How television media violence influences deviant behavior, specifically criminal behavior
Violence in the media has become a commonplace affair. Does televisionviolence result in more aggressive or deviant behavior' Is such behaviorlikely to lead to criminal behavior' Recent studies have indicated thateven the most seemingly benign programs on television, such as cartoons,are filled with violence. Violence in the media influences human behaviorin a negative manner. Hundreds of studies have been conducted in recentyears evaluating the effects of violence in the media. The results are atbest, daunting and somewhat alarming. Some have raised enough questionabout the effects of media violence to cause researchers to claim theresults are inconclusive. However others prove strongly enough that mediaviolence can lead to criminal behavior, and many sociologists haveconcluded that violence in television media impacts viewers in a negativemanner. Television violence impacts youths and adolescents much moreHuman behavior is the product of internal influences, such as a person'sbiological pre-disposition or genetic make-up, as well as external factorssuch as the environment. There have been many studies linking innate human
In another study conducted by the National Television Violence Societybetween 1994-1995, selected television programs on 20 different channelsover a 20 week period and monitored programs for 17 hours per day. Human beings are as mucha product of their environment and surroundings as they are of genetics. According to one researcher, "evidence suggests thatviolence on television is potentially dangerous, in that it serves as amodel for behavior, especially for children," (Aronson, 1995). What scientific evidence exists that the preponderance of violence in themedia has affected human behavior' There has been much research conductedin recent years attesting to the increased portrayal of violence intelevision. Thefindings of the survey were revealing, showing that "the context in whichmost violence is presented on television poses risks for viewers" (NTVS,1999). This can lead one toconclude only that violent acts committed on television will be imitated byviewers. Also supported by sociologists is the idea that mass media does fosterviolent attitudes by consistently portraying violent images on thetelevision. However, as humans, many live in a world that isaggressive by nature, and the constant influx of violent material whetherfrom the home or in the workplace can be a significant factor decidingwhether people act out on their aggressive tendencies. Manysociologists examining human behavior agree that violence is in fact a"learned behavior", and violent actions are "most likely to occur in aculture or subculture in which violence is accepted" (Kornblum, 2003). Violence is even present in commercials. How can society prevent TV violence from affecting criminal and deviantbehavior' Television broadcast companies can help by reducing the numberof violent incidents prevalent in TV programming. Thisviolence may lead people to turn to criminal activity and behavior as theyact out on aggressive and destructive urges that are supported by mediaviolence. The depiction of violentbehavior to children is perhaps the most notable factor leading to deviantbehavior. Violence can be a learned behavior, derived from man'sinstinctual nature to be aggressive or peaceful.
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