Media and Aggression

Does television increase rate of aggression in an individual’s personality when it is heavily exposed to it?

          The question came to my mind while reading the book “MEDIA EFFECTS”, edited by “Jennings Bryant” and “Dolf Zillmann”.

The books discusses various effects media, specifically television put on a human’s personality like violence, sexual assaulting mentality, stubbornness in children, criminal impacts etc.

And all these behavioral changes are directly or indirectly caused in aggression. An aggressive person do first and think last whereas accepts the faults merely giving extreme-edged arguments in confrontation. Now point is what content of media or what part or manner of media is increasing the aggression.

          According to communication scientist’s “cultivation theory”, there are two kinds of television viewers. Those who view for 1 to 3 hours are light viewers whereas those who are exposed to it for more then 4 hours are heavy viewers. So, the effect is obviously dependent on amount of exposure. Light viewers either see television to spend their leisure time in watching entertainment programs or giving a glance to all day news items. On the other hand, heavy viewers spend time on all sorts of contents. (News content although has debatable effects but I don’t want to distract my point of debate.)

          Through analysis it’s studied that light viewers lead their lives in accordance with realistic approach whereas heavy viewers suffers from mean world syndrome. Heavy viewers impose exposed content of television in their daily life too. Their language, lifestyle, attitude, behavior, dresses and thinking are molded with the television’s content styles.

Those who see more entertaining programs loose their ability to handle serious situations. Sex contents either arouse for sexually interactions or assaults depending on the kind of sex content they see. News content viewers developed sense of wrong happenings all the time and so on.

          They in aggression take everything to its extreme and react in abnormal manner. Violent attitude is shown when they are disturbed from their desired position. They don’t accept change and create their own world and people. They act in situations as they witness somehow in television and thought of themselves as greatest intellectuals, distrusting all around them.

          One may, after reading all I wrote above, think while observing heaving viewers around them that this stuff is exaggerated or applicable in countable cases for those who are very sensitive and take heavy effect of television contents. But, on a little observation one may realize that heavy viewers are different in many ways.

          Television was invented for positive purpose of education. The idea of adding entertaining items was adopted later. But it becomes so demanding that purpose of education remained back and it became a box full of entertaining items. The values of entertainment then started changing by the rapid growth of channels and individual’s demand of its taste.

          I definitely would back off from the statement that element of education has been tormented from television contents. But they are less in amount as to entertaining contents including films, dramas, shows, music etc. This has played a great role in distracting one’s passion towards education and lessened its urge. Majority of the students of all levels spend much of their time in front of television as compared to books. Therefore, this age is much effected from it.

          I would not like to confine the age factor of heavy viewers. But a family contains all age of members, attached to each other. And one or more or even all of them are working and playing part in a society. Hence, heavy viewers among them not only affect the family order but also working place by acting strangely at times.

This aggression is most dangerous for themselves as compared to people they deal with at different circles. They become disturbed easily. Burst out at others or take mental stress in silence to such an extent that they start getting different diseases. This is transferred to their begotten, later on sensitizing their nature in advance to what they are going to get exposed to.

          The ability to compete in society and fight ahead is weakened. Because somehow the individual lack skills of communication and when is not attended or given chance take things as imperfect. One thinks that nobody accepts He/she’s abilities and in jealously tries to snatch he/she’s right to the opportunity. One might not be wrong in cases but thinking in this manner always needs treatment.
          They make least companions, either those who compromise with their nature or suffer with the same nature they possess. If different natured people interact with them, they transfer their insecurity in them, which may or may not be accepted by other person. If they are continuously or for times rejected, it sometimes damages their personality and they refute from the world but this only happens in extreme cases.

          In psychology it is stated that no single rule can be applied on many, for every individual has different psychology like different DNA. Hence, it is highly essential for every person in present world to have effective and influential communication skills. For no one knows with what mind one is going to deal? Keeping in mind, the rushing world’s disorders, one should be cautious enough to not to degrade anyone he/she met.

Because any sort of media is impossible to be diminished for it has many useful tasks in contradiction to the minor part discussed.