Abstract This paper discusses why today's children and teenagers are desensitized to violence, emphasizing the role of television and video games. The paper looks at the significance of the problem, the psychological and sociological underpinnings of desensitization to violence and cites empirical studies on the topic.
Tags: media, violence, video games, densitization, children, teenagers
Abstract In this article, the writer points out that the film industry thrives on violence that desensitizes its viewers. The writer notes that 'Natural Born Killers', directed by Oliver Stone, works to show how this desensitization occurs. The writer discusses that Stone does this through the use of music, television, the media, and an interwoven love story. The paper further relates that, as told by Stone in some behind the scenes commentary, the film is a satire critiquing its own genre of violent movies, and interrogates how violence works in films. The writer concludes that Oliver Stone's 'Natural Born Killers' is a film that points the finger at itself in terms of the argument about violence in movies. The writer maintains that the film shows its viewers how today's films stray from the meaningful use of death and violence and move towards mindless minutia that is basically fed to society.
From the Paper "In specific scenes, music diverts the attention of the viewer away from the fact that the main characters Mickey and Mallory Knox are killing people. During the first scene of the movie, Mickey shoots a cook at a small diner. While the bullet is in the air, the scene turns to black and white and shows the heavy set cook screaming, but an opera singer is played instead of an actually person screaming. Just before the bullet hits the cook, it pauses for a second, similar to a cartoon. These things cause the viewer to think of this action as funny instead of horrific. Since the cook is a heavy person and opera singers are commonly stereotyped as big people, this makes for a successful joke. Also the way the bullet pauses in mid-air just before it hits the cook is funny since cartoons commonly use the method of delaying an impact to give time for the victim to show a funny face. These strategies make the viewer think that this behavior is funny and acceptable since it is presented in a humorous way. Mickey also strikes an escaping man in the back with a knife. The same tactic is used here; while the knife is flying through the air, an opera singer is played again. After the chaos is finished, Mickey and Mallory start to ballroom dance in the diner. The lights dim and classic ballroom music is played."
Abstract This paper will discuss how comedy and horror movies desensitize their audiences and why this occurs. By using certain information that might reflect this, we can understand how these forms of entertainment work in this fashion. By analyzing a certain variety of movies, the process that is created in comedy and horror movies show how people become less sensitive to violence and comedy situations that would not, in reality, be considered very funny.
Abstract This paper analyzes four research studies: Barlow, D. H., & Agras, W. S., "Fading to Increase Heterosexual Responsiveness in Homosexuals"; Clark, R. N., Burgess, R. L., & Hender, J. C., "The Development of Anti-litter Behavior in a Forest Campground"; Mylar, J. L., & Clement, P. W. "Prediction and Comparison of Outcome in Systematic Desensitization and Implosion" and Riccio, D. C., & Silvestri, R. "Extinction of Avoidance Behavior and the Problem of Residual Fear". The paper presents a study whose purpose was to attempt to alter stimulus control of sexual arousal in homosexuals, with the technique, fading. The author reports that the purpose of the second study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a positive reinforcement incentive procedure for the increase of anti-litter behavior in children.The author continues that the purpose of the their study was to develop and test a model for the prediction of systematic desensitization and implosion outcomes. This paper states that the purpose of the fourth study was to discuss the possibility that the two-process model must be considered for the elimination of maladaptive behavior, since mere extinction of an avoidance behavior may not eliminate the residual fear.
Table of Contents (for each article)
Reference & Purpose of Study
Procedures Used in the Study
Results of the Study
Evaluation of the Article
From the Paper "This article presents case studies of the use of fading for the reduction of homosexual responsiveness. The purpose and procedure of the study were logically derived; however, they were not adequately supported. Notation of studies using aversive techniques, with resulting problems related to the development of heterosexual behavior, was appropriate. Mention was made regarding prior approaches to sexual deviation with altered stimulus control, and of prior use of fading in animals and humans, but information to support these notions was lacking. "
Abstract This paper stresses that, more than any other reality television show, "Joe Millionaire" highlights particularly disturbing social views regarding women and relationships because the show presents women as liars who are motivated only by the money. The author points out that reality television has given networks another option to violence, but the audience is gradually becoming desensitized to the ethical ugliness, just as they have become desensitized to violence. The paper concludes that more and more young people associate behavior such as lying and cheating, not with a moral quandary, but with a vicarious thrill.
