Aggression In Cartoons

Jindal School of Psychology and Counselling

PCCU-01-BAP-SOPP1091 / Social Practicum

Name: Devyani Taparia

Student Id: 22120106

Introduction:

A nation's future lies in its children. During childhood, behaviours can be easily moulded,

making it a very crucial period. As children interact, observe, and imitate their surroundings,

they learn and develop skills. T.V. and media content can have major effects on children, as

they are easily influenced by their surroundings in both their development and behaviour,

which can make or break them (Abu-Seada, 2019).

Children as young as four to twelve years old are exposed to cartoons. Even though cartoons

provide youngsters with amusement, the messages they exchange via cartoons are often

harmful to youngsters. They are frequently violent, and subjects as diverse may instil in

youngsters a notion that employing force is the sole means to settle shortcomings. Animations

encourage children to exhibit gender stereotypes, such as boys displaying masculine traits,

while female children become reluctant and reticent due to their depiction of female

characters as reticent, tender, and powerless. Cartoons influence youngsters' emotional and

behavioural growth as they evolve into complete citizens of their society, or in a nutshell, as

they socialize.

Review of literature:

There is an abundance of research that shows that viewing violent television relates to more

belligerent views and behaviours (Paik & Comstock, 1994). This association is particularly

obvious in youngsters, whose inadequate exposure and mental abilities make them

susceptible to media (Wilson, Kunkel, Linz, Potter, Donnerstein, Blumenthal, & Berry, 1997).

Considering youngsters’ dependency on the screen is essentially unavoidable, a logical study

approach would be to seek out techniques to reduce the possibility of negative impacts

occurring.
Cartoon aggression is the transmission of graphical and aggressive material in a manner that

is judged harmful to young viewers through popular media such as movies, television,

footage, and animated films, and exerts a significant influence on children who watch it

(Zafar&Chaudhary, 2018). Furthermore, numerous research studies have found that cartoons

influence children's conduct and mental health in both good as well as adverse ways. It is

well known that cartoons help children develop their language skills and mental abilities, but

they can also lead to a person feeling stressed, anxious, depressed, or violent may act out or

behave aggressively (Rai & Waskel, 2019) and (Sharma & Suri, 2020) when they watch

violent cartoon characters.

Watching nonverbal and verbal violence has a detrimental impact on the behaviour and

mental processes of kids, teens, and adults alike, according to causal and empirical research.

Indirect aggression is an extensive-phrase that incorporates a wide range of alternatively

violent acts, encompassing behaviours classified as relational or social aggression. After

viewing animations for numerous years throughout their childhood, youngsters misinterpret

personalities as models to emulate (Kochanska G,1993). Given this backdrop, the research

aims to examine children's watching habits with a focus on the effect of cartoons as

manifested in their mimicking of the content children see.

Analysis:

It is possible that young people might become aggressive in real life if they are exposed to

aggressive cartoons. In addition, children may believe that animation characters are

unharmed even when brutality or collision occurs. It is frequently the case that characters in

Power Rangers, The Chhota Bheem, and Oggy and the Cockroaches hit one another or

collapse from elevated positions, often without any consequences. A youngster might grow

impulsive and aggressive, and possibly start damaging objects or household items to vent
their unhappiness. Cartoons influence the degree to which rage and aggressiveness are

produced.

One example of aggression in cartoons is Chhota Bheem, an Indian comedic cartoon show

about a nine-year-old boy who lives in Dholakpur with his friends. He is shown constantly

fighting his enemies of the village for just a single piece of laddoo. The program regularly

instils in the youngsters’ themes of aggression, harassment, and competition, as well as

exaggerated perceptions of power, by showing fights between characters and throws of

punches and kicks here and there. Thus, leading to children being increasingly aggressive

toward others. Chhota Bheem may be as young as nine years old, nevertheless, he exhibits

the power of Bhima, who was the second of the Pandeva brothers famed for his bravery, a

power that he utilizes to pulverize his adversary. Physical aggression is portrayed as a

conventional way to resolve fights or conflicts with the so-called enemy of the village.

Physical aggressiveness is frequent on the screen, according to prior studies, and has a range

of harmful consequences for young child audiences (Gentile & Sesma, 2003; Paik &

Comstock, 1994; Wilson, 2008). The show encourages children who have yet not been

instilled with the ability to understand what kind of behaviour is acceptable or not and

whether aggression is the sole means to settle minute inconveniences.

Despite regulations requiring a "Never imitate this yourself" caution in these programs, many

youngsters, especially young men, seem to get into arguments and behave aggressively when

they see aggressive cartoons. Another example of aggression in cartoons would be Oggy and

the cockroaches. The cat, Oggy is seen indulging in aggressive as well as violent acts with the

cockroaches. In one episode, they are seen crashing cars into the washroom, plucking each

other’s hair out, and shoving each other into the ground, all this done without a drop of blood.

The show depicts hostile aggression throughout the episodes. According to Bandura’s Social
Learning Theory, children would imitate behaviour through observation learning. This has

become a major concern for most parents since these programs have a negative and unhealthy

impact on a growing individual’s cognition and psychological growth.

Recommendations:

A psychoeducational programme can be offered to families to raise their knowledge about

their child's behavioural, interpersonal, and cognitive growth in order to guarantee increased

interaction among families and their little ones. Authorities and associations of professionals

must organise parenting and guardianship educational events on the impact of violent media

on children's interpersonal conduct and intellectual growth.

Children ought to access the screen under the watchful eye of parents to ensure that the

subject matter of cartoons is devoid of violence and to restrict the amount of time spent

viewing cartoons, particularly on tv and smartphones and tablets. Instead of viewing screens,

children should engage in more recreational and athletic endeavours such as boxing,

sketching, or athletics. Under the supervision of specialists, parents should oversee their

children's use of various electronic gadgets and materials, such as animation films.

Conclusion:

Cartoons can have a profound influence on children, and if children watch, play, or listen to

too much violence, their attitudes can be negatively influenced. Many of the youngsters

exhibited significant levels of aggressiveness, like what Gentile et al., (2017) discovered.

According to Su (2018), watching cartoon films significantly increases a person's aggressive

behaviour. Numerous studies feel that youngsters who watch violent cartoons become more

belligerent. Their research also shows that children as young as toddlers emulate the harmful

actions they watch on television. A youngster who watches a two-hour span of television
every day will see tens of thousands of aggressive deeds in a year's time. According to

studies, kids who are subjected to aggression develop apathy concerning recipients of harm

and have a negligible emotional desire to intervene when entangled in the middle of another

person else's violent conduct.

References:

Nathanson, A. I., & Cantor, J. (2000). Reducing the aggression-promoting effect of violent

cartoons by increasing children's fictional involvement with the victim: A study of

active mediation. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 44(1), 125-142.

Saini, P. Influence of animated shows on children: A survey.

Thankachan, T. C. (2014). Aggressive Behaviour and Impaired Social Interaction of Children

Viewing TV Cartoons. JOURNAL OF ADVANCED STUDIES IN EDUCATION AND

MANAGEMENT, 1(1), 7.

Ghosh, S., Panchal, D., & Shah, P. (2020). A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF OVERT

AGGRESSION & MORAL JUDGEMENT IN RELATION TO AGE AMONG

CARTOON WATCHERS & NON-CARTOON WATCHER STUDENTS.