THE EFFECTS OF HOME VIDEO AND MOVIES INDUSTRY ON THE SOCIO-MORAL BEHAVIOURS AND CRIME PREVENTION IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter seeks to review the following:
Review of concepts
Review of related studies
Theoretical framework
2.2. Review of concepts
To achieve a better understanding of the subject matter of this discourse, the following concepts are to be reviewed.
2.2.1. History of Nollywood Movies in Nigeria
Nigeria’s film history can be partitioned into four eras: the Colonial period (1903-1960), the Independence period (1960-1972), the Indigenization Decree period (1972-1992), and Nollywood period (1992-present). The Colonial era begins with the first exhibition of film in Nigeria in August 1903 at the Glover Memorial Hall in Lagos. These films were largely documentaries. The motive for introducing the cinema to Nigeria by the British was largely political and to a lesser extent, social. The early Nigerian movie had some connection with African. Americans, of which one is Ossie Davis, has directed several movies in Nigeria in the 1970s with (Okome, 1995).
In the Independence period, the Nigerian Federal and States Film Units replaced the colonial unit, but similarly concentrated on the production of mostly documentary and newsreel films. During the Indigenization Decree period, Nigerian film makers tried in vain to make successful films, as the industry attempted to promote the national unity in counterpoint to the influence of Lebanese and Indians who dominated the distribution and exhibition of film sector in Nigeria.
The Nollywood era emerged as a result of several factors, one being economics. As noted earlier, no one can claim how the name “Nollywood” was conceptualized or whether it was first used to describe the Nigerian movie industry. According to Haynes, the term “Nollywood” was invented by a foreigner and first appeared in 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in The New York Times.
Most Nigerian movies deal with social and moral issues, and the themes addressed include betrayal, infidelity, love and revenge. The most popular genres include love, romance, history, folklore, witchcraft, juju and drama.
Juju is a cult that is consulted for one or another when needed. It is largely psycho-medical buttressed with power of the supernatural.
A Nollywood movies viewing has evolved into the most time-consuming leisure activity of the secondary school students in Enugu State. In fact by the age of 12 most children would have spent much time watching Nollywood movies through television and video players than doing anything else. Nollywood movies film viewing has been the topic of much scientific inquiry.
2.2.2 Development of Nollywood
In a mere two decades, Nollywood has become one of the world’s most important creative industries. It has been an explosive commercial success with vast number of videos available in shops and on street corners throughout Africa and beyond.
The Nigeria film industry according to Chidumga Izuzu in Pulse.ng, has come a long way, ranging from the 1957 “Fincho”, 1980 “Kadara”, 1992 “Living in Bondage”, 2002 “Keeping in Faith”, 2014 “October 1”, to the 2017 “Wedding Party”.
There is a winsome era of filmmaking which most Nigerians are oblivious to an era that has nothing to do with the classic 1992 movie, “Living in Bondage” or recent “Trip to Jamaica”.
The captivating era dates as back as 1926 when the earliest feature film was made in Nigeria and also featured Nigerian actors in speaking role. In 1957, “Fincho”, became the first Nigerian film to be shot in colour. Following Nigeria’s Independence in 1960, more cinema houses were established, and in 1972, the Indigenization Decree by Yakubu Gowon made possible the transfer of ownership of about 300 cinemas from their foreign owners to Nigerians, resulting in more Nigerians actively participating in the Nigerian film growth. (Izuzu, 2017)
In 1984 “Papa Ajasco” popular television comedy series by Wale Adenuga became the first blockbuster, grossing an estimate of 61,000 naira in three days.
Also in the 80s filmmakers like, Adeyemi Afolayan produced classics such as “Kadara (Destiny)”, Taxi Driver” among others. In 2016, during Ade Love’s 20th remembrance ceremony, his movie “Kadara” was screened to a number of Nigerians.
Watching the classic movie, it is impossible to forget the artist imagery created by Afolayan as far back as 1980. More than the narrative structure, it was the images, shots and production quality that took the older generation through a nostalgic journey, and the younger generation through an enlightening journey. (Izuzu, 2017)
The theatrical and cinematic efforts of the likes of Hubert Ogunde, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Olu Jacobs, Tunde Kelani, Adeyemi Afolayan, Ladi Ladebo, Moses Olaiya, Adebayo Salami, Sadiq Daba, Jide Kosoko, Afolabi Adesanya among others, played a pivotal role in shaping the film industry which is now popularly called, Nollywood.
