Media Violence the American Psychiatric Term Paper

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Rather, most studies point to a correlation between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior. For example, W. James Potter concludes that "Long-term exposure to media violence is related to aggression in a person's life," and that "Media violence is related to subsequent violence in society," (26). Potter also suggests that certain socio-economic and ethnic groups might be more at-risk for developing aggressive symptoms related to exposure to media violence because of the amount of exposure to television (29). However, most, if not all, studies demonstrate correlation rather than causality. The only causal relationships that can be determined through research are those studies that show short-term, immediate effects of exposure to media violence. According to the Media Awareness Network, "Exposure to violent imagery is linked to increased heart rate, faster respiration and higher blood pressure. Some think that this simulated "fight-or-flight" response predisposes people to act aggressively in the real world," ("Research on the Effects of Media Violence"). Such physiological responses do not point to generalized aggression and therefore cannot be cited as evidence that clearly proves any causal relationship between media violence and violent behavior.

Repeated exposure to media violence may result in what some researchers call desensitization. Desensitization to media violence is part of the heated debate over whether exposure to media violence actually causes aggressive behavior or a more aggressive society in general. Desensitization generally refers to a sort of built-up tolerance or immunity to violent imagery. Ioannidis Nikolaos states, "young people becoming desensitized to violence means that they gradually come to not be aroused by violent scenes and to not be bothered by violence in general.

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" On the other hand, some researchers believe that exposure to media violence might have an almost opposite effect of distorting one's view of reality. The APA notes that "people who watch a lot of television are more likely than those who watch less to see the world as being violent and overestimate their chance of being involved in violence," ("Psychiatric Effects of Media Violence").

It is possible that exposure to media violence might prompt an individual who is already prone to aggression to become more aggressive, more likely to act on his or her instincts. It is also possible that repeated exposure to media violence might cause increased aggressiveness in the long-term, for an individual and throughout the entire culture. However, research is as of yet inconclusive.

Modern society is definitely violent, and now more than ever before in human history, people are being regularly bombarded with violent imagery. From television to video games to feature films, violence is depicted in ways that often glamorize it. The failure to show the negative effects of violent behavior could affect the ways young children perceive violent behavior. For instance, in their attempts to emulate action heroes, children might use weapons indiscriminately, or get into fights. However, violent behavior is nothing new. Violence and aggressive behavior is more likely the consequence of family upbringing, parental role models, cultural norms, and individual personality than it is a consequence of Bugs Bunny or Doom.

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