The media influences the behavior of persons. Such influence could be negative and positive. In most of the cases, such media have damaging effect on the lives of people. Children are hardly hit by the problem. The model under study is Cline’s assessment of the effects that violence on television has on children (Olson 148). This paper seeks to analyze how television violence has influenced the behavior of children with regards to violence as well as the reasons for that.
There are many cases that explain how television violence has caused antisocial behavior. In majority of the television movies involving violence, the killers are portrayed as heroes. Children would therefore practice violence in order to appear heroes in the society. Violence is primarily caused by the demand for money and rating in the society. The more the number of violence programs shown on the television, the higher the rate of violence being perpetuated by the children. For example, America airs television violence programs that is just half that of England and tops many other countries. (Bushmana nd Anderson 479).
Television and movie violence negatively affects children’s behavior through imitative learning. According to the research carried out by Albert Bandura, one time exposure to children to such kinds of programs is imitated by over 80% of children (Butler and Cynthia 57). This would continue unless the child is exposed to a different program that negates the first experience. The research also shows that the number of violence programs a child watches in the television even exceeds the number an adult would experience throughout their lifetime. As a result the children get used to fighting and killing which make these activities pleasure.
The main social factor for children under the school going age is television. They spend most of the time watching rather than anything else, including school. In most of the programs, violence is the only means of acquiring of what one wants in life. In addition, the programs portray that violence is allowed especially when the victim is viewed to deserve it while the other party is right (Dimitri 83). The challenge is how to determine who is wrong or right. As a result, children who believe they are right would perpetuate violence provided that they believe that they are right. Those hardly hit are children who do not watch such violence because they become the best targets by those who watch.
There are divergent opinions on the causes and effect of television violence and videos. One school of though explains that the effect of television violence on children depends on a child’s upbringing, emotional balance and the love shown to children (Olson 148). Thus, children who are loved, well brought up and emotionally balanced are not affected by television violence. But according to Wertham, a psychiatrist, the effect of television does not depend on family life, education, entertainment and social conditions. In general, children gain destructive ideas by watching similar programs. Similarly, positive and constructive ideas positively lead to the positive and constructive development of children (Savage 59). However, according to catharsis theory, children should watch quite a number of violence programs in television. The message children learn from such programs enable children to utilize their excess energy. In addition, it stimulates them to become more aggressive by wanting to explore their environment.
Work Cited
Bushman, B. and Anderson, C (2001). "Media violence and the American public". American
Psychologist 56 (6–7): 477–489.
Butler, F., and Cynthia P., (2009). “Imaginary Friends.” Scientific American. Scientific
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Dimitri C., (2007). "Smarter kids through television: debunking myths old and new". Seattle
Times Newspaper. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
Olson, C., (2004). "Media Violence Research and Youth Violence Data: Why Do They
Conflict?". Academic Psychiatry 28 (2): 144–150.
Savage, J., (2008). "The role of exposure to media violence in the etiology of violent behavior: A
criminologist weighs in". American Behavioral Scientist 51 (8)