In 1992, the release of the classic “Living in Bondage” kicked off a new era in the Nigerian film industry. The era produced movies that are still referred to as classics. It produced actors that were and are still household names in Nigeria. In the 90s, the Nigerian cinema culture faced a major decline as the home video market boomed. Alaba Market became a vital commercial domain, becoming the hub of video distribution, and finally the centre of piracy in Nigeria. The 90s birthed movies like, “Violated”, “Silent Night”, “Domitila”, “Nneka The Pretty Serpent”, “Hostages”, “Blood Money”, “Out of Bounds”, and many more.
In the 90s, Nigerians were introduced to actors who made an impact and are still relevant in the film industry history. Actors like, Genevive Nnaji, Bimbo Manuel, Eucharia Anunobi, Tony Umez, Saint Obi, Ramsey Nouah, Rita Dominic, Kate Henshaw, Emeka Ike, Stephanie Okereke(Linus), Chidi Mokeme, Liz Benson, Hilda Dokubo, Pete Edochie, Kenneth Okonkwo, Kanayo O Kanayo, Richard Mofe Damijo, Stella Damasus, Omotala Jalade-Ekeinde, Bob Manuel Udokwu, Funke Akindele, Bimbo Akintola, Joke Silva, Francis Duru among others.
In the mid- 2000s, the home video era experienced a major decline with factors such as piracy and film rental shops playing a major role.
However, in 2004, a new cinema era began with the launch of series of modern Cinema houses by The Silverbird Group. The first new wave film to be shown at a modern cinema was Kunle Afolayan’s 2006 “Irapada”, which screened at the Silverbird Galleria in Lagos.
Ever since then, high and small budget movies like “Ije”, “Suru Lére”, “The Figurine”, “The CEO”, “93 Days”, “Half of a Yellow Sun”, “The Meeting”, “October 1”, “The Arbitration”, “The Wedding Party” have screened at various cinemas in Nigeria.
Since the launch of Silverbird cinemas, new cinemas like Ozone, Filmhouse and Genesis Deluxe have launched and are playing important roles in the evolution of the Nigerian film industry.
In the 2000s, the industry started witnessing the arrival of new actors including Nse Ikpe-Etim, Majid Michael, Yvonne Nelson, Susan Peters, Ini Edo, Mike Ezuruonye, Uche Jombo, Toyin Aimakhu, Mercy Johnson, Jim Iyke, Grace Amah, Desmond Elliot, Chika Ike, Chioma Chukwuka, Queen Nwokoye, Omoni Oboli among others.
Currently in the 2010s, the industry has grown and seen the arrival of a new set of actors including Adesua Etomi, Chacha Eke, Kiki Omeili, OC Ukeje, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Somkele Idhalama, Beverly Naya, Daniel K Daniel, Deyemi Okanlawon, Linda Ejiofor, Bayray McNwizu, Kunle Remi, Okey Uzoeshi, Uzor Osimkpa, Tomi Odunsi, Osas Ighodaro, Rahama Sadau, Kemi Lala Akindoju among others.
In recent years, the Nigerian film industry has gone from being just “Nollywood” to being divided along regional and ethnic lines, thus, the distinct film industries like Kannywood, Callywood and the Yoruba film industry.
Through the years of the industry’s evolvement, segregatory terms such as “New Nollywood/cinema movies”, Asaba movies/actors”, and “Old Nollywood” became popular.
One major difference between the ‘Asaba’ and ‘New Nollywood’ movies is the art. Most cinema movies have the perfect blending of cinematic style, technicality, beauty, and storytelling. However, the cinema is considered a luxury, thus their availability to the mass audience is limited. Due to the limited availability of these cinema productions, the popularity of ‘Asaba movies’ are constantly on the rise, and readily available for mass consumption, and at a cheaper rate.
In 2017, the advancement in sound technology, storytelling, and technological special effects are proof that Nollywood has evolved. The current era has seen the success of various genres including horror, comedy, action, thriller and romantic drama. From conventional movie plots, the Nigerian film industry has moved on to experimental and innovative films. Popularly called Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry has become an intrinsic part of the global film sector.
Currently the largest film industry in Africa and producing more films than Hollywood, Nollywood has evolved into an industry with reputable film festivals such as Africa International Film Festival, Lights Camera Africa, Abuja International Film Festival, Eko International Festival among others.
Nigerian films are also screened at international film festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festivals, and Toronto International Film Festival among others.
The industry has become more profitable with movies like “The Wedding Party” grossing over 405 million naira in just two months, and “A Trip to Jamaica” earning a Guinness Book of World Record spot for its box office success.
