Watching Violent Movies and Teenagers Delinquent Behavior - Essay Example

The Causality between Watching Violent Movies and Delinquent Behavior among Teenagers and Adolescents Introduction The of media violence and its association with criminal behavior among teenagers and adolescents has been studied quite extensively. The exposure to violent movies is often linked with developmental and psychological impairments among teenagers and adolescents. In a world dominated by media, it is quite hard to abstain from the temptation to watch violent movies. Since teenage and adolescence is an important development stage, watching violent movies can have detrimental impacts on the healthy development of the psyche, and overall wellbeing (Huesmann and Taylor, 2006). Most violent movies manipulate its viewers into carrying out violent and criminal acts. Most often, violent movies desensitize its viewers and hence making them more likely to act irrationally, often in ways that threaten the security of those around them. The relationship between watching violent movies and aggressive behavior is also well established. While some individuals who display antisocial and violent behavior do not necessarily go on to become violent teens and adolescents, there is a high likelihood that aggressiveness in young individuals results in growth impairments and violent behavior (Huesmann and Taylor, 2006). The extent to which these violent acts can become criminal is what is worrying about the relationship between the two variables. Much study into the matter has been carried out which reveal some important implications and consequences of watching violent movies. A vast amount of literature is present on one of the digital age’s most serious issues: the causality between violent movies and the delinquent behavior among teenagers and adolescents. Literature Review 1. Violent Movies In her article, Savage (2004) has focused her study towards exploring the link between watching violent movies and its impact on criminal aggression. By doing so, the author has separated the usual aggressive behavior from criminal aggression that is specifically involved in spurring individuals to act criminally. Consistent with popular belief, watching violent movies has evident links with aggression. But Savage (2004) builds up on the previous findings that have found a strong relationship between exposure to violent media and violent and/or criminal behavior. Dahl and DellaVigna (2009) have studied a similar relationship between movie violence and violent crimes. They used a methodology that looked at the times of violent movie screenings and the incidence of violent crimes. The findings suggested that lesser violent crimes were committed around the times when large audiences attended violent blockbuster films. This could indicate a connection with violent criminals, who when busy watching blockbuster violent films, presented lesser crimes in the city. Along with this, the study also focused on the degree to which the films were violent and how this scale impacted an increase or decrease in violence. Similarly, Huesmann and Taylor (2006) have also studied the relationship between, exposure to media violence on films, news, and so on, to demonstrate a positive relationship between the two variables. However, their article bases its focus more on the health aspect of the negative impact of watching violent movies. Although the authors agree that acts of aggression or crime not only depend upon exposure to violent movies but also on the social context, the overall result show a negative impact on health in the short and long term. 2. Delinquent Behaviors relating to Adolescents A study conducted by Sargent & Heatherton et al., (2002) shows that more than a quarter of school goers watch “extremely violent movies”. These include exposure to extremely graphical violence and sexuality and male students belonging to lower socio-economic status with poor academic performance were more probably to have watched at least one violent movie. In the present age, a sizeable number of adolescents and youths are exposed to violent content in films which they grasp thereby resulting in imitative violence, aggression, hostility, and eagerness to use violent measures to threaten others. A large part of violence induced among the teenagers and adolescents is a result of watching movies although most researches have broadly centered their studies around violence on television. To a great extent, changes in the social environment have given young individuals the access to violent movies that were not intended for an audience of the age group any way. The arrival of different media channels have allowed a younger crowd, the accessibility, to violent movies that are originally intended for an older audience (Sargent & Heatherton et al., 2002). The study did not provide a conclusive relationship between the exposure to violent films and the propensity towards violence. Though the study provides an insight into the degree to which adolescents are exposed to violent content in films and movies. The authors do agree that results can suggest a possible causative factor that promotes a mental state that triggers violent behavior subsequently after watching violent movies. 3. Adolescent development The relationship between watching violent films and its negative impact on child development has been established. Watching violent movies make children more aggressive and can instill feelings of fear in children. Not only this, but exposure to violent films has been known to desensitize them or to make children less sensitive to violence, which may explain the likelihood that the same children may turn to criminal or delinquent acts (University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, 2014). American children are exposed to violent movies and this involves many risks that inhibit healthy growth and development of the mental capacity. Moreover, such exposure may introduce mental impairments that can spur children to develop criminal aggression thereby forcing them to take violent and harmful actions. Since the effects of violent movies and risky and long lasting, that is why parents have been educated of its impacts on several occasions. Summary of Literature Review The literature suggests a positive relationship between the two variables: exposure to violent movies and teenagers and adolescents. Not only are adolescents exposed to violent films more likely to be part of criminal acts, the issue also poses a threat to overall public health. Violence in movies affects the cognitive and mental processes of its viewers making them desensitized and criminally aggressive (Savage, 2004). Parents of young children to violent movies are concerned about the development of their children. Violent movies affect not only the way children behave but also the way they think. Their thinking and mental models can have a large impact on whether they grow to become aggressive individuals. Often violent movies breed aggressive adults who are more likely to indulge in violent crimes as compared to those that have not been exposed to much violent films. Description of the Study The aim of the study is to determine whether watching violent movies is a causal factor for triggering delinquent behavior among teenagers and adolescents. The social transformation in mass media in a digital age has provided teenagers and adolescents with accessibility to violent movies, even those that are intended for an older audience. Among the two variables there are: violent movies, which is the independent variable and delinquent behavior, which is the dependent behavior. Significance of the Study The study will provide a deeper insight into the present social and digital culture as it has impacted human behavior (Sargent & Heatherton et al., 2002). Also, the study will provide useful information on how crimes are related to the human psyche as being distorted and desensitized by exposure to violent movies. The study will, to a large extent, help to uncover the motives and stimulations behind some crimes as they are committed for reasons beyond usual explanation. It may help social institutions to monitor the activities of children as the movie violence-delinquency relationship is mediated by social influences (Huesmann and Taylor, 2006). Statement of Hypothesis H0: There is no significant relationship between violence in movies and delinquency among teenagers and adolescents. References Dahl, G. & Dellavigna, S. (2009). Does movie violence increase violent crime?. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 124 (2), pp. 677--734. Huesmann, L. R. & Taylor, L. D. (2006). The role of media violence in violent behavior. Annu. Rev. Public Health, 27 pp. 393--415. Sargent, J. D., Heatherton, T. F., Ahrens, M. B., Dalton, M. A., Tickle, J. J. & Beach, M. L. (2002). Adolescent exposure to extremely violent movies. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31 (6), pp. 449--454. Savage, J. (2004). Does viewing violent media really cause criminal violence? A Methodological Review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 10 (1), pp. 99--128. TV and Movie Violence: Why watching it is harmful to children. (2014). [e-book] University of Pittsburgh Ofce of Child Development. Available through: University of Pittsburgh http://www.ocd.pitt.edu/Files/PDF/Parenting/TvAndMovieViolence.pdf [Accessed: 8 Mar 2014]. Read More