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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background to the Study

The potential effect of television viewing on children’s aggressive behaviour has been a source of concern and research interest since the introduction of television (Greenstein, 1994). Generally, many feared that television viewing would have a negative impact on the behaviour of most especially, the adolescents in the schools, because viewing, especially violent television programmes, will affect the character or behaviour of the viewing child. Not only the behaviour, children who form the habits of viewing aggressive television programmes, turn out to be low achievers in their academics.

A number of studies on the content of television programming confirms the popular impression that violence is persuasive on television (Garbner and Cross, 1994). Since the average adult spends more than three hours a day watching television and most children watch at least two hours per day, both adults and children are exposed to a lot of television violence (Lyle & Hoffman, 1992)

Many (Garbner and Cross, 1994, Lyle & Hoffman, 1992) feel that a steady diet of televised violence increases the tendency of the viewers, especially children, to behave aggressively. Since most children spend so much time watching television and since viewing an aggressive model can influence aggression it might follow that watching aggression on television can foster aggressive impulse among children. Through watching televised aggression children become emotionally aroused, learn that aggression is acceptable, become accustomed to viewing violence and so on.

In the society, there has been a dramatic increase in interpersonal violence in the last century which occurred at the same time with the dramatic changes in life styles produced by the great technological renovations of the 20th century. Notable of these is the introduction of the mass media into children’s everyday life. It is not surprising therefore, that speculations about violent behaviour has been prevalent in the society since motion pictures showing violent acts were first distributed. With the advent of television in the early 1950s, violence surrounds us not only in real life but also in our environment as films and movies emphasized it. With improved techniques, television in both its news reports and entertainments, provides a steady show of violence. Riot, uprising, wars, terriorism, raids, and rapes all are parts of our daily lives in the news (Johncourt, 2000).

Fredrick & Stein (1995) described television as

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