Media and Aggression in Children

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how violence in the mass media affects us and what its impacts and influences are. In particular, it looks at how we are responding to the massive amounts of violence portrayed in mass media. The paper argues that television, movie and video game violence significantly increases aggressiveness and violent behavior in children, which may in later life manifest into aggressive and violent behavior in adults.

From the Paper:

"The numerous research carried out in the last 40 years overwhelmingly point out that children's exposure to violence in the mass media and in video and computer games can have short-term as well as lifelong consequences. Furthermore, there are two additional effects that occur as a result of exposure to media violence. First, there is the effect of desensitization towards violence, both real and in the media. Second, there is a fear effect, an apprehension about becoming a victim of violence. Violence in the media has, "from either a modeling approach or a cognitive approach, a high likelihood of being emulated" (Donnerstein & Smith, ????, p.40). However, how the violence is portrayed as well as the age of the viewer are important factors that determine whether the violence will increase or decrease the likelihood of aggression and aggressive behaviour. The solution to the problem of media violence lies in legal remedies through governmental legislation, in education and in media-initiated interventions."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Strasburger, V. C. & Wilson, B.J. (2002). Children, Adolescents, and the Media. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
• Van Evra, J. (2004). Television and Child Development. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
• Grossman, D. & Degaetano, G. (1999). Stop Teaching our Kids to Kill. New York: Crown Publishers
• Funk, J. B. (2002). Electronic games. In V.C. Strasburger & B.J. Wilson (Eds.). Children, Adolescents, and the Media (117-144). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
• Donnerstein, E. & Smith, S.L. (1997). Impact of Media Violence on Children, Adolescents and Adults. In S. Kirschner & D. A. Kirschner (Eds.), Perspectives on psychology and the media (pp 29-68)

More papers on Media and Aggression in Children:

• Term Paper # 131524 : "Violent Television, Videogames and Aggression in Children"
• Analytical Essay # 132426 : "Violent TV and Video Games and Aggression in Children"
• Research Paper # 102554 : "TV Violence and Aggression"

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