The Nigerian film industry has also created quality TV series such as “Hush”, “Sons of Caliphate”, “The Governor”, “Tinsel”, “Professor Johnbull”, and “The Johnsons” among others.
Over the years, web platforms like iRoko TV, iBaka TV and CixTV that provide paid-for Nigerian films on-demand have become affordable.
Pay TV entertainment platforms like Africa Magic have also invested in the film industry, creating shows and award platforms that further project the industry in good light.
There are days when disappointing movies like “A Trip to Jamaica”, “Gold-digging”, “Blogger’s Wife”, “Keeping my Man” and “Three Wise Man” find their way to Nigerian Cinemas. There are days when filmmakers decide to create African adaptation of foreign series instead of our local stories. On those days, Nollywood disappoints thousands of its followers. But despite all of its disappointing moments, the Nigerian film industry is one that has evolved and is still evolving.
2.2.3 Meaning of Behaviour and Social Behaviour
Behaviour
Martin & Bateson, 2007 defined “Behaviour” as means the response of the system or organism to various stimuli, whether internal or external, conscious or subconscious, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary. Behaviour does not originate as a deliberate and well-thought strategy to control a stimulus. Initially, all behaviour is probably just a reflex, a response following a particular anatomical or physiological reaction. Like all phenotypes, it happens by chance and evolves thereafter.
Natural selection favours behaviours that prolong the life of an individual and increases its chance of reproducing over time, a particularly advantageous behaviour spreads throughout the population. The disposition (genotype) to display a behaviour is innate (otherwise the phenotype would not be subject to natural selection and evolution), although it requires maturation and /or reinforcement for the organism to be able to apply it successfully.
Social Behaviour
It is a behaviour involving more than one individual with the primary function of establishing, maintaining, or changing a relationship between individuals, or in a group (society).
Most researchers define social behaviour as the behaviour shown by members of the same species in a given interaction. This excludes behaviour such as predation, which involves members of different species. On the other hand, it seems to allow for the inclusion of everything else such as communication behaviour, parental behaviour, sexual behaviour, and even agonistic behaviour.
Sociologists insist that behaviour is an activity devoid of social meaning or social context, in contrast to social behaviour, which has both. However, this definition does not help us much because all above mentioned behaviours do have a social meaning and a context unless ‘social’ means ‘involving the whole group’ (society) or a ‘number of its members’. In that case, we should ask how many individuals are needed in an interaction to classify it as social. Are three enough? If so, then sexual behaviour is not social behaviour when practised by two individuals, but becomes social when three or more are involved, which is not unusual in some species. We can use the same line arguing for communication behaviour, parental behaviour, and agonistic behaviour. It involves more than one individual and it affects the group (society), smallest possible consisting of two individuals. (Wilson 1975).
Agonistic behaviour: includes all forms of intraspecific behaviour related to aggression, fear, threat, fight or flight, or interspecific when competing for resources. It explicitly includes behaviours such as dominant behaviour, submissive behaviour, flight, pacifying and conciliation, which are functionally and physiologically interrelated with aggressive behaviour, yet fall outside the narrow definition of aggressive behaviour. It excludes predatory behaviour. (Lorenz, 1963).
Dominant behaviour: is a quantitative and quantifiable behaviour displayed by an individual with the function of gaining or maintaining temporary access to a particular resource on a particular occasion, versus a particular opponent, without either party incurring injury. If any of the party incurs injury, then the behaviour is aggressive and not dominant. Its quantitative characteristics range from slightly self-confident to overtly assertive.
2.2.4 Review of Selected Nollywood Movies
The Nollywood movies that will be reviewed are as follows:
College Girls
SSS 3 Students
These movies listed above appear to have in one way or the other contributed to influencing the social behaviour of our youths. These movies have their themes revolve around, deceit, cultism, lesbianism, homosexuality, drug abuse, and promiscuity lifestyle among others. In as much as they want to portray the ills of the society and the best way to fight it. They ended up not censoring most of the obscene scenes in the movie.
This can affect the mentality of the youth watching it into believing that the way it is done in the movie is the best way to live their lives. This is so necessary because at a tender stage of their life they are vulnerable to the outside world. Since most parents are too busy with their businesses and seeking a better way to grow the family; now leave the training of their kids to what they watch in Nollywood movies.
For instance, College Girls (2012) is a movie directed by Evans Anaele and featured many Nollywood actors such as Martha Ankomah, Calista Okoronkwo, Kalsum Sinare, Chinenye Uyanna and Luckie Lawson. The storyline was perfect because it teaches moral but the way and manner it was portrayed is not good for any growing youth in the society.
