Fascination with Superheroes May Lead to Aggression in Children

[Tennis]

Superheroes are usually thought of as the “good guys.” New research, however, finds that preschoolers often pick up on less positive traits such as aggression.

The finding stems from a study by Brigham Young University (BYU) family life professor Dr. Sarah M. Coyne. Coyne decided to study what it was, exactly, that preschool-aged boys and girls took away from exposure to superhero culture and it wasn’t the many positive traits that shone through.

“So many preschoolers are into superheroes and so many parents think that the superhero culture will help their kids defend others and be nicer to their peers,” Coyne said, “but our study shows the exact opposite. Kids pick up on the aggressive themes and not the defending ones.”

Coyne found that children who frequently engage with superhero culture are more likely to be physically and relationally aggressive one year later.

She even found the children were not more likely to be defenders of kids being picked on by bullies and were not more likely to be prosocial.

The study published this week in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.

Last spring, Coyne authored a study on the effects of “Disney Princess” culture on young children, finding the perpetuation of stereotypes that could have damaging effects. Like her recommendations about princess culture, Coyne echoes the same sentiment with superhero culture: These findings do not suggest that parents need to totally disengage their children from superheroes.

“Again, I’d say to have moderation,” Coyne said. “Have your kids involved in all sorts of activities, and just have superheroes be one of many, many things that they like to do and engage with.”

Findings like these give parents the opportunity to have a conversation with their children. Coyne says to not be afraid of pointing out the positives as well as the negatives of the media their children are consuming.

Coyne theorizes that a reason why children may latch on to the violent behavior and not the prosocial behavior of superheroes is in part due to the complexity of the superhero media.

The vast majority of superhero programs are not created for preschool children, even though the current study found that many preschoolers still regularly watched superhero media.

These programs contain complex storylines that interweave violence and prosocial behavior, and preschoolers do not have the cognitive capability to pick out the wider moral message that is often portrayed.

Coyne also states that there is likely some additional desensitization associated with consuming violent media. Reduction in cognitive and emotional responses has been shown to be associated with exposure to violent media.

That reduction of response to the victims of violence on the TV screen, computer, or tablet, could be associated to a lack of empathy for the victims of violence on the playground or at school.

Participants in the study consisted of 240 children whose parents responded about the level of engagement their children had with superhero culture. Parents were asked how often their children watched superhero media and how much they identified with various superheroes.

Children were also individually interviewed, asked to identify 10 popular superheroes, then identify their favorite superhero, and explain why they liked that superhero the best.

The children’s responses in the study about their favorite superheroes provided important insight in the study: Various responses included superhero merchandise (26 percent), image (20 percent), and interpersonal characteristics (21 percent).

Researchers then used a subcode to examine any defending or violent themes. Of those who specified characteristics in superheroes, 10 percent noted some defending ability of the superheroes: “Because he shoots webs and he saves people.”

Twenty percent of these children associated their favorite superhero with some type of violent skills. For example, “He’s big and can punch” and “He smashes and gets angry.”

Some were milder, while others suggested blatant aggression. “Because he can smash and destroy everything, and he doesn’t care because he’s a big bully.”

Another child stated that Captain America was his favorite superhero “because he can kill.”

http://psychcentral.com/news/2017/01...en/115028.html

How eye opening. We really need to be more aware of the dangers of what we expose our kids to.

[Raskayz]

I heard long exposures to justin trudeau also causes brain seizures

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

This is false. Terrible try.

[Tennis]

This is false. Terrible try.

You have proof that it is false?

[Endus]

This is backwards. Kids don't get convinced to like violence because of media, humans (including children) have violent impulses. Media are how we work those impulses out. If you take all the violent media away from kids, they don't suddenly have less violent impulses, they just don't have any experience that teaches them about what those impulses are and appropriate means to express them, or not.

I'll also note that the bad guys are typically more violent, and the ones who start the fights.

I think there's room for other stories, too, and comics are generally not great at telling them. Doctor Strange had some interesting twists, particularly with how he dealt with Dormammu. I just saw Kubo the Two Strings recently, and that was a fantastic movie with a resolution that goes directly against all that violence, in a way that felt really fulfilling and not cheap (it wasn't "violence is wrong!" but just "there's a better way").

Kids will pick their favorite superhero because he represents what they want to be, some fulfillment of some weakness they see in themselves. If they feel weak and powerless, they'll pick someone strong. Watching The Incredible Hulk isn't going to make some peaceful kid with no violence in their heart suddenly be all "HULK SMASH". At best, it's kicking open a door to feelings that are repressed.

[the game]

Yeah sure hormones have nothing to do with it at all. Has nothing to do with the violence they see at school from other kids or god forbid violence they see at home if their house is unstable. Captain America is to be blamed.

[Zelk]

The bigger problems with comic book films is that they're boring and sucking money and staff from more creative films

[Gmollster11]

If we only had 50 years of superheroes' impact on the culture, maybe we'd know more.

[Deleted]

Kids don't get convinced to like violence because of media, humans (including children) have violent impulses. Media are how we work those impulses out. If you take all the violent media away from kids, they don't suddenly have less violent impulses

Wrong.Example: A certain group that rythmes with Wack Milfs Better

[Super Kami Dende]

That's just silly, It'd be like saying fascination with Celebrities may lead to stupidity in Women.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

You have proof that it is false?

We've had threads on this already; plenty of information has been posted there disproving these lines of thinking. I'm not normally one to tell people to go check those threads before they post. But your thoughts here have already been disproved countless times.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

The bigger problems with comic book films is that they're boring and sucking money and staff from more creative films

Yeah no they aren't really boring, not your taste maybe but they are far from boring. Either way the OP's article is dumb.

[Raskayz]

The bigger problems with comic book films is that they're boring and sucking money and staff from more creative films

Not really a comic fan but that's far from true.

[A dot Ham]

Religious school publishes a religious study that supports their agenda... shocking...

[Calfredd]

Wrong.Example: A certain group that rythmes with Wack Milfs Better

I know what you're trying to say but it does not rhyme with that.

[Tennis]

We've had threads on this already; plenty of information has been posted there disproving these lines of thinking. I'm not normally one to tell people to go check those threads before they post. But your thoughts here have already been disproved countless times.

Cmon man. The OP posted a new groundbreaking research regarding this and you think "this is false" suffices? Provide credible evidence to prove that the study isn't accurate.

[Shibito]

I heard long exposures to justin trudeau also causes brain seizures

So true the math teacher does that. Also i knew this was a tennisface thread.

[Darkeon]

I agree. Those SJW changes, in the last years, on superhero comic books can indeed provoke aggression bursts on some individuals - and rightly so!

[Independent voter]

Justin Trudeau's final form.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

no just no.