Adolescents' TV Watching Is Linked to Violent Behavior - Article Example

Adolescents TV Watching Is Linked to Violent Behavior Los Angeles Times Summary The Los Angeles Times claim that screen violence that adolescent watch in the television influence violent culture in real life. Los Angeles Times based this argument on evidence presented after 17 years of research, in which researcher George Comstock of Syracuse University asserted to be true. Los Angeles Times argued its findings using a detailed research in which sociologists and psychologists commented. Largely, the research presentation gave detailed information on modalities used to conduct the research. The research explored various aspect of aggression, which children watched in the television. The article links violence watched through television and violence that people practice in the society. In the article, Joanne Cantor, who has been researching on media violence argued that TV watching is a common phenomenon in the society (Cantor, 2000:3). This argument helped to cement the argument in the article. The article does not blame television programs for the violent experienced in the society. However, it recommends parental guidance to TV exposure among children (Anderson, et. al. 2006:92). It is apparent that social aspect influence individual behavior. The article did not describe the kind of programs that children watched. The concern of the article was to show how watching television influenced human behavior. The essay in this paper will challenge the assertion that violence among adolescent is due to number of hours they spend watching television, by exploring various psychological theories linking violent behavior to societal influences such as violent programs in the television. A detailed Review of the Issue The argument Adolescent TV watching is linked to violent behavior has evidently pointed out various aspect of external factors which influence human psychology. Erickson theory of human development argues that external psychosocial factors influence an individual’s id (part of the brain responsible for feeling and needs). Ferguson (2002:448) asserts that human culture is responsible for an individual character. Piaget argues in his theory that biological factors and external factors are responsible for human behavior. Research on children response to various situations indicates that children tend to practice what the see in their environment (McDonnell & Sturney, 2010:123). For instance research on children confidence indicates that individual confidence depend with early developmental stages. It is apparent that social environment influence individual confidence. Erickson argued that at adolescent stage, a person develops the ability to make choices. Inferiority that a child experienced in the previous stage tends to fade. Adolescent ability to make moral choices largely depends on social factors, which influenced his growth (Mash & Wolfe, 2008:254). Studies have indicated that a child would tend to relate an occurrence to a previous incidence before making a decision. Arguably, when previous exposure of a child was aggressive video programs, adolescent may fail to acknowledge good morals. Previous stages of human development influence behavioral development in the next stage. Studies on cognitive development argue that early stages of development are critical in influence human behavior (Kincheloe & Horn, 2008:386.). Children tend to develop trust from their environment. Early stages of development present a child with many challenges because the world is new. As the child grows, he or she learns to trust his or her environment. Close attachment that children develop depend on trust their have to their environment (Mash, J. E. & Wolfe, A. D. 2008:256. However, exposure to movies, which illustrate a lot of violence, would influence the child to believe that people should react violently in the society. Social scientists have observed that television and other social media, which keep children busy, have replaced the role of parent in the family. Research documents that many children spend much time watching television as opposed to the time they spend with their parents. Socialist believes that the growing reliance on media leads to teen socialization (Gregerson, 2009:30). It is apparent that the teens make choices of what media channels they watch when they parents are absent. This has exposed children to choices, which they are not able to evaluate their impact (Gregerson, 2009:30). Overreliance in TV programs denies the child the opportunity to get discipline from their parents. It is apparent that replacement of parental role by TV programs influences a child’s mind in terms of decision making which influence behavior. Gregerson (2009:30) asserts that media reliance may unmoor actions of a child. In actual sense, a child does not have any a parental advice, which would influence the child to make an informed opinion over a program, watched in the television. Psychosocial research indicates that aggression level among human being may remain stable decrease or increase during stages of development. Studies conducted to expose the role of violent media on human behavior suggest that exposure of an individual to violent media would influence individual behavior during later life (Kirsh, 2006:36). Psychologists have argued that aggression individuals posses aggression characteristics which they claim would increase when an individual consume much violent media. (Kirsh, S. 2006:36) asserts that violent behavior among adolescent depend on aggression level. Apparently, many children and adolescent showing aggressive behavior like violent movies as opposed to less aggressive children. Escalation of violent behavior among children reveals that aggressive characteristic is an intrinsic feature in the human mind. Evidently, this argument confirms the finding of the Los Angeles Times. Children require parental attention since they are not experienced in social issues. Bundara theory of social learning argues that observation is a principle source of learning (Kirsh, 2006:46). Observation learning occurs when an individual is able to display similar characteristics of what he or she has observed. Brain interprets what one observes, with the principles in the society. Children who spend a lot of time watching television may not have the opportunity to dispose wrong or violent things they observe in the TV because they do not have guidance from their parents. Psychologists believe that observation learning can occur without assistance (Chrisler & McCreary, 