Cultivation Theory Summary

The course content focused on domestic violence and bullying, which are often inseparable in abusive intimate relationships. The Mean World Syndrome Media Violence & the Cultivation of Fear relates to the topics discussed in class as it provides a deeper understanding of violent behaviors. George Gerbner for over four decades studied the issue of violence and its portrayal. He was investigating how the depiction of brutality through images and stories influences human consciousness and behaviors. In the 1960s, Gerbner founded the Cultivation Theory, which states that the amount of exposure to violence in TV shows, commercials, computer games, and news directly correlates with fear of victimization. In other words, Gerbner’s theory contributes

According to studies, women as more often victimized than men. Abusers use the coercive control by employing a variety of tactics such as isolation, degradation, bullying, manipulation, and physical and sexual abuse among others. Although many victims of intimate partner violence, who face continuous oppression, chose submission not agitate or displease their partners, some use force to resist or defend against abuse, which can also be the reason why they initiate it. Motivated by self-protection, to prevent their partner’s continued assaults, may retaliate, and resist domination and battering by using force themselves. Therefore, either to escape or stop their partner’s violent behaviors or to establish a semblance of equivalence in the relationship, victims of domestic violence can opt for assault, out of fear, to protect themselves and their children against increasing cruelty (“Who Is Doing What to Whom?” n.d.). According to Gerbner, cultivation of fear is the main reason why people exhibit violent behaviors. In intimate partnerships, jealousy, possessiveness, low self-esteem, and fear of abandonment are often the main cause of one’s cruelty. Thus, Gerbner’s findings confirm that the source of one’s violent tendencies is fear and The Mean World Syndrome Media Violence & the

Using a survey with a series of questions that focused on people’s values, attitudes, and feeling of safety, they were able to confirm that heavy TV viewers developed a greater sense of insecurity, danger, and mistrust and, consequently, perceived the world as a terrifying and dangerous place. The planet Earth is a place of diseases, threats of war, mayhem, rape, brutality, discrimination, inequality, and overall meanness (Morris 2014). Therefore, the content on media does not trigger violent behaviors but intensifies fears and insecurities. The need for self-protection against all the cruelty in the world causes people to act as attackers instead of becoming someone else’s prey. Moreover, Gerbner also claims that the overall sense of personal unsafety contributes to an exaggerated sense of national insecurity, the government exploits. The vicious circle of mistrust and perception of constant danger heightens the demand for improved national security. Consequently, protection, longer and harsher sentences, more police, and jails create a military society, or, as Gerbner states, creates a society paralyzed by fear (Morris 2014). The situation becomes much more complicated and worse with the misrepresentation of minority groups. The mean world creates mean people, and lack of balance and positive