...July 22, 2012 Video games have become as pervasive an aspect of our society as television, with many people spending more time playing video games than watching television. There are many perspectives with which to gauge videos games’ effect on society, from a functionalist, conflict or interactionist perspective. (Schaefer, 2011) Each of these sociological theories can provide a different view of video games, how they affect society and the subcultures that develop around them. The functionalist perspective would emphasize the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability. (Schaefer, 2011) A functionalist may point out the manifest functions of video games as a facilitator of social interaction among friends, or the function of educational games in younger children. The functionalist may also observe latent functions, such as improving hand-eye coordination, or even unintended educational aspect of video games not intended for children (such as police coming and arresting the player character when crimes are committed in games, mirroring the real-life consequences of one’s actions) A functionalist can also characterize video games as a dysfunction I n society, with individuals neglecting other responsibilities in favor of playing the games, or stating that the games encourage violent or antisocial behaviors. The conflict theory would focus on tensions between groups (Schaefer, 2011), so someone analyzing video games from a conflict perspective...
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...REVIEW 1. The Sociological approach: a. is not scientific b. suggests that relations we have with other people create opportunities for us to think and act c. suggests that relations we have with other people set limits on our thoughts and actions d. leaves the study of personal issues to psychologists e. b and c * EXPLANATION: Although sociology contains both objective and subjective elements it is a science. Sociologists observe reality in a systematic and controlled manner and evaluate the validity of their ideas based on observations. Objectivity plays the role of a reality check while subjectivity makes us set our priorities for research. The sociological approach to improving human welfare is based on the idea that the relations we have with other people create opportunities for us to think and act but also set limits on our thoughts and actions. Accordingly, we can better understand that what we are and what we can become by studying the social relations that help shape us. FOR EXAMPLE: even the most personal issues can be studied using a sociological approach Suicide could have been seen as an anti-social act caused by psychological distress but Durkheim studied it from a sociological perspective correlating it to “social solidarity”, how frequently people interact with others and share their beliefs, values and morals. Social forces then determine the likelihood to commit suicide. Sociologists use the sociological approach to identify: ...
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...CASE STUDY PAPER 1 Kid Killers: Delinquency Theories Arache Lotfalian UMUC CCJS 350 Professor Donovan 11/29/2012 CASE STUDY PAPER 2 In the middle class suburban town of Littleton, near Denver Colorado, a 17 year old murderous fantasy is beginning to take shape. Eric Harris and a friend known as “Vulcan” or “V” intend to commit an act so violent that it will secure their place in history. The following is an expert from Harris’s Journal, mastermind behind the Columbine Shooting: “Sometime in April next year, me and “V” will get revenge, kick natural selection up a few notches. If we’ve learned anything about the art of making pipe bombs, we’ll set hundreds of them around roads, bridges, buildings, and gas stations; anything that will cause damage and chaos. It will be like the L.A. riots, Oklahoma City bombings, WWII, Vietnam, Duke and Doom all mixed together. I want to leave a lasting impression on the world.” One year later on April the 20th 1999, Eric Harris and another Columbine student, Dylan Klebold, committed the worst High School massacre in American history. They killed twelve students and one teacher; injured twenty three others and then turned the guns on themselves (Avila, 2000). Immediately following the mass shootings, media, sociologists and criminologists set about the difficult task of discovering the motives of the killers and answering the question of whether or not problems within society allowed this to happen....
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...Sociologists aim to analyze how people live. To do this, they use sociological perspectives which help them “understand human behavior by placing it within its broader social context.” The three sociological perspectives sociologists utilize that I will be focusing on are symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict theory. Symbolic interactionism is “a theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another.” Functionalism is “a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of various parts, each with a function that, when fulfilled, contributes to society’s equilibrium.” And lastly, conflict theory...
