Youth Crime - Automatic Behaviour and Media Violence

Term Paper , 2010 , 16 Pages , Grade: A

Politics - Miscellaneous

Lately, there is a growing conception that violence in the media determines aggressive behaviour, mainly in children and young adults, due to automatic behaviour. In this paper, I will argue that media violence is not the main predictor of aggressive behaviour. On the contrary, this type of behaviour manifests itself scarcely in relation to media violence and consequent violent behaviour, while other factors are more accountable for young people behaving aggressively. The question that I will try to answer in this paper is: In relation to what can automatic behaviour be perceived as a strong theory? The first part explains what automatic behaviour is, and presents the arguments found in the literature for supporting a theory of enhanced aggressiveness and exposure to violent media. The second part exposes the limitations in media violence literature, and presents arguments for why these studies are not reliable. The third part presents other sociological arguments, in order to create a thorough picture of the most likely predictors of aggressive behaviour, that should be taken into account when matters of causality are discussed. The fourth part proposes an alternative approach to the problem, focusing on research findings, and network theory. The conclusions refer to ideas for further research.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• I. Automatic behaviour and other relevant concepts
• II. Limitations of media violence research

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper investigates the claim that media violence is a primary predictor of aggressive behavior in youth. The author argues that while media does have an influence on public opinion, other factors are more likely to cause aggressive behavior.

• Automatic behavior and its relationship to media violence
• Limitations of research on media violence and aggression
• Sociological factors contributing to aggressive behavior
• Alternative approaches to understanding aggressive behavior

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter defines key concepts related to automatic behavior and media violence, exploring arguments that link media violence to increased aggression. The second chapter critiques existing research on media violence and its effects, highlighting methodological limitations and inconsistencies.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Media violence, automatic behavior, aggressive behavior, youth crime, sociological factors, research limitations, network theory.

• College: Central European University Budapest (Department of Political Science)
• Grade: A
• Author: Silvia Neamtu (Author)
• Publication Year: 2010
• Pages: 16
• Catalog Number: V154001
• ISBN (eBook): 9783640662166
• ISBN (Book): 9783640662401
• Language: English
• Tags: Youth, Crime, Automatic, Behaviour, Media, Violence