Television Violence and Domestic Violence

Running Head: TELEVISION VIOLENCE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Television Violence and Domestic Violence Have Similar Effects on Children

Brian Williams

Kent State University

Abstract

We examined the various forms of television violence and domestic violence in America. We provided statistics showing the amounts of violence facts about adolescent exposure. We compared and contrasted the differing effects of both and implemented a study to analyze the similarities. We observed children and gathered data regarding there response to specific kinds of violence and the psychological effects of each. We expected that the effects of television violence and domestic would be strikingly similar to one another and the results of our study prove the similarities and provoke awareness to the differences.

Television Violence and Domestic Violence have Similar Effects on Children

A staggering amount of research has been done over the past several years regarding what is shown on television and how it affects American society. Much of this research has focused on television violence and its effect on a child's aggression. According to the research that has been done, there seems to be an overwhelming indication that television violence does in fact affect a child's personality. There has also been a significant amount of research that has been completed, analyzing actual violence, particularly domestic violence. The research has targeted physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in the home and its affect on adults and children. Much of this research has been directed to the effects of domestic violence on children between the ages of 2 and 18.

Even though much research has been done describing these two studies individually, very little research has been done to compare and contrast the effects of both with one another. The purpose of this paper is to outline the effects of television and domestic violence and to try to discover if there are any similarities between the two. Even though there are other forms of multimedia such as video games and the internet we choose to exclude these, not because we think they are irrelevant, but for the sake of narrowing the topic down to a reasonable size.

Much of the research that I have done contains facts about the contents of television and domestic violence. According to the American Psychiatric Association, American children spend an average of 28 hours in front of a television per week. A recent article states, "By the time they reach age 18, they will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence. These numbers exclude time spent watching movies, playing video/computer games or online interactive media, and listening to music..." (Muscari, 2003, p. 585). Statistics such as this one display the facts about what is shown on television. The National Television Violence Study evaluated nearly 1000 hours of programming over a two year period and found that 61% of that programming contained interpersonal violence (Sclozman, 2002-2003, p 87). Something very provocative about the study was that most of the violence was displayed on children's shows. An article in Pediatrics Magazine states, ".Of all animated feature films produced in the United States between 1937 and 1999, 100% portrayed violence..." ("Pediatrics," 2001). The evidence if irrefutable, Television does display high levels of violence.

Not only has it been proven that a large amount of violence is displayed on television, but there has been research that suggests that some children have displayed higher levels of aggression as a result of their exposure to violent programming. A recent Current Events article states, "More than 1000 studies validate the connection between media violence and aggression in some children" ("Current Events," 2001). Although opinions tend to vary about how much a child is affected, studies show that some children are affected so much that they reenact what they saw on television on their peers, and sometimes even their pets. Professional Wrestling is viewed by 35 million in the United States each week. These wrestling shows include fighting, sexually explicit gestures and vulgar language. Dafna Lemish, an Israeli Researcher examined more 900 hundred children between the ages of 7 and 12 and found that those who watched WWF Wrestling tended to be more violent in school as they would imitate the behavior that they saw on television(Land, 2002). An article in Discover Magazine stated that, "Children who watched segments of the 1970's drama The Untouchables before hand showed more willingness to hinder their peers' efforts than did those who watched a track race" (Wright, 2003, p 2). It is clear that much childhood violence can be traced back to television programming. In fact it has been proven that the correlation between virtual and actual aggression is stronger than those linking passive smoke and lung cancer, calcium intake and bone density, and exposure to lead and IQ. The evidence seems to be clear, "...children who watched the most violent shows. . . [are] most likely to use violent behavior as model" (McLelllan, 2002, p. 9).

The number one public health problem in America is considered to be domestic Violence. It is a problem that crosses all ethnic, racial, religious, and educational lines. It happens to the poor as well as the aristocratic. Both men and women are subject to it, although women are more likely to become the victims. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, "a woman is battered by her husband or boyfriend every 18 seconds in America..." (Douglas, 1993, p. 21) and at least 1.13million women are victims of domestic violence annually. There are similar studies that show that one in four American women report that they have experienced some kind of domestic violence at some time in there lives.

Even though women are potential victims, society's most vulnerable members are children. Some studies show that 60% to 70% of families where women are abused, children are abused also and usually it is not a one-time occurrence. 3 million children every year witness domestic violence that ranges from extreme verbal insults to fatal assault with the use of weapons. According to Dr. Suzanne G. Martin, a licensed Psychologist children's exposure to