2010: 47). It is arguable that children watching TV learn by observing pictures they see. Interpretation of the information they learn through observation largely depend cognitive ability of the child. However, since adolescent children have limited experience about social issues, it is probable that they would tend to copy what they learn through observation. Observation learning research based on Bundara theory indicated that response children gave attest to the observable media display they watch (Biglan, et.al. 2005:231). Children who watched violent video games responded to similar situation with aggression because that is what their brains have conceived. Notable, psychologists believe that evaluation of learning occurs through checking individual performance (Kelly, Grinband, Hirsch, 2007). It is apparent that an individual would be able to perform what he or she has learnt. Evidence provided in Los Angeles Time linking aggressive behavior to TV shows bear similar arguments from Bundara’s experiment. Learning process among children seems to be the major factor behind aggression behavior the children portray during adolescent. Gregorson (2009:36) asserts that amount that children and adult spend watching TV leads to fracture between generations, between actions and thoughts, and between peers. Evidently, time spent in discussing social issues influence attitude towards such activities. The social fabric, which exist between parents and children influences aggressive behavior among children. Many parents usually correct their children whenever they do anything wrong (Murray, et.al. 2008:121). Surprisingly, this might not be the case whenever a child gets the opportunity to watch television alone. Children do not play a passive role whenever they observe various activities in the society. Many children tend to respond to what they observe in the society, even at early ages of learning. Researchers have noted that many children tend to show gender inclination at 19 months (Weiten, 2011:348). Researchers believe that this argument tend to support observation learning which play a vital role in shaping individual role. It is arguable that since a child can learn through observing occurrences in the immediate environment, then exposure to television would yield similar results (DeRobertis, 2008:123). Interest of children tends to focus on environmental occurrences, which are observable. Studies have indicated that observable learning tend to stick in the mind than theoretical learning. Criticism and contribution of learning theories are very important in the study of adolescent behavior. Researchers have argued that social theories bear testable information and are precise (Shaffer, 2008:50). Many researches on social attitudes of adolescent compare outcomes (child behavior) to social environment. Shaffer (2008:50) argues that children watch transpires in their world or in the social environment, they experiment what they have watched with objects they encounter, they connect the events they have observed with real life situation, and they puzzle when what they have watch does not explain their experience. Adaptation and organization schemas in the human brain combine existing new and existing schemas in complex structures (Shaffer, 2008:53). Piaget believed that human beings use complementary assimilation processes to adapt to the environment. Apparently, learning would not occur when an individual does not implement what he or she watches in the society. Studies on social influence distinguish social influence into two categories informational and normative. Normative influence is a case where an individual submit to social pressure e.g. peer pressure in order to gain acceptability (Baumeister & Bushman, 2009:225). Adolescents usually face the difficulty to make individual choices or succumb to social pressure. Many cases of social pressure indicate that many adolescents usually bow to pressure exerted by their friends. Human beings would always wish to belong to a particular group. It is probable that an individual may decide to become violent given that the group behaves violently. Erickson argues in psychosocial theory that individual morals at adulthood depend on an individual ability to resolve confusion in adolescent stage (Cross, 2005:31). It is apparent that during adolescent many people have to battle between confusion and identity. Ability of an individual to solve crisis or to become aggressive largely depend on social attachment of the individual. Character development in an individual does not just happen by chance. Cognitive abilities and social factors influence character development (Preiss & Sternberg, 2009:123). A child watching TV views his or her social environment in terms of features presented on the screen. Research conducted on intensity of influence that people get from media indicates that aggressive movies tend to influence more than non-aggressive movies. This argument tends to explain violent observation made in the research findings. Conclusion Critically examination of the above evidence leads to the assertion that adolescent watching TV is likely to develop violent behavior. Psychological research and theories link learning process with social factors. From learning theories, it is evident that adolescents are able to learn through observation, which is the major information transmission method in TV. Psychologists have noted that children learn what the watch and later experiment what they have observed with real life objects (Browne, 2005:706). In the same manner, adolescent who watches violent TV shows, portraying violent videos is likely to develop violent behavior. Socials research has indicated that reliance on television programs reduce the number of hours a child will spend with his or her parents (Lerner, 2002:287). This will influence the amount of instruction that a child get from the parent. Children do not have enough experience make right judgment on what they watch. Erickson theory asserts that that adolescent period is a time that an individual struggles between confusion and identity (Schwartz, 2011:383). Arguably, adolescent might not be able to make moral decision. It is apparent that the adolescent would rely on previous conception, observed through TV to make his or her decision. Research on human aggression indicates that aggression characteristics are intrinsic characteristics, which may stabilize, decrease, or increase depending on individual exposure to aggression in the society (Amodei & Scott, 2002:514). 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