Direct Correlation Between Violence in Media and a Child’s Aggressive Behavio

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There is no avoiding it! Wherever we go it’ll find us. We’re stuck! We can’t run away or hide from it. Instead we are addicted to it. In this globalization era, a powerful force in the world is media. It affects everybody and everyone. Children minds are sponge-like, absorbing information that makes them easy targets in terms of manipulation by the media. Media plays an important role in the upbringing of a child. Despite its many advantages, children can be affected negatively through it. Current studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between violence in media and a child’s aggressive behavior. So the question that arises is how do children develop a worldview of violence through media? Based on this question, I interviewed Irene Vlachos Weber –a proud mother of two children and a professor at Indiana University, Bloomington who has done her Ph.D. in Psychology from Indiana University itself and completed her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from Colorado State University. Her areas of interest include Community and Clinical Psychology. Through this interview and the course readings, it was revealed that when children see any acts of aggressiveness on media, they tend to show a worldview of violence either by imitating it, by using deadly forces to solve conflicts, or by absorbing that violence in their minds, thereby desensitizing themselves from reality.
Within the realm of learning, children imitate what they see whether it’s on television, magazines, or movies. Professor Weber claimed that sometimes children adopt the behavior they see in cartoons or movies and imitate them in real life to solve their problems. This can be related to Franz Kafka’s story “The Kafka Project: A Report for an Academy” where Red Pe...

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...e in by watching and imitating), yet they progressively want to watch considerably more savage movies and play even more blood-stained video games. The influence of media on the psychological development of children is profound. While most researchers are completely certain that children can take in violent behavior from media, they call attention to all the parents who have a huge power in lessen that influence. In today’s world, parents should be acquainted with all sorts of media their children are exposed to. When it comes to kids, parents should limit the use of media. There have been many studies that show that there is a direct correlation between reduction of media as well as reduction in aggressive behavior of children. Parents should realize that remaining silent and doing nothing will just empower the children to take the perilous path of aggressiveness.

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