From the Paper "In "The Bachelor", for example, the first bachelor Alex Michel showed no qualms about having sex with one of the bachelorettes and eventually choosing another girl. The lack of public outcry about this behavior shows that for many people, the thought of sex outside a relationship and the presentation of women as objects to be chosen no longer raise a moral quandary."
Tags:desensitize, women, relationship, violence, sex
Abstract This paper describes various aspects of psychology, behavior and treatment options. It begins by discussing anti-psychotic drugs and a few of their typical side effects. It then briefly describes the category of anti-anxiety drugs called benzodiazepines and their side effects. The paper then lists and explains the four basic techniques of Freudian psychoanalysis. It concludes by discussing different types of therapy, such as the mental hospital as a therapeutic community, universal interventions and systematic desensitization and modeling.
Table of Contents:
Anti-psychotic Drugs
Freudian Psychoanalysis
Behavior Therapy: Systematic Desensitization And Modeling
Universal Interventions
The Mental Hospital As A Therapeutic Community
From the Paper "Therapeutic communities are important and valuable tools, but certainly not for all patients. Often, the community is made up of a certain ward or unit of the hospital, rather than the entire facility. Clearly, some patients, such as those suffering from serious debilitating diseases such as dementia or severe schizophrenia might not be physically or mentally able to exist in such a facility. However, for others, who have specific issues or health problems, and are in the facility hoping for a cure, the community concept can help them become more sure of themselves, more able to function outside the facility, and give them confidence in their decision-making abilities."
This paper discusses psychological theories for methods of changing behavior and then chronicles the author's attempt to change her own behavior by using a process of positive reinforcement and adhering to a Pavlovian model of conditioning.
Abstract The paper states that behavior modification is simply learning. The author discusses and compares Pavlovian and Operant conditioning and Positive and Negative Reinforcement. The paper refers to various reinforcement strategies: Systematic desensitization, aversion therapy (reciprocal inhibition) and biofeedback. The author details her experiment using positive reinforcement (buying a CD) to learn new behaviors in regards to caffeine consumption. She noticed problems of physical addiction.
From the Paper "Pavlovian conditioning is in fact a type of learning. Indeed, it is perhaps the most famously documented type of learning that there is. It is difficult indeed to imagine that there exists a college student anywhere in the Western Hemisphere who has not heard the story of how Ivan Pavlov came up with the idea of teaching his dog to associate the sound of a ringing bell with the introduction of food. (We all know the ending of this story: Pavlov was able to make his dog salivate in anticipation of being fed whenever he heard the meal-time bell ? and even after Pavlov no longer followed up the bell with food the dog continued to salivate for a number of repetitions of the experiment.)
This is the way in which Pavlovian learning always works: An individual (a dog, a human, a chimp ? and even some non-mammalian species) is given a certain stimulus to which it responds consistently."
This paper discusses the basic theme of Jerry Mander's book, "Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television", that whoever controls the media, controls the public.
600 words (approx. 2.4 pages), 1 source, 2002, $ 21.95
Abstract This author states that the media, however good intentioned, is not always as responsible as it could be. The paper states that the public is easily persuaded and that the media has desensitized the public. The author believes that the problem with the media is that is more than a means of communication; it is a business that gets its revenues from advertising and needs to turn a profit.
From the Paper "Advertisers are only going to advertise through the media if people see it. The media has to have something the people want. Think of the media -- let's use a newspaper -- as a clothing store for a moment. If the window display in the store shows clothes that are not your style or your size, you are not going to enter the store. The paper is the same way. If nothing on the front page grabs your attention, you are less likely to pick up the paper. If you do not pick up the paper and look inside, you will never see those ads."
Abstract This paper explains why some people are afraid of public speaking. First the nature of fear and anxiety is discussed. This is followed by a discussion of four things people can do to improve their public speaking ability--systematic desensitization, cognitive restructuring, preparation, and practice.