The movie, SS3 Students (2014) is a movie directed by Joseph Attlee. It featured some popular and upcoming actors/actresses in the industry; such as Eucharia Anunobi, Calista Okoronkwo, Moyo Lawal, Ken Odurukwe, Mimi Orjiekwe, Deinso Odukwe and many others. The movie showcases the level of indecency among secondary school girls. The storyline with the way it was structured; was meant to teach decency and the best way to avoid negative friends in school. The movie showed many lesbian scenes which was not censored and this can pass a wrong message to the audience.
2.3. Empirical Review of Related Studies
In a study carried out by O.M. Onyenankeya, K.U. Onyenankeya and O. Osunkunle (2017) titled “The Persuasive Influence of Film in Cultural Transmission: Negotiating Nigerian Culture in a South African Environment”, the study seeks to investigate whether watching Nollywood films is likely to lead to cross-cultural transmission of Nigeria’s cultural heritage to audience members in South Africa. Data for the study were collected using observation and surveys with Likert-type scales involving participants from a South Africa college. Results show that watching Nollywood films was significant in increasing participant’s knowledge and appreciation of Nigerian culture. Observed patterns indicate that a small portion of participants could mimic or reproduce some common Nigerian expressions and exclamations while a negligible percentage of participants could actually speak a smattering of Igbo, one of Nigeria’s three major languages.
Another study that is related to this research work is carried out by Okeoma F. C. (2012) titled “The Influence of Home Movies on the Dressing Patterns of Students of Tertiary institutions in Abia State”. This research work is therefore shown to examine the Influence that home movies, otherwise known as Nollywood have on the dressing patterns of students of tertiary institutions in Abia State. The questionnaire was the research instrument for the collection of data. Findings showed that home movies celebrate African values in their dress patterns. This is in contrast with the obvious practice in Western and Foreign movies where the contemporary trend is in the swap of roles between the male and female gender as manifested in the swap of dress culture. This shows that home movies have Influence on the pattern of dressing of students in tertiary institutions in Abia State. The study recommends among other things that the home movies industry should use their media to promote the very rich cultural values of Nigeria and Africa. More so, the Tourism industry should cash in on the large audience that the entertainment sector is drawing, to re-brand, package and present the good image of Nigeria as a country of economic opportunities and decent moral values.
Also another study that is empirically analysed in this research work is carried out by Njoku N.C. (2016) titled “Impact of Nigerian Home Videos/Movie Industry on the Moral Behaviours of Secondary School Students in Ebonyi State of Nigeria”. This study was done through structured questionnaire. The result revealed that Nigerian video/movie has negative impact on the moral behaviour of school children in Ebony State and the impact could be ameliorated through effective teachings of Christian moral education among others. Based on the findings, recommendations were made on how to direct the usage of home video so that it will influence students’ life positively.
A study was carried out by Ezeukwu F.C. (2013) titled “Influence of Televised Violence on Socio-emotional and Academic Adjustment of Students in Federal Tertiary Institutions in Anambra State”. The study assessed what kinds of programmes/films contain violence and how they affects the respondents and influence their lifestyles and behaviour particularly undergraduates. The questionnaire was designed to measure the rate of influence of television violence as well as socio-emotional and academic adjustment of the students under study. This study was done in order to determine the nature and the extent of the effect of TV violence on undergraduates. In the findings of this study, it was found that youths initiate violence they observed on TV and the effect of TV violence on them is profound.
A study was also carried out by Akpan C.S & Anyianuka C.J. (2010) titled “The Social Construction of Reality: Analytical Study of the Effect of Nollywood Movies”. The work investigated the social construction of reality: analytical study of the effect of Nollywood movies using the survey method. The researcher isolated Nollywood’s (The Nigerian home video industry) themes which portray human sacrifices as efficacious in money making or in attaining success and examined their effect on the viewers’ perception, interpretation and production of reality. Questionnaire was administered to a simple random sample population of Nollywood movie viewers in Enugu North. Data collected was analysed and the result showed that Nollywood movies exert effect on people’s perception, interpretation and (re)production on reality.
Overview of studies on Media Influence
In all of communication researches, the area of media influence appears to be the most contentious. Several reasons account for this. For one, it is argued that, if the media have no influence on the society, is there any realistic justification for their continued existence? For another, if the media do have influences on the thought process and attitude of mankind, should they take responsibility for the emergent foibles and discomfitures of man in the society? (Defleur, 1976).
