Aggression and the school system - Part 3

By Stephen-Claude Hyatt, Contributed

The following is the final part in a three-part series on aggression in students.

ALTHOUGH IT was not on any of the questionnaires, it was discovered, via interview, that most of the students and teachers agreed that the media influenced aggressive behaviour. This ranged from action films to the songs that are played on the various radio stations.

Noted Psychologists Baron and Byrne report that "Exposure to media violence has been found to increase aggression among viewers". According to these men, "this occurs because of several factors which increase aggressive thoughts and weaken one's restraint against aggression."

In Jamaica, adolescents are bombarded with both direct and indirect forms of aggression not only from specific individuals or groups in the society but also through the electronic and print media. The media, in whatever form, is a rather important aspect and reflection of the society in which we live.

Through the electronic media, adolescents are exposed to and tend to become influenced by violent television shows, computer games and the negative aggressive messages being prompted by many of our local entertainers.

Additionally, through the print media exists the influence of aggression, in the form of violent comic series, novels and gruesome headlines of aggressive acts, not to mention the variety of cartoons which depict acts of violence.

Students have confessed that when they hear songs such as "Boom by by" and "Chi chi man", they are influenced to beat homosexuals, as they do not want to be branded as such.

In an effort to determine the effects of viewing a violent television show as against a non-violent one, a covert observation was done. Twelve-year-old Jermaine watched the movie "Rush Hour", which contains numerous violent scenes, then played with his siblings. While playing, Jermaine was noticed to be very aggressive. His tone was mean as he demanded his turn at the swing, and those siblings, even the older ones, who did not comply with his orders were hit with twirling sticks or suffered the onslaught kicks and punches. This was really Jermaine imitating his television hero, Jackie Chan.

Jermaine was then allowed to watch the "Barney" show. After viewing same, Jermaine was the most loveable child. He was utterly amazed as he grabbed and hugged whomever he could as he song the Barney theme song "I love you". My conclusion after these observations was that the viewing of violent TV shows does in fact contribute to aggressive behaviour.

Through interviews and the media, we also found that the relationship in the family affects how aggressive children will be. A cohesive family produces children who are less likely to be aggressive. Children from families where there is extensive discord, and distant and cold parents, are more likely to exhibit aggressive behaviour. In addition, children who are exposed to severe punishment or overly excessive freedom and lack of supervision, are likely to become aggressive (Baron and Richardson 1994)

Dr. Brigitte Matthies, lecturer in Psychology at the University of the West Indies, states that children exhibit behavioural problems mainly arising from ineffective discipline. This was found to be true, by Admin-istrators from Jamaica College, who stated that the boys who were involved in deviant social behaviour, drugs and aggressive attitudes, where, for the most part, those living with grandparents or some other guardian or parent who could not offer the necessary discipline and control.

Conclusion

After analysing the questionnaires, noting the various responses coming out of the interviews and interpreting the reports from the media, I have concluded as follows. Several factors contribute to aggression within school children, though some are more influential than others.

It is obvious that the home and the school play the most significant roles in shaping the behavioural pattern of students. However, the society and community are next in line, as both seriously impact how students relate to each other and their teachers. Additionally, it was discovered that the impact of the Church with respect to aggression is quite limited, based on those who were spoken to anyway. Though the Church contributed to a level of discomfort, this was not transferred to the school environment, based on the research.

It was also discovered that the attitudes of teachers towards students, aided in either promoting or discouraging aggression. Most of the students interviewed admitted that they were less aggressive to teachers they thought were sympathetic towards their situation. Largely however, the entire society in its various forms is responsible for the levels of aggression within our schools.

Rev. Stephen-Claude Hyatt is a guidance counsellor at Jamaica College.

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