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...Cognitive, Conscious, Energetic and Behavioral Impact of Violent Video Gaming Experiences Gabriel Aaron Dionne Strayer University English 215 December 11th 2011 Cognitive, Conscious, and Behavioral Impact of Violent Video Gaming Experiences “Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.” Martin Luther King, Jr. Brainy Quote (2011) Identifies Violence as: The quality or state of being violent; highly excited action, whether physical or moral; vehemence; impetuosity; force. Injury done to that which is entitled to respect, reverence, or observance; profanation; infringement; unjust force; outrage; assault. Ravishment; rape; constupration. To assault; to injure; also, to bring by violence; to compel. This statement gives insight to the ideology of violence being compelled or brought about in an individual through excited actions. The level of violence in video games is astounding not to mention the level of realism which can totally encapsulate you in the gaming experience leaving you feel like that experience was real on a conscious, cognitive, and behavioral level. Long gone are my days of Mario bouncing on mushrooms these days it is assault rifles, hand grenades and tactical missile strikes. Entertainment Software Rating Board (n.d.) provides a list of potential violent behaviors that may be found within our children’s gaming experience and it...
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...Choices This paper will identify and describe choice theories and how they relate to crime, and will list and describe the common models in how society determines which acts are considered to be criminal and how it impacted by choice theories of crime. It is easy to understand why the entertainment industry and the media are targeted as the cause of criminal violence, many other explanations for crime are also viable, like genetic abnormalities or psychological differences in individuals. Various patterns of early socialization may cause a person to commit a crime (Schmalleger, 2009). Some types of criminology theories are classical and neoclassical, include the Free will theory, rational choice theory and routine activities theory. Crime is caused by exercise of free will. Prevention is possible with punishment that offsets any gains to be had through criminal behavior. The choice theory was developed in the 18th century by an Italian philosopher and politician. His theory explains the offender’s motivation to commit a crime is purposeful, with the intent of some sort of ego boosts or personal gain. The rational cause theory is when the offender makes the choice to commit the crime upon examining the consequences or benefits. The offender would then plan the crime and the location and the target of the crime. The offender would then execute the crime knowing that it is wrong but still chooses to commit it. The sociological theory is a study of social structures within the offender’s...
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...generate concern, anxiety, or panic.[4]:16 Examples include the belief in widespread abduction of children by predatory pedophiles,[5] belief in ritual abuse by satanic cults of women and children,[6] scaremongering of the spread of AIDS,[7] and the War on Drugs.[8] Contents [hide] 1 Use as a social science term 1.1 British vs American 2 Characteristics 3 Examples 3.1 2000s: Human trafficking 3.2 1990s–present: Sex offenders 3.3 1980s–1990s: Satanic ritual abuse 3.4 1980s–1990s: Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 1980s–present: AIDS 3.6 1970s–present: Video games and violence 3.7 1970s–present: Crime increase 3.8 1970s–present: War on drugs 4 Criticism 5 Other 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links Use as a social science term[edit] Marshall McLuhan gave the term academic treatment in his book Understanding Media, written in 1964.[9] According to Stanley Cohen, author of a sociological study about youth culture and media called Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972),[10] a moral panic occurs when "...[a] condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests".[4] Those who start the panic when they fear a threat to prevailing social or cultural values are known by researchers as moral entrepreneurs, while people who supposedly threaten the social order have been described as 'folk...
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...PHSE 206: Sociology of sport Essay 2B: Media representation of sport and its connection on societal power. Sean Masters 9066415 DUE: Friday 3rd October, 2014. WORD COUNT: 1508 Society comes in many different forms. Individuals of society attempt to be seen as being more successful, powerful and dominant over others. This is closely followed with how sport is perceived, played and based around. A competitive nature to out think your opponent to attain glory as an individual, as a team or as a country. The popularity of the sporting culture and the impact it has on our lives, gives responsibility for the new sporting era with experiencing and filtering sport through media. Giving another whole diverse range of how we perceive not only sport but athletes and teams competing. Modern era sporting and recreational activities are important in the New Zealand sporting society. As young adolescents grow up building the basic fundamentals associated with sport and continue to do this as they get older. In the active New Zealand survey, key findings released that in 2007/2008 79% of New Zealanders once per week were physically active (NZ, 2008). New Zealand have always had a high abundance in individuals participating in sport, that can contribute to the significant creation of the media- sports complex in New Zealand (Falcous, 2005). For example, back in the 1970’S technology in media sport was just beginning but already a crucial component in broadcasting...
