Overview

This Essay Discussion is meant to be an exercise to test your understanding of the positivist theories of deviance. In order to do this Essay Discussion you will need to have a good understanding of interpersonal violence and the theories: External Restraint Theory and the Subculture of Violence Theory (physical violence); Psychological Theory, Social-Psychological Theory and Feminist Theory (rape and molestation); Social Learning Theory, Stress Theory and Exchange Theory (family violence).

This essay will ask you to look at and analyze different media images of interpersonal violence in our society. With the media being such a large part of our lives today (think how much time you are around the tv, radio, internet…) it has become an extremely influential socializing agent. What we see in the media can affect our beliefs and views about topics, often without us even realizing it.

Instructions

• For this essay discussion posting you will need to find 2 media examples of interpersonal violence. Do NOT get your examples from the news. Essentially the examples that you find should be fictional (not real). You can use song lyrics, tv shows, movies, cartoons, books or even a picture in a magazine, etc. (using proper citations and references to sources)
• After finding 2 media examples of interpersonal violence, explain the deviant behaviors by painting a picture (describing the media example as if others cannot see it). Each media example should have a paragraph description (5-6 sentences).
• Discuss, in at least one paragraph per media example, how this behavior can be explained using the theories of interpersonal violence. Compare and contrast the theoretical views : External Restraint Theory and the Subculture of Violence Theory (physical violence); Psychological Theory, Social-Psychological Theory and Feminist Theory (rape and molestation); Social Learning Theory, Stress Theory and Exchange Theory (family violence).
• In the final paragraph, discuss how you feel media does or does not contribute to interpersonal violence. Is the way that your media example of violence presented helpful or harmful to society and why? Think about how this might be socializing and teaching people, especially children.
• Be sure to reference your media, educational and text resources.
• The final essay should be no less that 5 paragraphs (5-6 sentences at least per paragraph) and include at least 3 additional sources, in addition to the text. (2 sources can be your media).