Music Violence
Throughout history, people have been attracted to music. For the past decade, references have been made to link violent and deviant behavior to music and certain music categories. The one category that has been under controversy is rap or "gansta" rap. If indeed there is a direct correlation between violence in music and violence in adolescent behavior, it is important to look at where the connection lies. By simply understanding the adolescent stages of human development and the influence of music in a historical perspective, one can learn the underlying adolescent vulnerability and susceptibility to violence in music. The violent vulgarity and sexually explicit lyrics act as a conduit to strengthen learned aggression and release this aggression on society. A child faces many influential experiences during the stages of human development. Parents have a tremendous power to moderate that influence. Music has been around since the beginning of time and it has evolved just as much as the people that created it. Throughout history, people have been attracted to music. Whether it is a part of a ritual, an emotional release, religious reasons, or just for listening pleasure, music has been at the center of society. Peopl
Music Violence 4 Erikson's psychosocial theory of the fourth and fifth stages of development focuses on middle childhood (ages of 7 to11) and adolescence (ages of 12 to 18). The middle childhood faces the development of expanding knowledge and understanding of the physical and social environment. It is a period to which new behaviors are learned by merely observing the behaviors of others. "An integral part of social learning is molding, the process whereby people pattern their behavior after that of specific others" (Berger, 1988). This stage is crucial and could be categorized as the root cause of aversive behavior as children begin to learn and imitate almost anything. The origin of influencing behavior on a child is the parent. Parents bear the responsibility because they can limit the constant exposure of the young minds to the violence in movies, television, videos, and music. In a study conducted at Pennsylvania State University, 100 preschool children were observed both before and after watching television. The result was "children who watched the violent shows, even just funny cartoons, were more likely to hit out at their playmates, argue, disobey class rules, leave tasks unfinished, and were less willing to wait for things than those who watched the nonviolent programs" (Huston, 1992). Parents are regarded as having a great influence in the development of a child's behavior. There are also other forces in the social environment such as peers, teachers, and schools that can also significantly influence the behavior and carry this behavior over into the fifth stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory. The best example to illustrate an explanation of the human development is by looking at Erik H. Erikson's psychosocial theory. Although Sigmund Freud may have developed a model for understanding early development, it was Erik Erikson who built
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Approximate Word count = 2373
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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