Mean World Syndrome
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Mean World Syndrome is one of the main effects of Cultivation theory. It can occur when frequent consumers of news media begin to perceive the world around them as an unrealistically mean and dangerous place. It is described as the distinguishing characteristic of Media Induced Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (MIPTSD). Media Induced Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is a manifestation of some PTSD Posttraumatic stress disorder type symptoms specifically due to exposure to entertainment media that focuses excessively on violence. Two significant differences between this disorder and PTSD are that exposure to real trauma is not necessary and that symptoms include an overwhelming desire to seek out violent images (PTSD victims avoid trauma exposure). Symptoms similar to PTSD include a numbing of general responsiveness (detachment, decreased interest in significant activities) and ongoing increased arousal (problems sleeping and concentrating, irritability, hypervigilance, and exaggerated startle response).
[edit] See also
- Anxiety
- Crowd psychology
- Cultivation theory
- Culture of fear
- Fear
- Groupthink
- Mass hysteria
- Mass media
- Media hype
- Missing white woman syndrome
- Moral panic
- Sensationalism
- Social control
[edit] External links
- Gerbner: "Reclaiming Our Cultural Mythology: Television's global marketing strategy creates a damaging and alienated window on the world."
- Daniel Chandler's Cultivation Theory.
- de:Gemeine-Welt-Syndrom
| This page uses content from the English-language version of Wikipedia. The original article was at Mean World Syndrome. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Psychology Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |
