Violence and Its Impact upon Adolescents - Research Paper Example

Section/# Violence and Its Impact Upon Adolescents: An Inquiry into the Effects of the Media An undeniable fact isthat the adolescents within our society grow up in a world that is saturated by media and media influence. One particular aspect of this saturation is the extent to which television pervades the current culture. Whereas children of generations past have been exposed to television, the total numbers of hours each week that exposure portends has increased seemingly exponentially of late. This has many negative effects on the individual which is exposed; regardless of age. One of the aspects of the negative effect that a large consumption of television media has been shown to effect is a range of health issues within those individuals that watch a number of hours of television programming weekly. Although the negative health affects have been a topic of much recent discussion, the expressed purpose of this research analysis will be to draw a level of inference upon the way in which violence represented in television media affects the minds, outlook, psychology, and world-view interpretation of the adolescent viewing audience. Although violence has always been a discernable and visible part of the human experience, the proliferation of violence on the television has provided a paradigm shift in the way that the shareholder, namely adolescents, engage with an understanding of this representation within the reality of culture and entertainment that television necessarily portends (Richmond et al 51). Ultimately, the scope and level of the violence that is represented along with the increased total viewing hours that adolescents within society are engaging with means that the level and extent to which this violence is represented has increased exponentially over time. However, before delving further into the nature of violence and its effect as represented within television media, it is important to qualify that regardless of the effect that violence within media could have on the individual, it cannot and should not be blamed for all extant violence that exists due to the fact that violence and its representation within human society has far predated the first exhibition of television or the media in general (Romero-Ramirez 4). One of the most important aspects of the effects of the media on the adolescent mind is the way in which it causes a degree of exposure and acceptance of violent actions as a reasonable and expected means of conflict resolution. Many studies have looked into the explosion of anger and aggression issues that have been represented lately and made convincing links and parallels to the extent to which the representation of violence within media, and specifically television, has contributed to the rise in the prevalence of these issues (von Feilitzen 19). However, regardless to the particular study that is engaged with, most authors and researchers have agreed that children and adolescent exposure to violence plays an integral part in the ultimate expression of violent behavior; or at the very least integrates an understanding among the shareholder that violent expression is an acceptable means of conflict resolution within society and culture. One of the primal difficulties that has been enumerated upon by many researchers is the fact that it is difficult to engage appropriate research and measurement tools on the effected populations due to the fact that few parents want to admit that their children have the run of the house and can watch as much television as they wish. Due to such a constraint, seeking to gain reasonable inference on the amount of television consumed and drawing a link between the percentages of violence exhibited within this programming and the exhibition of violence, aggressive or behavioral issues within the individual becomes increasingly difficult. As a function of understanding the extent to which television media has pervaded our current culture, it is useful to briefly examine a few statistics on the topic. Firstly, as early as the 1950’s, as few as 10% of the entire population even owned a television set. Currently, around 99% of all households within the United States have at least one. Moreover, one out of two children has a television set in their room; this of course provides instant access to the adolescent to a wide array of programming. It should of course not be considered that all programming that the adolescent will engage with is violent in nature; however, the fact of the matter is that the average American adolescent will view approximately 200,000 acts of violence which includes over 16,000 murders prior to the age of 18 year. Due to the fact that the proliferation of violence within the current media is at such a high level, the extent and exposure that the adolescent is expected to realize will most likely only continue to grow over time. Moreover, studies have indicated that the average time spent watching TV for the adolescent will soon exceed 28 hours per week. As such, the researcher can readily note that the constant increase in the level of media proliferation into the lives of adolescents combined with the ever-increasing levels in which violence is exhibited within television programming. A further interesting aspect of the previous literature and research that has been compiled upon such a topic is the overall inconclusiveness of the results. However, numerous studies have noted that whereas violence within the various forms of extant media that proliferate the given system may have little if any affect on well adjusted children that experience few disadvantages with relation to upbringing, stability of home-life, and/or any previous psychological issues. However, these same studies have noted a marked increase in the way in which violent and aggressive behavior is exhibited among those individuals that are more at risk to develop such emotions and actions due to the quality of their home life or the existence of any developmental or behavioral issues. These “at risk” youths represent the most vulnerable in society and account for the lion’s share of the behavioral issues exhibited within society. Although the lion’s share of this research has been concentric upon television programming, the fact of the matter is that various other aspects of current media represent high levels of violence. For instance, studies have indicated that approximately 15% of all music contains direct or indirect references to violent actions (Ashford 127). However, a far larger shift with regards to the means by which violence has been integrated with the adolescent is the proliferation of video games that have come to such a high level of prominence over the past several years. These video games are unlike certain forms of TVC programming in the fact that they are almost exclusively and specifically geared and marketed to the adolescent demographic. With regards to the ways in which video games exert an influence of behavior, one author noted the following: “Recent research has shown that connections between children playing violent video games can cause later aggressive behavioral problems. In retrospect studies have also shown a twelve percent increase in aggressive behavior after watching violent television as well. Some parents and psychologists have said that there are children who benefit from the proficiency and coordination of playing video games while others disagree. Critics of video games claim that watching violent television is less detrimental due to the children not physically playing out the violence. Research has also shown heavy viewers, which is four or more hours a day, put in less effort at school, have poorer reading skills, play less friendly with friends, have fewer hobbies and activities, and are more likely to be overweight. The American Psychological Association says there are three major effects of watching violence in the media (i.e.: video games/television) children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, children may be more fearful of the world around them, and children may be more likely to behave in aggressive or hurtful ways toward others” (Robbins 1). This represents a further issue due to the fact that although movie titles released in theaters can effectively reduce the overall number of theater attendees that are underage and unable to view the violent content of certain movies, the ability of the system to ensure that these violent video games do not fall into the wrong hands is necessarily constrained (Smither et al 56). As such, one can easily have a friend purchase the game for them or merely let them loan it. Due to the fact that the companies that produce this material are fully aware of the fact of who their consumer base is, they are further unwilling to take the necessary steps to remove much of this content from the direct availability of the consumer market due to the fact that it will ultimately hurt their profit margins (Gentile 217). Although many of the results of the studies are inconclusive, it is a topic that only further research will be able to speak to. However, the sheer amount of media proliferation within adolescent culture and the increased prevalence of violence and behavioral and aggression issues provide an unsubstantiated yet coherent link between the exhibition of this violence and the affects that it may have on the individual. As has been noted, although the representation of violence within the current media may have little effect on the well adjusted and otherwise “normal” adolescent; rather, it is due to the fact that the impact can disproportionately be felt among the most at risk members of society. Works Cited Ashworth, Laurence, Martin Pyle, and Ethan Pancer. "The Role Of Dominance In The Appeal Of Violent Media Depictions." Journal Of Advertising 39.4 (2010): 121-134. Business Source Premier. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. Gentile, Douglas A., Lindsay C. Mathieson, and Nicki R. Crick. "Media Violence Associations With The Form And Function Of Aggression Among Elementary School Children." 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"Missing The Big Picture." New Atlantis Robert Smither, et al. "Predicting Violence: A Cross-National Study Of United States And Mexican Young Adults." Journal Of Social & Clinical Psychology 32.1 (2013): 54-70. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. von Feilitzen, Cecilia, Catharina Bucht, and Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Goteborg (Sweden). International Clearinghouse on Children and Violence on the Screen. United Nations Educational. "Outlooks On Children And Media: Child Rights, Media Trends, Media Research, Media Literacy, Child Participation, Declarations. Children And Media Violence Yearbook, 2001." (2001): ERIC. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. Read More