From the Paper "Public speaking is often described as the most common fear in the world. This fear of public speaking is often regarded as a problem that occurs when an individual has to speak in front of a large crowd of people. However, the same fear can be created when speaking in much smaller group situations. While speaking in front of mass audience may be easily avoided, speaking in smaller group situations may not be. For example, a person may be required to speak to a group of employees, or to do a presentation for a group of work colleagues. These situations are far more common and are not something a person can avoid without it harming their life and career. One of the other features of the fear of public speaking is that people often consider it natural. A certain level of nervousness probably is natural, but anxiety is not. There are relatively simple steps a person can take to manage any anxiety they experience. A person can turn what might have been a difficult experience into one that is comfortable for them. Fear of public speaking is not something that a person has to put up with, nor some unchangeable aspect of their personality; fear of public speaking can be overcome."
Tags: cognitive, restructure, desensitization, practice
Abstract This paper examines how, traditionally, people have looked for cues about how they should behave in their social environment from peers, family, school and church, and how, increasingly, these social cues regarding acceptable behavior have come from the media. It looks at how incidents such as the Columbine High School shootings were inspired by movies and the television. It discusses how television has a tremendous opportunity to instill good values and principles in today's youth, but because of the amount of violence shown, it instead inspires violent behavior in children and adolescents in a variety of ways, as well as a certain long-term desensitization towards violence.
From the Paper "By inflating the prevalence of violence, television contributes to increased perceptions of the world as a dangerous place (Center for Communication and Social Policy 28). This increases the motivation of a child or teen to carry a weapon. Among urban youths, studies have shown that interpersonal violence is the greatest cause of death and injury. Gun violence has replaced accidents as the leading killer of children and adolescents each year. Although violence on television is not the only factor in these deaths, pediatricians have recognized exposure to media violence as a significant risk for their constituents (Hogan et al)."
Tags:desensitization, gun, violence, columbine, movies
This paper discusses Sissela Bok's "Mayhem," which addresses concerns over modern media violence, including film, television, Internet, and video games.
2,315 words (approx. 9.3 pages), 0 sources, $ 71.95
Abstract This paper explains that author Sissela Bok, in her book, "Mayhem," states that the United States stands to learn a lot from the programs and policies created by other democratic nations like Canada and Norway, who have encouraged media literacy and frank, open discussions about media violence without resorting to unnecessary forms of governmental censorship. The author points out Bok's claim that the most significant potential effects of media violence include fearfulness, progressive desensitization, increased appetite for more frequent and more violent programming, and higher levels of aggression, in general; therefore, media violence can be posed as a significant public health issue. The paper stresses that parental responsibility is a major issue in the media violence versus censorship debate; parents can act in a responsible fashion and alter the character of our society by using new technologies that block undesirable, publicly-broadcasted media, including web sites.
From the Paper "One of the reasons why the United States is locked in a near stalemate over the media violence issue is because we value strongly our First Amendment Rights. The freedom of expression guaranteed by the American constitution prevents the government from prohibiting politically threatening material and allows for a rich and diverse cultural fabric. The First Amendment can and should guarantee that anyone can express an opinion or a belief, so long as that opinion or belief does not directly harm others. Moreover, the First Amendment guarantees that the media can be self-regulated; that the government cannot determine the public's appetites."
Abstract This paper explains that abortion is morally wrong because it not only takes the life of another human being but also the very notion of it degrades humanity in a way that desensitizes society to the value of life. The author stresses that abortion is not an issue of the mother's rights; it is an issue of a child's life. The paper argues that most women do not choose abortion for any reason other than their own selfishness; the argument that prohibiting abortion violates the Fourth and the Fourteenth amendments is really just a legal way to cover up the fact that people are actually taking part in premeditated murder.
From the Paper "It has always amazed me that the question of when life begins is such a controversial matter that it is. Pro-choice individuals will argue that the fetus is a viable mass that cannot survive on its own. There are many human beings surviving out a uterus that fall into this category. Many of them have been disabled for one reason or another and they are unable to function on their own and need the assistance of someone else. If we were to follow the abortion argument in this same logical pattern, then it would be okay to end the lives of these individuals because they cannot fend for themselves."
Abstract This paper examines the main effects of media violence and attempts to determine if it provoked Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold to go on a shooting rampage at their high school. It looks at how such effects as imitation and copying, triggered novel behaviors, disinhibtion and desensitization can all be applied to the background and lifestyle of the murderers.
