A Mean Read

Keywords

aggression, books, literature, media, physical, relational

Abstract

Adolescents' exposure to violence in the media has been associated with increases in aggressive thoughts and behaviors. While violent content has been studied extensively in other media, aggression portrayed in literature has not been assessed in detail. Given the continued popularity of reading among adolescents and the potential impact of content on cognitions and behaviors, this study aims to increase knowledge in this understudied area. Aggressive behavior was coded in forty bestselling adolescent novels on The New York Times Best-Sellers List (time span June–July 2008). Results revealed that adolescents are exposed to a significant number of aggressive acts while reading novels. Relational and verbal forms of aggression were more frequent than physical forms. Most aggression was portrayed as having no consequences. Thus, books represent one potentially overlooked source of exposure to aggressive content. Content guides on books are discussed.

Original Publication Citation

Coyne, S. M., Callister, M., *Pruett, T., Nelson, D. A., *Stockdale, L., & *Wells, B. M. (2011). A Mean Read: Aggression in Adolescent English Literature. Journal of Children and Media, 5, 411-425.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2011-10-27

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/5233

Publisher

Journal of Children and Media

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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