Media violence and its impact on society and teenagers

Despite the fact that some healing/ therapeutic effects of the virtual and TV world do exist, morally ambiguous media messages do not provide proper education about real-life violence. It\u27s true that all teenagers have a great ability to distinguish fiction from reality and revaluate the violent messages on the screen; however, those messages do not provide a useful tool in regaining their power and self-esteem and are rather detrimental to their mental health

Medijske pripovijedi o superherojima kao potencijalni kontekst za istraživanje dječjega razumijevanja moralno relevantnih događaja

Currently, superhero films are one of the more popular films genres, and the genre does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. In addition, the lives and exploits of superheroes are told through other forms of media such as animated films and television series targeted towards children. However, these narratives are also violent. If older children (i.e., approximately 7–11) engage with superhero media, then it is important to understand the ways they attempt to make sense of this genre. To this end, the essay examines how superhero media may serve as a potential context for older children’s understanding of morally relevant events. This potential—based on three broad areas of scholarship on children’s capacities for understanding others and their morally relevant acts—is explored along two dimensions. The first is through common narrative features of the genre, and the second is through research implications. It is suggested that a research program utilizing the genre’s narrative features as a part of a methodology to investigate older children’s understanding of morally relevant acts affords unique opportunities to build upon existing scholarship on the relationship between media content and children’s moral understanding.Trenutačno su filmovi o superherojima jedan od popularnijih filmskih žanrova i čini se da se taj trend neće uskoro promijeniti. Osim toga, životi i pothvati superheroja prikazani su i putem drugih medija poput animiranih filmova i televizijskih serija namijenjenih djeci. Međutim, te su priče ujedno i nasilne. Ako se starija djeca (od 7 do 11 godina) susreću s medijskim sadržajem o superherojima, važno je razumjeti načine na koje oni pokušavaju shvatiti taj žanr. U tu svrhu, ovaj rad istražuje kako medijski sadržaj o superherojima može poslužiti kao potencijalni kontekst za razumijevanje moralno značajnih događaja kod starije djece. Taj potencijal – temeljen na tri šira područja istraživanja dječje sposobnosti razumijevanja drugih i njihovih moralno značajnih postupaka – istražuje se putem dviju dimenzija. Prvu predstavljaju zajednički pripovjedni elementi žanra, a drugu istraživačke implikacije. Predlaže se istraživački model koji se koristi pripovjednim obilježjima žanra kao dijelom metodologije za istraživanje razumijevanja moralno značajnih postupaka kod starije djece. Takav model također nudi mogućnost nadogradnje postojećih istraživanja o odnosu između medijskoga sadržaja i moralnoga razumijevanja djece

Superhero Media as a Potential Context for Investigating Children\u27s Understanding of Morally Relevant Events

Currently, superhero films are one of the more popular film genres, and the genre does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. In addition, the lives and exploits of superheroes are told through other forms of media such as animated films and television series targeted towards children. However, these narratives are also violent. If older children (i.e., approximately 7-11) engage with superhero media, then it is important to understand the ways they attempt to make sense of this genre. To this end, the essay examines how superhero media may serve as a potential context for older children\u27s understanding of morally relevant events. This potential -- based on three broad areas of scholarship on children\u27s capacities for understanding others and their morally relevant acts -- is explored along two dimensions. The first is through common narrative features of the genre, and the second is through research implications. It is suggested that a research program utilizing the genre\u27s narrative features as a part of a methodology to investigate older children\u27s understanding of morally relevant acts affords unique opportunities to build upon existing scholarship on the relationship between media content and children\u27s moral understanding

