Aggression and the Media

Not too long ago, one of my friends introduced me to a Lifetime movie that intrigued me. The 2011 film is called “The Blue-Eyed Butcher” and was based from the events of a trial in Texas with a woman named Susan Wright (mylifetime.com). If you have not heard of this trial, I will explain it for you in more detail. Personally, I know that I had not heard of this incident until I watched the movie.

In 2004, Susan Wright was accused of murder in the first degree for killing her husband, her defense being that his cocaine use and absence from domestic life during the night time eventually led to her stabbing him (CNN.com). You can read more about this incident at CNN.com, but for now I would like to discuss the association between the media and aggression as it relates to this incident.

Aggression and violence in the media is a big subject for many people in the United States. This movie and trial show and demonstrate a lot of aggression! (If you haven’t watched the movie, be aware that it involves much violence and aggression.) Many people debate how much aggression and violence should be shown in the media because of concern for the modeling effect it can have on social individuals like us.

The modeling effect is basically one theory of the origin of aggression when demonstration of aggression through a “model” or person demonstrating for others can develop “behaviors, attitudes, and ideas about aggression” in individuals who watch this modeling (Markus et al., 480). Even though this may not be the purpose of the media, it can still have a profound effect on aggression individuals regardless.

The media’s role, specifically the Lifetime movie, in this incident is probably not purposely intended to display this modeling effect for others, but it is very powerful and some might find this display of aggression and violence controversial. Indeed, it does seem like something to be concerned about and perhaps we should be concerned for a network such as Lifetime, but to what extent? What do you believe about the media’s role in displaying aggression and violence? Do you believe it is intentional/unintentional?

If you have not watched this show, and don’t mind a bit of blood and violence, you should give it a chance and watch it. I enjoyed the drama myself. Here is a clip below for you to preview of the film in case you are interested. Comment, subscribe, or both. Have a great Thursday everyone!

Sources:

http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/blue-eyed-butcher/about

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11-03/justice/texas.susan.wright.sentence_1_wright-days-susan-wright-stab?_s=PM:CRIME

Markus, Kassin, and Fein. Social Psychology. 8th ed. 2008. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2011. Print.

Helping Others: Poverty Simulation

I had the opportunity yesterday to attend an event called a "Poverty Simulation". The purpose of the event is for people to feel what it is like to be poor by creating a simulated environment with scenarios of real situations where people are struggling to survive in their impoverished situations (specifically in the U.S.). This goes along with the chapter we read about helping others in our text.

One of the main ways I noticed that the poverty simulation goes along with Social Psychology and helping others is that of "time pressure". The simulation was set in periods of timed weeks within approximately 15 minute periods leading up to about one month of time that has passed (one hour).

Time pressure in Social Psychology states that people are less likely to help others or notice others in need when there is pressure for time (Markus et al., 413). During the simulation, people were constantly running around attempting to accomplish tasks to benefit their situation which led to less people helping each other.

However, there were some people who teamed up and helped each other out. For instance, two groups/families decided to help each other when one was evicted from their home (not real, just scenario). The reason for this is probably that the family assisting the other group and letting them stay in their home is because they were less busy and more aware and accepting of the responsibility of helping the other group.

So, from this, we can conclude that it is difficult to accept the responsibility of helping others when there are time constraints. However, it is not impossible! If you are interested in helping others there is a website below that can give you ideas and experiences of how others find creative ways of helping people in need. The website is called Random Acts of Kindness and is a very useful resource for anyone who wants help others. Check it out, leave your comments, and have a great weekend!

http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

Sources and more information about poverty simulations:
Markus, Kassin, and Fein. Social Psychology. 8th ed. 2008. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2011. Print.
http://www.spotlightonpoverty.org/IdeasInAction.aspx?id=de876708-9a1e-4416-a566-3c4c7171a398

Beauty and the Beast: Society Shaping Our Self-Esteem

What is beauty?
Beauty is difficult to define because there are so many different things that we consider beautiful not only in our society but also cross-culturally. So, I searched for the definition of "beauty" and this is the first definition given at Google.com:

beau·ty

noun /ˈbyo͞otē/  beauties, plural A combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, esp. the sight

Breaking down this definition, we see that it is not one sole thing that defines beauty, but more than one quality of an individual. Also, in this definition, beauty says that it must be aesthetically pleasing to the senses. Note that "esp. the sight" is the last thing mentioned in this definition.

Social Psychologists' research has shown that beauty could have a lot to do with symmetry on the body, especially in the face of an individual, because this is where we find the majority of our social cues (Class Discussion April 4, 2012). When we socialize with others, we look for these cues to determine others' thoughts and feelings towards us; It is part of the socialization process (Discussion 4/4/12).

Beauty is one of the social factors that defines our attractions towards others (Discussion 4/4/12). In relationships and other social circumstances, we are motivated as social individuals to have a sense of belonging to carry on these relationships (Markus et al. 384).

This motive and drive can be helpful in determining how to maintain relationships, but it can also hurt our self-esteem when the qualities of beauty defined by social comparison are almost impossible to meet. Today, we have set such high standards for both men and women to define what is beautiful. We look to actors and actresses, singers, and other famous individuals to help us define what beauty should be. Sometimes these expectations are unrealistic to achieve and can bring our self-esteem down so low that it can affect our relationships with others.

My last blog about social groups showed how women are defined by society and how it affects who I am today. Considering these factors, they can reflect how I view myself compared with others and how this defines my interactions with other people. For example, it is not common to see women without makeup and so I usually wear makeup because of this standard our society has set. It can make me feel like, without makeup, I am not beautiful and motivate me even more to wear it as much as possible.

These standards affect how others "see" me or also how they interact with me. If I'm wearing makeup people might talk to me more or accept me in a social situation better. At job interviews, you have to look your best to keep up "appearances" and this can be a compromising situation to determine new behaviors because your behaviors may change because of this one social situation.

How do you determine what is beautiful? Do you believe that what society shows us about men and women and beauty is accurate?

Below is a shocking video of how our society determines what is beautiful. Watch, comment below, and have a wonderful Easter!