deeds. They also maintain that media violence has negatively influenced children's mindset to a greater extend, (Whitney, 2009). Children are prone towards all types of information from different sources. In addition, they tend to emulate all what they hear and see. Therefore, it is believed that Television violence can desensitize children to violence. The fact that we are living in a world full of violence, shows that criminals' targets children, (Gowing, 2004). Television violence in American adolescents, for example, is triggered by what is portrayed in movies and television programs. Many professors and scholars believe that adolescents and children may learn violent behaviors and assume or apply them later in their live by viewing violent video games, TV shows and movies, (Reuben, Sunstein and Sullivan, 2004). Concerns about negative effects of television had been debated upon dating back to 1946, when the first television broadcasting started in the U.S. A certain study, in the 1960s, surprised the public by revealing that children permitted to watch a television program showing an adult hitting a toy clown showed the tendency to imitate the acts. Similar studies also revealed an increase in aggressive behavior and attitude after individuals viewed violent programs, (Lutterbeck, 2005). For instance, subjects tended to fight in outdoor play areas or punish others with fake electricity zaps. Other related studies, have also examined the relationship between real-life violence and violent programming, and have discovered smaller, even though statistically significant, connections. Researchers from Mount Sinai Medical center and Colombia University, used data form broader-ranging surveys of children's behavior in approximately seven hundred and seven state families, in New York, (Krcmar, 2008). The families were randomly selected for the study; not because children in such families had any behavioral problem. The parents and their children were interviewed from time to time in relation to television habits, aggression and hostility. First interviews started when such children had an average age of 14 years, in 1983, follow up interviews followed at the age of 16, 22 and lastly 30 respectively. The scientist later in 2000 explored FBI and state records in to establish if any other children in the study- at the age of 30 by the end of the study- had been charged or arrested of any crime, (Metzl, 2007). They found out that about 5.7% of the children who reported viewing not more than an hour of Television daily as teenagers performed aggressive deeds against others in succeeding years- through a legal report, their own (children) admissions or a parents' record. Such acts included fights, use of weapon to execute a crime, threats, fights, assaults and robbery. The figure increased to 22.5 and 28.8 of adolescents who viewed TV programs for three or less hours daily and over three hours daily respectively. The numbers of the impact were alarming, as suggested by the senior author Johnson Jeffrey. Jeffrey and his coauthors, asserted that the study results assisted solidify the relationship between violence and TV, (Krcmar, 2001). They used statistics to eliminate other potential cause like poverty, living in close violent neighborhood and neglect. Osborn and Hale, (2000) assert that Six key medical groups that encompassing the American Academy of Adolescent and Child Psychiatry, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics also supported Johnson's study argument. Whereas this argument may hold some water, the study, and similar studies, demonstrate that even children who are even-tempered also turned out to be more hostile after viewing many television shows, (Krc?mar, 2002). Violence in television shows and movies provokes individuals to aggressive and destructive attitudes. It inculcates the wrong way to deal and cope with problems. Similarly, children who watch horror movies, they in turn become part of what they hear and see, (Popper, Bosetti and Pinter, 1998). Conclusion Investigating the evidence to support the article claim TV shows are to blame for the hostile and aggressive behavior found in adolescents, who are exposed to watching television programs for longer periods is not possible. Though aggression and hostile crime rates are increasing, there are other, several physiological, social and biological factors believed to influence adolescent and children behavior, (Perri and Lichtenwald, (2009). The Rosie's claim in the article, therefore, is trying to trigger unbelievable generalization, does not fully fit in the Freedman's argument. Rosie, only claims a connection, which is thought by many to apply not to all, circumstances, but not strong enough to warrant blame on TV watching for antisocial behavior by the adolescents. While the claim by the article may be true according to some scholars, Tremblay findings and arguments could be critical to challenge the articles nature of linkage between the television watching habit and violence acts or behavior. The article only supports the claim that easier and frequent access to television programming by teenagers only increases the influence on numerous behavioral and psychological issues, (Hubert, 1997). Moreover, it provides significant information that shows how violence, aggression and dugs among others are related to media issues. Significantly, in the light of forensic psychology, he asserts that the United States government has supported the argument of TV programming on violent behavior. In relation to other studies that claim to relate television violence and adolescent behavior various social conservative unions and child advocacy organizations, also have recently pressed the Congress to mount actions in opposition of television violence, (Mulvihill, 2008). References Freedman, J.L. (2002). Media Violence and its Effect on Aggression: Assessing the Scientific Evidence. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Centerwall, B. S. (January 01, 1993). Television and violent crime. The Public Interest, 111.) Gitlin, T. (January 01, 1994). Image busters, the hollow crusade against TV violence. The American Prospect, 16.) Hubert, P. (January 01, 1997). Time to end television violence?. Diffusion : Quarterly Journal of the European Broadcasting Union, 23-25. Popper, K. R., Bosetti, G., and Pinter, A. (January 01, 1998). Proti televiziji. Nova Revija, 17.) Perri, M. B. A. C. P. A. F. S., and Lichtenwald, T. G. (January 01, 2009). 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