Sexual violence in the media and its indirect effects on Agression towards Women - Research Paper Example

Here Here Here Here Sexual Violence in the Media Article Summary This review by Malamuth and Briere (75) evaluates the literature for evidence of the indirect effects of sexual violence in the media on aggression towards women in the public. The authors present statistics that demonstrate the disturbing frequency of sexual violence instigated by men against women, and discuss some of the research that has been spawned by these findings. In particular, their focus centers on the proposition of a model to describe the indirect influence of mass media on antisocial behavior against women.

Further investigation examined the influence of male thought patterns on behavior toward women in the laboratory. Several distinctions are made to clarify the nature of this review. Sexual violence is differentiated from non-sexual violence by its lower overall incidence, and by the finding that sexual violence is often portrayed in the media without negative consequences for the perpetrator and/or victim. Indirect and direct effects are explained to be different, but not exclusive. Indirect models often include direct interactions as well, but also recognize the complex nature of variables related to this topic.

Three types of factors are proposed to be candidates for a multistep model that could best describe the effect of mass media on violence against women. “Originating” variables include culture and individual experiences, “intermediate” describes personal variables like thought patterns, motivation, and personality traits. The final type of proposed category is essentially the dependent variable, described here as antisocial behaviors that can range from aggression to extreme violence. The influence of media exposure is examined as it pertains to two types of responses, based on the classes addressed in the available literature.

Thought patterns are first identified as a response that may be affected by media influence, and several studies are presented as sources of evidence. Findings included evidence that high exposure to pornographic media was directly related to tolerance of violence against women, rape myth acceptance, and general sexual callousness. The review of three different studies provided evidence that exposure to rape scenes with “positive” consequences for the female victim led to a stronger belief in aspects of the rape myth, while another experiment found similar results in a more generalizable environment (outside of the laboratory).

Sexual arousal was the second type of response class that was reviewed. The evidence reveals that men who are sexually aroused by rape depictions actually become less aroused when exposed to rape scenes with violence, while those who were aroused by consensual sex were not effected. The authors concluded that, according to the available evidence, exposure to sexual aggression in the media might have a negative impact on the thought patterns of males, but not on their patterns of sexual arousal.

However, the authors also warn that the results of the sexual arousal studies are dangerous to generalize, due to a lack of studies (which may be related to the restrictiveness of subject pool possibilities). The authors go on to investigate the influence of male thought patterns on aggressive behavior toward women in the lab. Previous studies provided evidence that men’s behavior toward women in the lab can be predicted by their thought patterns. General population studies support these findings as they apply to other settings and situations, including college men, teenagers, and towns.

This data leads the researchers to conclude that thought patterns by men and aggressive behaviors toward women are related, and suggest that further revisions of the model are necessary through future research.ReferenceMalamuth, Neil M., & John Briere. “Sexual Violence in the Media: Indirect Effects on Aggression Against Women.” Journal of Social Issues 42.3 (1986): 75-92. Print.