Effects Of Learned Violence From Watching TV

They don't realize TV programs are people acting out a script and the scenes are not real. They become less sensitive to pain and suffering or others, and children are more likely to behave in an aggressive or harmful way toward others. .
             Adolescent children (ages 12-17) "become capable of abstract thought and reasoning, although they rarely use these abilities when watching television" (Dietz & Strasburger 1991, p.9). At these age levels they tend to watch less television than when they were younger. Adolescents in middle school and high school are more likely to doubt the reality of television. The small percentage of those who continue to believe in the reality of television, and who identify with its" violent heroes are the ones likely to be more aggressive (Bandura, 1973). The bottom line is "children learn their attitude about violence at a very young age, and once learned, the attitudes tend to be life-long" (Strasburger and Donnerstein, 1999).
             Children learn their attitude about violence by catharsis. "The catharsis hypothesis reinforces the idea that watching violent dramas enable people to release pent up hostilities (Myers 2000, pg. 227). Children learn what they see then repeat it. Viewing violence repeatedly and portrayed unrealistically becomes habitual and should be an obvious sign that should lead one to believe that it's influence on children is negative. While many violent acts may seem subtle in their appearance, they still have an overwhelming effect over time. Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. "Studies illustrate how researchers are now using correlation finding to suggest cause and effect" (Myers 2000, pg.229).
             Studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may become insensitive to violence which is confirmed by statistics, and case studies. Consequently, they tend to gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems by imitating the violence they observe on television by identifying with characters, good or bad.