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...Violence in Video Games National American University Composition 1I Judy Lujan May 9, 2012 Abstract There is much speculation in respect to the effects of playing violent video games. This paper will describe the components of some violent video games and the possible effects they may have on game players. In addition it has been hypothesized that at least one video game, Grand Theft Auto may have been the driving force behind a triple homicide. Although extensive research has not been compiled to prove this theory is substantiated, there is supposition that for those individuals who spend countless hours playing video games will ultimately result in aggressive thoughts and behavior, anger, physical and sociological perspective. Violence in Video Games As technology evolves the interactive nature of violent video games has worsened the effect on players, especially children. Video games have potentially harmful impact on the player’s ability to separate fantasy from reality. The learned behavior from these games may impact the player’s health, social skills and possibly their outlook on life in general. Violent activities such as shooting, stabbing and burning are behaviors commonly portrayed by the villains in the game. Weapons used to perform these violent acts include a variety of firearms (hand guns, rifles, machine guns, and laser guns), knives, explosives (Molotov cocktails, bombs, hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades), swords and even vehicles....
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...chapter one Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method What sets human beings apart from all other forms of life? Why is sociology an important tool for your future? How should you respond to people whose way of life differs from your own? ISBN: 0-536-12116-8 Societ y: The Basics, Eighth Ed itio n by Jo hn J. Ma cio nis. Published b y Prentice -Hall. Co pyright © 2006 by Pear son Edu cation, In c. ISBN: 0-536-12116-8 L The sociological perspective shows us patterns of behavior common within a society. Here, a member of Brazil’s Pataxo tribe offers a traditional greeting to a visitor. Societ y: The Basics, Eighth Ed itio n by Jo hn J. Ma cio nis. Published b y Prentice -Hall. Co pyright © 2006 by Pear son Edu cation, In c. I f you were to ask 100 people, “Why do couples marry?” it is a safe bet that at least ninety would reply, “People marry because they fall in love.” Indeed, it is hard for us to imagine a happy marriage without love; likewise, when people fall in love, we expect them to think about marriage. But is the decision about whom to marry really so simple and so personal? There is plenty of evidence that if love is the key to marriage, Cupid’s arrow is carefully aimed by the society around us. In short, society has a number of “rules” about whom we should marry. What are they? Right off the bat, society rules out half the population because U.S. laws (despite recent actions in cities such as San Francisco and likely...
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...Criminal Behavior Lorenzo Reid Virginia College Online Abstract The following paper will address the different areas of the Psychological and Psychiatric Foundations of Criminal Behavior. Within this paper, every aspect from theories to what the law states when it comes to this state will be addressed. Criminal Behavior Doctor Leon Eisenberg once stated, "...persons who are seriously mentally ill are far more likely to be the victims of violence than its initiators." (Campbell) Yet how true is that? When it comes to mental illness, there have been several violent crimes that have been committed, and been blamed on mental illness. There are several shows for entertainment such as the show “Criminal Minds”, that attempts to bring a reality and understanding to mental illness and criminal behavior. This show gives a reality to the fact that people can be simply mentally ill and not simply criminals. In early society times, people simply did not take mental illness into account. It was thought that people, regardless of their mental state, should be accountable for their actions. Yet, in today’s society, this is not the case. Due to research and a better developed country, citizens are given an opportunity to show that their mental state was not steady when they committed a crime. So, what is it then, which motivated a person to kill or maim another? How can a person kill someone else, or a numerous amount of people, with no remorse? These questions and several...