From the Paper "Eric Harris has a website that openly expressed his anger towards his town and his high school. Some quotes from his website were, "God, I can't wait until I can kill you people," and " I'll just go to some downtown area in some big city and blow up and shoot everything I can." The two boys were tormented and picked on at school; they even told their classmate that they were going to seek revenge (Morris, 1999, p. 45). Harris and Klebold made a video for a class, where they were hit men who were hired out by people who were picked on to kill the people who picked on them. They used references in this video to the video game Doom, that they played and also referred to the movie, Pulp Fiction (Morris, 1999, p. 26). It is apparent that these young men were not stable; they idolized Nazism and praised Hitler. "
This paper discusses Graham Greene's "The Quiet American" and Philip Caputo's "A Rumor of War", in which the authors demonstrate disillusionment with the Vietnam War, American policy and themselves.
1,720 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 0 sources, 2006, $ 55.95
Abstract This paper explains, in Graham Greene's "The Quiet American" and Philip Caputo's "A Rumor of War", the desperate extremes men were forced to confront during the Vietnam War, which led to a clear transformation of their beliefs. The author points out that, in Graham Greene's "The Quiet American", the protagonist Thomas Fowler, an aging British reporter with no particular moral, religious or political beliefs, encounters a man called Pyle, becomes involved in a political plot and changes from a reporter committed to neutrality to a man forced to make an irreversible moral decision. The paper relates that, faced with the atrocities of guerrilla warfare during his tour in Vietnam, Philip Caputo, as reported in his book, evolves from a young, enthusiastic idealist with romanticized views of war to a desensitized and dehumanized veteran.
From the Paper "Thomas Fowler meets Pyle unexpectedly and is immediately drawn to the American. To a morally weary colonialist like Fowler, Pyle's guileless decency is endearing, if somewhat ludicrous. However, Fowler is soon made uneasy by Pyle's clandestine activities, and while he never questions his intentions, Fowler realizes that Pyle's blind adherence to rigid ideological theories, sacrifices his ability to admit actual human consequences. Fowler at first sympathizes with Pyle's sweetness and real humility. He's not the ugly American of anti-colonial literature, and he is very likable (Greene 29). Fowler's sympathetic response to Pyle illustrates a tolerant, indulgent, almost avuncular concern for the rash and infuriatingly quiet American, which sits at odds with his professed impartiality. When Pyle stirs up trouble in Fowler's personal life by professing his love to Fowler's mistress, Fowler still sees Pyle as a man with good motives despite all the trouble he has caused (Greene 52). As the months pass, a sequence of events, including bombs and strange trails leading to General The (Greene 120), brings Pyle to a different light in Fowler's eyes."
Abstract In this article, the writer goes into detail about the three main components that affect children concerning violence on television. The writer notes that these effects can last a lifetime and greatly impact society as a whole. The paper then discusses the catharsis theory,which claims that televised violence does not have negative effects as other researcher have claimed. The writer concludes that the accumulated experimental findings on the effects of TV violence do not support the catharsis theory and its conclusions.
Outline:
Aggressive Attitudes and Behaviors
Becoming Desensitized to Real World Violence
Developing a Fear of Being Victimized by Violence
Conclusion
The Catharsis Theory
From the Paper "The first step in learning aggressive attitudes and behaviors is accepting violence as a way to solve problems. On television, violence is the attractive, effective, and preferred solution to most conflicts. Violence is usually portrayed as justified, that is, the good guys win and the bad guys lose. Problems are usually solved rapidly and violently, and violent or other anti-social behaviors go unpunished. The good guys are very often no more appropriate role models for young children than the villains themselves. The result is that many American children are more familiar with violent, aggressive, and anti-social approaches to solving problems. For some, television at its worst, is a terrible influence on a child's mind, an influence that upsets moral balance and makes a child likely to have aggressive behavior as it warps his or her perception of the real world. Some psychologists and psychiatrists feel that continued exposure to such violence might unnaturally speed up the impact of the adult world on the child. This can force the child into a kind of premature maturity. As the child matures into an adult, he can become bewildered; have a greater distrust towards others, a superficial approach to adult problems, and even an unwillingness to become an adult."
