Influences of Television on Adolescents and Young Adults

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One popular program among teenagers and young adults, Grey’s Anatomy: You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away (season 10 episode 11), was viewed for gender stereotyping, verbal aggression, physical aggression, and reward and punishment. This episode of Grey’s Anatomy displayed gender stereotypes, sexual behavior, physical aggression, verbal aggression, and also reward and punishment. Not even five minutes into the episode and an instance of sexuality, reward, and punishment is shown. Derek Shepherd is speaking with his wife, Meredith Grey, as they were about to start getting ready for work. Meredith tells Derek that she is going to take a shower and Derek tries to convince her to let him join. Despite her wanting him to, she decides against it because of the promise he broke to her last week. He is then standing outside the door as Meredith tempts him by saying intimate things (Underwood, Rhimes, Napolitano, 2013, 13:45). By starting off the show in this way, further examples where yet to come. As the work morning starts at the hospital, Chief Owen presents the new “no fraternizing” policy, the couples in the hospital get angry and begin to angrily question the implementation of this policy(Underwood, Rhimes, Napolitano, 2013, 13:45). Surgical residents basically live at the hospital throughout the completion of residency in which their workplace becomes their dating pool. The residents begin to verbal abuse each other and place blame on the resident who filed the complaint in which caused this. Due to the implementation of the hospitals no fraternizing policy an incident of physical and verbal aggression occurs. The incident between Jo Wilson and Dr. Alex Karev staging a massive breakup and fight in the middle of the hospital trying to prove that this no fraternizing policy is tearing the hospital and those who love each other apart. The incident gets heated and Dr. Karev begins to throw his hands up and yell. This eventually leads in Alex saying that he’s done with their relationship and she means nothing to him(Underwood, Rhimes, Napolitano, 2013, 13:45). Although this is all staged, it still shows viewers that this is appropriate and that it is okay to talk to not only those you love, but anyone in general in that type of way.

Conclusion

Overall, it seems that as you get into the programs meant for older viewers you come across more gender stereotyping, physical aggression, verbal aggression, and reward and punishment. You see few examples of each in the educational and non-educational children’s shows, but they differ in the circumstances. In the shows meant for teenage viewer I feel as if there are a lot more situations that will affect how we react and handle similar situations in our lives. For example, if we see someone who is in an abusive relationship-whether it be physical or emotional-continue to do nothing about it and just take it, it could show viewers that it is okay to be in that situation and to react that way. I just personally believe that anything we watch or listen to from a very early age has the ability to impact our behaviors and how we interact with others during various situations.

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References

White, S. (Writer). (1997). Barney & Friends: Play Ball [Video file]. United States: Sheryl Leach. Retrieved July 24, 2016.

Hillenburg, S. M. (Writer). (2001). Spongebob Squarepants: Procrastination [Video file]. United States. Retrieved July 24, 2016.

Underwood, R. (Director), Rhimes, S. (Writer), & Napolitano, T. (Screenwriter). (n.d.). Grey's Anatomy [Video file]. In You've Got to Hide Your Love Away. Retrieved July 24, 2016.

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