Aggressive symbolic model identification in 13 year-old youths

• Main Authors: Miguel A. Vidal, Pablo Espinosa, Miguel Clemente
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedad Española de Psicología Jurídica y Forense 2009-01-01
• Series: European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context
• Subjects: youngsters; television; symbolic models; identification process; aggression
• Online Access: http://webs.uvigo.es/sepjf/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=11&Itemid=110&lang=en

Although a great amount of research has been carried out about the effects of media on the audience, few studies deal with the process that determines why the viewers identify with a specific symbolic model instead of choosing any other. In this descriptive study we try to highlight similarity identification, focusing on aggressive model identification. A sample of 203 participants, both male and female, aged 13, and with a high socioeconomic level viewed different films sequences. They were asked to answer to a questionnaire both before and after watching the clip. This questionnaire included an adjective list about the traits that best defined themselves, their favorite characters, and characters they didn’t like. Results show a clear correspondence between the participants’ self-perceived traits and those perceived for the main characters in the film. Self-perceived traits were opposed to those perceived in the main characters opponents.