Young adults, aged 16-20, are becoming Increasingly desensitized to violence in films - investigate.

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Jennifer Meakin   Sociolgy Coursework

Young adults, aged 16-20, are becoming

 Increasingly desensitized to violence in films

Hypothesis

I have chosen to investigate this hypothesis because of the growing number of violent films being produced by the film industry. Also the violence contained in these films is becoming increasingly graphic and sociological research suggests this rapid increase in these films has lead to more violent actions committed by 16-20 year olds, as it is this age range that watch these films the most. One of the reasons suggested for this is that they are becoming desensitized to the violent scenes, potentially making them more able to commit/witness violent acts more easily e.g. Nathan Martinez.

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Context and concepts

My first context is the Newson Report (1995). This investigated the link between children’s actions and video violence. It was stimulated by the murder of the child James Bulger by other children.

The main findings of the report where:

  • That violence and sadism are more easily available now via films, either in cinemas or on videos.
  • This material leads to real life violence i.e. the James Bulger murder
  • It includes excessive research that clearly links media violence, through heavy and prolonged viewing, to violent/aggressive behavior.

Through my research I want to prove Newson’s finding correct by producing research that supports the same point – that media violence does increase violent behavior.

My second context is the research conducted by Tim Newburn and Ann Hagell on media consumption and deviance. They interviewed 78 frequent young offenders (aged 12-18) and sought comparable information from a representative sample of 538 school children by means of questionnaires.

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There main findings where:

  • Films which where at the time the focus of a moral panic had been watched by very few in either group
  • Offenders lives are full of chaos and deprivation and the media are of less significance for them than their non offending peers
  • they conclude that considerable doubt must be cast upon the claims of some direct causal connection between television and anti-social behavior.

Through my research I want to disprove this research by proving there is a link between media violence and violent behavior.

My first concept is desensitization. Desensitization is ...

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