Some schools of thought hold that, the media cannot be completely impotent because human existence itself is founded in parts, on communication. However, the media cannot take sole responsibility for the caprice of human attitude change because that would deny the contributions of other influential variables in the existential environment.
The above picture vividly underscores the quandary which media influence researchers mostly find themselves. As if to dismiss all scepticism about media influence. Melvin de Fleur and Sandra Ball-Rokeach cited in Uwakwe (2010), examined the controversy and declared that the “only the terribly naive would argue that the mass media have no influences upon people’s lives”. The problem, however, remains that it is hard, if not impossible to set a standard framework for measuring the nature and extent of media impacts.
In influence, therefore, other variables would continually have to be recognized. In a seemingly fit of exasperation on the inconclusiveness of the methodology for measuring media influences, R.G Meadwo cried out thus; “after four decades of exploration, we are left with one answer to the question of media influences-“it depends”.
While the counter-echoes on the media impact range on, we shall, for the study on hand, attempt an exclusionary outlay of the convoluted literature on media influence studies. This would enable us to utilize the advantages of the hindsight while examining the possible Influence of Nollywood movies on the social behaviour of Nigerian students.
The concern on the media Influence has led to the development of different communication theories. In an attempt to explain the relationship between communication message and their influences on the respondents, the Reinforcement and Social learning analysis will be examined.
Reinforcement as a paradigm in discussing media Influence was part of Joseph Klapper’s findings (the Influence of mass communication) which he published in 1960 but was originally developed in 1949. He is of the opinion that the media rarely have any direct Influence and are relatively powerless when compared with social and psychological factors. His analysis assumes that mass mediated violence simply reinforces existing aggressive inclinations that people bring to media exposure. Wogu (2008:176) captures it this way:
Cultural norms/values, social roles, personality features and family or peer Influence are held up as factors determining violent behaviour. However, for people (especially children and Youths) who lack social stability and fruitful social relationships, mass mediated violence may provide a primary model for violent behaviour.
Klapper by this analysis, wished to calm the fear of the people about television especially. His idea is that even if the media have any Influence at all, it is in the direction of reinforcement. The key assertion of his analysis, is that the primary Influence of media is to reinforce (not to change) existing attitudes and behaviours.
Instead of disrupting society and creating unexpected social change, Klapper argues that media generally serve as agent of the status quo, giving people more reason to believe and act as they already do.
But the Social learning analysis seems to contradict the standpoint of reinforcement. As Albert Bandura argues in his analysis, people are likely to learn aggression from the mass and to pattern their behaviour after the dramatis personae, (Wogu, 2008:175).
Bandura in O’Rorke (2006:73) describes it thus:
In today’s society, media has become a powerful Influence on our lives. As children enter adolescence, print and electronic media help them define who they are and what they want to become. By the time children reach middle school, they have spent tens of thousands of hours watching television, movies, playing video and computer games and surfing the Internet. Advertisers of alcohol use the power an Influence of media to convey a positive message for their products. Alcohol advertisements glamorize drinking and play directly into the needs of teenagers by promising fun, relaxation and escape.
According to O’Rorke (2006:72) “Social learning theorists have shown that behaviour is influenced not only by personal or live models but also by those presented in the mass media”. Children are more likely to emulate models of behaviour seen on the media if they expect to receive gratification from emulating another person, or if they encounter real-life situation that looks much the same with media portrayals, (Wogu, 2008:175).
O’Rorke (2006:72) writing on social learning theory and mass communication, opined that:
Television and film models, in particular, seem to exert a powerful impact, and one major implication is that television is shaping humans motivation and behaviour on a daily basis. Social learning theorists have been especially concerned with televised violence and use of alcohol and its effect on children. Research has shown that, in fact, it can increase children’s aggressiveness and tendency to consume alcohol with their lifetime. Although these findings are complex, they do raise concerns about how much television our youth attends to and what exactly is the content of the programs that they are viewing.
However, Wogu noted that personal circumstances such as social class and a given social situation can affect how a child exhibits learned aggression.
2.4. Theoretical Framework
The theoretical foundation of this study was based on the following theories:
•Cultivation theory
• The social cognitive theory
2.4.1. Cultivation Theory
Cultivation theory is one of the theories this study is founded on and it was (propounded by Gerbner, Gross, Signorelli and Morgan, 1980). This theory states that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages and belief that they are real and valid. Cultivation theory (sometimes referred to as the cultivation analysis) was used to study whether and how watching television may affect viewers’ ideas of what everyday world is like. Cultivation theorists argue that television (movies) have long-term influences which are small, gradual, indirect but cumulative and significant (Baran, 2009).