PRAYER AND MORAL EDUCATION OF EARLY AND PRESCHOOL AGE CHILDREN IN CHRISTIAN FAMILY

Obitelj, Crkva i društvo tri su najvažnije društvene instance međusobno povezane i upućene jedna na drugu. Crkva treba obitelj, kao što i obitelj treba Crkvu, a obje imaju svoju posebnu ulogu i poslanje u suvremenom društvu. Stoga se u prvom dijelu ovoga rada posebna pozornost usredotočuje na značaj kršćanske obitelji u Crkvi i suvremenom društvu, obrazlažu početci i daljnji tijek te specifičnosti vjerskog odgoja djece rane i predškolske dobi, kao i doprinos župne zajednice u promicanju obiteljskih vrijednosti prema nauku Katoličke Crkve. Polazeći od tumačenja ključnog pojma moralnog odgoja u drugom je dijelu teorijski objašnjen njegov značaj u moralnom ponašanju i rasuđivanju te moralnom razvoju djeteta predškolske dobi s popratnim moralnim poteškoćama. U trećem dijelu rada promišlja se o povezanosti kršćanske molitve i moralnog odgoja s pripadajućim utjecajem na cjelokupan vjerski odgoj predškolskog djeteta s posebnim imperativom za kršćansku obitelj.Family, Church and society are the three most important social instances. They are interconnected and directed at each other. The Church needs family, just as the family needs the Church, and both have their own special role and mission in contemporary society. Therefore, the first part of this paper is focused on the importance of the Christian family in the Church and contemporary society. It explains the beginnings, further course and specifics of religious education of children of early and preschool age, as well as the contribution of the parish community in promoting family values according to the teaching of the Church. Starting from the interpretation of the key concept of moral education, the second part theoretically explains its significance through moral behavior and reasoning and the moral development of a preschool child with accompanying moral difficulties. The third part discusses the connection between Christian prayer and moral education with the correlated influence on the overall religious education of a preschool child with a special imperative for the Christian family

How to be a hero: a rhetorical analysis of superman\u27s first appearance in Action Comics

Through a combination of rhetorical heightening, idiom, and structure, Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster influenced their young American audience with the first appearance of Superman in 1938’s Action Comics no. 1. Superman’s lack of distinguishing characteristics, dual identity, and embodiment of American culture allowed the character to become a vehicle for Siegel and Shuster, persuading children to be a helper of those in need and champion of the oppressed. Varying panel size and choosing what to show from what not to show allowed Siegel and Shuster to heighten specific moments within Superman’s story. Through metaphor and symbolic modeling, children recognized the impact of helping others in their lives both as a child and later as an adult. The tools that Siegel and Shuster had available to them in this particular medium—such as being able to simultaneously heighten several different moments within the narrative in one panel—make it a unique form of rhetorical heightening in fiction

The Influence of Family Communication Patterns on Sexual Communication in Romantic Relationships: A Dyadic Analysis

abstract: The current study employs dyadic data analysis to explore the intrapersonal and interpersonal antecedents of sexual communication in romantic relationships. Working from a family relational schema theoretical framework (family communication patterns [FCPs]; see Koerner & Fitzpatrick, 2002a), it is argued that FCPs within individuals’ family of origin structure their relational schema, which is subsequently associated with their openness and quality of sexual communication in their sexually active romantic relationships. In particular, dyadic data procedures are used to explore the interdependent influence of partners’ FCPs on reported sexual communication. It was predicted that individual (actor effects) and partner (partner effects) reports of FCPs are associated with individuals’ reports of sexual communication within romantic relationships. In addition, alternative models were proposed that predicted FCPs are associated with individuals’ self-schema (i.e., general and sexual self-concept), which is in turn associated with sexual communication. A sample of 216 heterosexual romantic dyads (N = 432) participated in a cross-sectional online questionnaire study. Results from path analyses provide partial support for hypotheses. Specifically, individuals from conversationally-oriented families tended to report higher levels of sexual communication in their romantic relationships. Also, the interaction effect between conversation and conformity orientations indicate that dyads tend to engage in more sexual communication when dyadic partners are from pluralistic families (i.e., high conversation, low conformity), and they engage in less sexual communication when partners are from laissez-faire families (i.e., low conversation, low conformity). Furthermore, FCPs were associated with the general and sexual self-concept (i.e., general self-esteem, general social anxiety, sexual self-esteem, and sexual anxiety), which in turn were associated with sexual communication. This study is important for its contribution to the family, interpersonal, and relational communication literature, as well as for its potential to expand Koerner and Fitzpatrick’s (2002a) theory of family relational schema to more domain-specific areas of communication, like sexual communication.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Communication Studies 201

The Influence of Parental Verbal Messages about Fighting and Nonviolent Responses on Adolescent Aggressive and Effective Nonviolent Behavior

