Aggression and violence in the media have been on the rise and is reaching uncontrollable heights according to psychologists. Behavioral psychologists define aggression as the intention to cause harm to another person while violence is defined as an extreme form of physical aggression which may cause physical injury (Boxer et al. 2009). Forms of aggression are physical such kicking, verbal aggression like saying hurtful words to another person and relational aggression. Violent acts range from fighting that involves weapons and fists to extreme acts such as homicides. Although researchers have more than once disagreed about the correlation between watching aggression and violent television shows or programs and violent and aggression behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults; there has been an agreement on limiting children's television viewing of violent and aggression shows (Boxer et al. 2009). As a result, it is important to examine the context in which this aggression and violent in the media happen and the ways in which it can lead to desensitization.
According to research, children’s exposure to repeated aggression and violent television shows and video games can lead to desensitization to violence and aggression among them (Coker et al. 2105). Extensive viewing of television aggression and violence by children or adolescents can cause more aggressiveness or violence in them. Both children and adolescents who watch shows with violence that is seemingly realistic, frequently repeated and unpunished are likely to imitate what they see in that show. The impact of television aggression and violence may be immediate in the child’s behavior or surface later on in life.
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The Game of Thrones is a television show that is based on a story of power and control. More often the power and control in this show are exerted with extreme acts of violence and aggression. Aggression and violence meted on women in this show have sparked controversy across different cultures as most people accuse the show of using rape as a device in plot construction. Moreover, violent acts such as stabbings, torture, and even death characterize the better part of this show. Most of the characters that perpetuate violence in this show often go unpunished and in other instances are declared as heroes. As a result, children and adolescents who watch this show start to believe that criminals are good role models (Boxer et al. 2009). Equally, they start to envy them and want to be like them.
According to research, those individuals who were frequent television-violent viewers as children and adolescents were more likely to have pushed or to have responded to an insult by hitting a person. This is because childhood and adolescence are the times when the brain is developing, more especially the parts that control emotions, emotional behavior and responses to external events (Coker et al. 2105). Women are perceived to be non-violent, but that were high television-violence viewers were more likely to respond to somebody that made them mad by punching, beating or choking the person. Men, on the other hand, were more likely to have assaulted their spouses in responding to an insult.
In conclusion, studies have shown that children and adolescent exposure to frequent television violent show become desensitized to violence and aggression thus developing a number of behaviors such as violence and aggressive behaviors which may be exhibited in their adulthood (Coker et al. 2105). The violence they watch desensitizes them from the real human pain and suffering; in fact, they develop difficulty in distinguishing between reality and entertainment. Although violent images are prevalent in adult shows, cartoons and children's shows display as much violent and aggression acts as most regular television shows. As such, children are desensitized from an early age to become indifferent to the pain of others.
References
Boxer, P., Rowell, H. L., Bushman, B., O'Brien, M., & Moceri, D. (2009). The Role of Violent Media Preference in Cumulative Developmental Risk for Violence and General Aggression. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 3, 417-428.
Coker, T. R., Elliott, M. N., Schwebel, D. C., Windle, M., Toomey, S. L., Schuster, M. A., Hertz, M. F. (2015). Media violence exposure and physical aggression in fifth-grade children. Academic Pediatrics, 15, 1, 82-88