This theory argues that the mass media cultivate attitudes and values which are already present in a culture: the media maintain and propagate these values amongst members of a culture, thus, binding it together.
Cultivation research looks at the mass media as a socializing agent and investigates whether movie viewers come to believe the movie version of reality the more they watch it. The research contends that movie has small but significant Influence on the attitude, beliefs and judgement of viewers concerning the social world. This theory focuses on “heavy viewers”. People who watch a lot of movies are likely to be more affected by the ways in which the world is formed by the media than are individuals who watch less, especially regarding topics of which the viewer has little first-hand experience.
The theorist sees movie as a cultural arm of the established industrial order and as such serves primarily to maintain, stabilize and reinforce rather than to alter, threaten or weaken conventional beliefs and behaviours’. Movie is not a force for change so much as it is a force for stability (Wogu, 2008).
This basic assumption of the cultivation analysis is that the more time people spend watching movies, the more their world view will be like those spread by the media. According to this theory, heavy television viewers would tend to take the social reality portrayed by television as the same as real life. If light viewers and heavy viewers were asked questions about any aspect of life constantly portrayed on television, heavy viewers would give television answers to those questions of life, implying that they have adopted the television portrayal of life as reality.
As research has shown, one of the implications of this is that, heavy viewers will tend to over-estimate such matters as the rate of crime and violence in real life and chances of the viewers’ becoming a victim of crime. Critics of the cultivation theory insist that many research findings have failed to replicate the theory, others point at the mythological inconsistencies and both external and internal validity as some of the weakness of the theory have stood the test of critical verification over long periods of time. The relevance of this theory to this study, is that students who view televised violence especially war movies tends to see the world as chaotic and that the end of technology is destruction as often portrayed in such war movies. They end up creating media representations that are inaccurate and distorted. They only see the ugly side of media portrayals and see the society as a place for all sorts of atrocities. The aftermath is that many viewers of televised violence tend to perceive the world as a much dangerous place than it really is.
2.4.2 The Social Cognitive Theory
Bandura is the leading proponent of “social learning” theory. His central proposition is that ways of behaving are learned by observing others, and that this major means by which children acquire unfamiliar behaviour, although performance to acquire behaviour will depend at least in part on factors other than acquisition. (Banduras 2002)).
This theory holds the assumption that people learn through observation especially through television when applied to mass media. Social cognitive theory argues that people model (copy) the behaviour they see and this occurs in two ways: through imitation and identification. Baran, (2009) sees it as imitation-the direct replication of an observed behaviour.
Mass communication theorists who study television impact find value in the idea of identification. Every one admits that people can imitate what they see on television, but not all do. Social cognitive theorists demonstrated that imitation and identification are products of three processes: observational learning, inhibitory Influence and dis-inhibitory Influences (Baran, 2009).
By observational learning, social cognitive theorists posit that observers can acquire (learn) new behaviours simply by seeing those behaviours performed.
Inhibitory Influences entail seeing a model, a movie character for example punished for a behaviour, reduces the likelihood that the observer will perform that behaviour. In the media we see good Samaritans sued for trying to help someone, and it reduces our willingness to help in similar situations. That behaviour is inhibited by what we have seen (Baran, 2009).
Dis-inhibitory, seeing a model rewarded for inhibited or threatening behaviour, increases the likelihood that the observer will perform that behaviour. This is the complaint, against the glorification of crime and drug in movies for instance (Baran, 2009).
The social Cognitive learning theory, developed by psychologist Bandura (1986), proposes that social behaviour is determined by combination of mental and physical abilities and desires. Students learn new behaviours through observing others perform them. The consequences we observe others receiving influence or our willingness to perform the behaviour ourselves. Television characters-and the actors who play them are often taken as role models by viewers, young and old alike. Numerous studies document the influence of television viewing on the aggressive behaviour of children and adolescents (Josephson, 1996). Conversely, there is substantial evidence that television characters are effective models of pro-social behaviour (Johnston & Ettema, 1986).
Relating this theory to the study, viewers of televised violence copy and identify with admired aggressive heroes often displayed in forms of dress code, hairstyle, use of vulgar or foul languages and mannerism. There is a linkage between exposure to televised violence and media representation. Students prefer to be identified with their media heroes. This accounts for the reason why it is common occurrence among secondary school students wearing different dresses and hair styles