Research suggests that adolescent health requires both reducing problem behavior and promoting the development of social competence. There is strong support for the influence of parenting practices on both aggressive and competent behavior. However, there has been little research to date focused on parental messages, or the verbal communication parents provide to their children, about aggressive and effective nonviolent responses to conflict. The present study used hierarchical regression to examine parental messages supporting fighting and parental messages supporting effective nonviolent responses to problem situations in relation to adolescent aggressive and effective nonviolent behavior. These relations were expected to be moderated by adolescent gender. Additionally, the unique influence of parental messages was explored, relative to the effects of parental behavioral modeling of antisocial and prosocial acts. Messages supporting fighting and messages supporting nonviolent responses were analyzed as distinct constructs in the current study, and were expected to produce different patterns of influence on each adolescent behavior. Discrepancies based on respondent (parent or adolescent) were also anticipated. Participants included a predominantly African American sample of 105 adolescents and a parent or caregiver, who were assessed as part of a larger project evaluating the effects of a neighborhood intervention. As hypothesized, youth reports of parental messages supporting nonviolent responses were significantly related to lower levels of youth aggression, even when controlling for parental modeling. Youth reports of parental messages supporting nonviolent responses also predicted higher levels of effective nonviolent behavior, but these effects could be better accounted for by parental modeling. Contrary to expectation, parental messages supporting fighting did not significantly predict adolescent aggression or effective nonviolent behavior, and only minimal support was found for the moderating influence of gender. As anticipated, youths’ perceptions of parental messages were better predictors of their behavior than were parents’ reports. Overall, the current study’s findings have important implications for violence prevention efforts, and call for continued research

Comment évaluer la théorie de l’esprit? Revue systématique des outils d’évaluation destinés aux enfants d’âge préscolaire

Essai doctoral présenté en vue de l’obtention du grade de doctorat en psychologie, option neuropsychologie clinique (D.Psy.)La Théorie de l’Esprit (TDE), soit l’habileté à inférer des états mentaux à soi-même et à autrui, est un domaine de recherche ralliant plusieurs disciplines, incluant la psychologie sociale et développementale, la neuropsychologie, les neurosciences sociales et l’orthophonie. Les habiletés de la TDE ont été maintes fois reliées à plusieurs marqueurs d’adaptation sociale, telles des compétences relationnelles et communicationnelles de meilleure qualité. Par ailleurs, la TDE est altérée dans le contexte de nombreuses conditions cliniques. Malgré l’énorme quantité d’études dédiées à la TDE, identifier des outils de mesures appropriés destinés aux enfants d’âge préscolaire demeure un défi. Cet essai a pour but de faciliter l’identification d’outils de mesures de la TDE pour les enfants de 0-5 ans en créant un inventaire de ceux-ci et de leurs caractéristiques. Une introduction positionne l’importance de la TDE à titre d’habileté sociocognitive, la définit et la distingue de construits socio-cognitifs apparentés, survole sa trajectoire développementale et soulève les défis reliés à son évaluation. Une revue systématique de la littérature, sous forme d’article scientifique, présente ensuite la méthodologie utilisée et l’inventaire des outils de mesures réalisé, et permet de souligner la grande variété d’outils évaluant la TDE, mais également de nombreux écueils méthodologiques et psychométriques associés à la création et au choix d’outils appropriés, incluant le nombre limité de sous-habiletés visées, le manque de standardisation et la pauvreté des informations psychométriques disponibles. Une discussion générale est ensuite fournie et relève les apports théoriques, méthodologiques et cliniques de cette recherche pour le domaine de la TDE.Theory of mind (TOM), the ability to infer mental states to self and others, has been a pervasive research theme across many disciplines including developmental, neuro-, and social psychology, social neuroscience and speech therapy. TOM abilities have been consistently linked to markers of social adaptation, such as better communication skills and quality social relationships, and are affected in a broad range of clinical conditions. Despite the wealth and breadth of research dedicated to TOM, identifying appropriate assessment tools for the preschool population remains challenging. This work aims to facilitate the choice and use of adequate measures for children aged 0 to 5 years by generating a comprehensive inventory of TOM measures and listing their characteristics. The introduction highlights the importance of TOM as a social-cognitive ability, defines TOM and distinguishes it from related yet distinct sociocognitive constructs, provides information on its developmental trajectory and raises challenges associated with TOM assessment. A systematic review of the literature is then presented in the form of an article and provides details on the methods used and the inventory of TOM measures generated. The remarkable variety of measures that have been created to assess TOM is highlighted, but also the numerous methodological and psychometric challenges associated with developing and choosing appropriate measures, including issues related to the limited range of sub-abilities targeted, lack of standardisation across studies and paucity of psychometric information provided. Finally, a general conclusion provides the opportunity to discuss the theoretical, methodological and clinical contributions of this project