THE EFFECTS OF VIOLENT MOVIES ON ADOLESCENT-S IN TWO SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ZARIA

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><div><p><strong>G</strong><strong>ENERAL</strong>&nbsp;<strong>INTRODUCTION</strong>&nbsp;<strong>1.0</strong>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>Introduction</strong></p><p>Violence is a major concern in all segments of societies today.Studies by Kaplan (2012),</p><p>Mc Quail (2010), Miller (2002) and Ajilore, Ojo, Nwalolikpe, Akinreti, Odeybenle and Jegede</p><p>(2013) have shown that exposure to violent media, such as movies, can promote aggressive or</p><p>violent behaviour in children, adolescents and youths (International Journal of Innovative</p><p>Research and Development, 2013). Researchers such as Mangwere, Wadesango, and Kurebwa,</p><p>(2013) believe that exposure to action-packed movies greatly impact on the behaviour of</p><p>children and adolescents. Most children and adolescents try to imitate the characters in movie;</p><p>they want to be closely associated with the characters that they view as superior (Mangwere, et</p><p>al, 2013). They are seen acting like movie stars.They wrestle with friend on the street and use</p><p>uncensored words. The most important concern in the debate about violent movies has been</p><p>whether or not it promotes aggressive behaviour among youngviewers (Evra 1990).</p><p>Furthermore,the emergence of new media technologies to watchviolent movies have</p><p>aggravated theeffects of violent movies (scenes)on adolescents. All these have cumulatively</p><p>necessitated a study of this nature in Zaria.</p><p><strong>1.1</strong>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<strong>Background</strong>&nbsp;<strong>to</strong>&nbsp;<strong>the</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Study</strong></p><p>The impact of violent movies on young adults has been a contested issue in recent times.</p><p>Many believe that movies greatly influence the life of adolescents, especially in the negative</p><p>dimension (Strasburger, 1993). Thus, most violent crimes in the society are blamed on young</p><p>adults‘ or adolescents‘ exposure to movies with violent scenes. According to Chauhan (2011),</p><p>movies are the best means of relaxation and opportunity for the viewers to identify with the</p><p>characters of the story. Movies satisfy basic desires which are often exhibited in the social 1</p></div><div><p>environment(Chauhan, 2011). Movie is a source of popular entertainment and it is pertinent to</p><p>note that from the moment one indulges in watching movies, one is transformed into a new</p><p>world where the mind is at ease(Nsisong, 2016). Adolescents watch movies for entertainment</p><p>and pleasure. Action, suspense, romance and mystery are some of the aspects of movies that</p><p>adolescents get attracted to (Chauhan, 2011).</p><p>Norris and Sargent (2002) found out that a surprising number of young teenagers watch</p><p>extremely violent movies. In countries like America, an average child sees 200,000 violent acts</p><p>and 16,000 murders on TVby age 18 (Donoughp, 2006; Rideout, Foehr and Roberts, 2010;</p><p>Bickham, 2006 and Strasburger, 2002). The situation in Nigeria is not different; most children</p><p>between 5 and 20 years of age spend over 6 hours daily on entertainment media which include</p><p>television and movies (Ukoha, 2013).</p><p>In Nigeria, movies are some of the agents of socialisation and it has been observed that</p><p>adolescents spend not less than 75 hours a week watching movies.This figure exceeds by far the</p><p>amount of time spent in school (Wood, 1983). In other words, during a period of one week alone,</p><p>a child would have watched a hundred killings; armed robbery, prostitution, rape, sex, violence</p><p>and fight (Wood, 1985). Wood (1985), observes that these movies influence the behaviour of the</p><p>adolescents greatly. This is of concern because movies affect the behaviour of adolescents both</p><p>positively and negatively. While there exist movies that celebrate heroism and gallantry, the</p><p>issue that concerns many today is the increasing rate of movies that portray cruelty, torture,</p><p>killings, homicide, kidnap, terrorism and sexual escapades (Okon, 2015).</p><p>Violence has become a common theme in most movies, even in G-rated (suitable for</p></div><div><br> </div><br><p></p>