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...to imagine either. A little over a decade ago, two boys who later became household names in America, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Colorado and went on a mass murdering spree where they killed 12 students, 1 teacher and injured 23 others before shooting themselves. While their motives behind doing so can not be ascertained, one possible contributing element which did surface was the influence of violent video games. At the risk of oversimplifying what is possibly a complex psychological mindfield, Harris and Klebold did enjoy playing a game called Doom, which is licensed by the American military for the purpose of training soldiers to kill effectively. Harris had customized his own version of this game and put it up on his website, which was later tracked by The Simon Wisenthal Center. This version of the game had two shooters with an unlimited supply of weapons and ammunition, and their targets lacked the ability to retaliate. A class project required them to make a video of themselves similar to the game, and in it, they dressed in trench coats, armed with weapons, and conduct the massacre of school athletes. Less than one year had gone by when Harris and Klebold played their videotape out, in real life, and became the protagonists of the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history (Anderson & Dill 772). There is nothing new about the presence of violence in our tools of entertainment. Whether they were ancient Greek dramas, theatre...
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...and Harry Braverman. I will discuss the critical and mainstream theories around the topic of worker motivation and then give examples to link them to current times, this will then lead to a conclusion supported by facts and theories. The main stream theorist I would like to draw upon first is Fredrick Taylor and his theory of scientific management. He linked productivity with economic reward and put forward the concept that worker are motivated primarily through pay or ''economic reward''. This concept of Fredrick has been accepted by management all over the world and still holds true for many business where productivity is linked to sales and then to economic rewards. [ (Locke, 1982, pp. 14-24) ]. Mayo conducted experiments between 1927 and 1937, that later came to be known as hawthorn experiments and came to the conclusion that physical, economic and social environment can effect workers productivity. These experiments were criticized by a number of theorist including Alex Cary, in the ''American sociological review (1976)'', and as such I won't be using them extensively for this essay. Abraham Maslow on the other hand came up with a more general approach to motivation, his theory came to be known as the 'hierarchy of needs', which stated that as one tier of need is fulfilled another tier of needs will emerge and thus motivate the workers to achieve them. The second set of theories are called critical theories and the most important theorist in this category is Karl Marx...
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...The media of mass communication have long played a fundamental role in people’s lives. The media informs, persuades, entertains, and even sells. For the most part; mass media is only owned by a few private companies, as we learned in the “media ownership” discussion. According to the “Telecommunications Act of 1996,”, this act was to spawn some competition the broadcast companies. It also eased the restrictions on the number of television stations one individual company can own. The media, controlled by power corporations and government organizations, has positioned itself to influence people in all manner of ways, but no one group controls the system as a whole. 90% of all television media is controlled by only six broadcast corporations. Media can provide companionship, shape perception. They are fundamental to an informed and educated public.(Pavlik, McIntosh 2004). “An important aspect of digitization is that the boundaries between different media have brought into question, and a presupposition has the developer that we are in an era of media convergence” (Storsul,Fagerjord (2008). Strosul and Fagerjord believe that “blurring the border between media does not have to mean convergence. There is also development toward stronger differentiation of media in which elements from earlier separate media and sectors are combined in new ways.” In communication, there are three forms of interpersonal, intrapersonal...
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...Kardashians are is a testimonial to the success of mass media marketing. What was once a platform to display the best qualities found in America has steadily become a means to display the worst. A modern day circus sideshow is just one click of your remote control away. What’s even more concerning is that our children can work the remote better than we can. Former President George Bush Jr. once said, “We cannot blame the schools alone for the dismal decline in SAT verbal scores. When our kids come home from school do they pick up a book or do they sit glued to the tube, watching music videos? Parents, don't make the mistake of thinking your kid only learns between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.”(qtd. in Alexis 247) .The connection between the desensitized youth of our nation and the American mass media is undeniable. American Children spend more than fifty-three hours a week watching TV or using video games, cellphones, and computers (Kaiser Family Foundation). That is an incredible amount of time for anyone, let alone a child. Sociologists believe that the media is used as a means to educate youth in regards to beliefs and values. Youth are shown that their lives can be better or more exciting by taking part in a certain behavior, which in-turn could lead to unrealistic expectations and problems later on down the road (Basirico 44). Television depicts violence as a means to solve problems, whether it is on a cartoon or in an action TV show. The message is in most cases the same; hurt...
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