Adolescent Behavior Essay -- Music, Media

Introduction This chapter will review the factors that affect suicidal tendencies amongst adolescents as well as the role music plays in adolescent behavior. As there is a dearth of documentation on the emo culture, this review relied on articles and researches done in the United States and Australia. Music and the Adolescent According to Roe â€Å"music plays an important social role† in the development of adolescents (Roe K, 2000). Music acts as a buffer for adolescents; substituting as a means of distraction as well as entertainment. Roberts and Christenson (2001) assert that adolescent also use music as a way to take control of their moods and emotions. They maintain that music is also used as a means in the formation of their identities; this allows them achieve group identity and integration into subcultures. However, while Took and Weiss (1994) also agree that music is used as the means to join a social group, they ascertain that music is only used as a form to reflect the level of turmoil adolescents are feeling at that stage in their lives. Many researchers have conducted studies on popular music and its effects on school work, social interaction, mood and affect, with particular emphasis on behavior. They have developed numerous theories which explain the link between music and behavior and Wass et al (1991) has made indications that heavy metal music has links to homicides, suicides and satanic practices. Public criticism was wildly sounded when Gaines (1991) implied that there was a link between heavy metal and teen suicide pacts. The American Academy of Pediatrics (1996) has stated that the effect that popular music has on children and adolescents is of paramount importance and is a cause for concern. Brook... ...be assigned to each choice of response with 1 being assigned to â€Å"not at all† and 5 being assigned to â€Å"completely†. Data Analysis After the data has been collected, analysis of data will be done using Statistical Program for Social Science (SPSS) software. Charts and graphs will be used to illustrate the results of the questionnaires allowing the researcher to create a comprehensible analysis of the findings. The questionnaire will be analyzed by the five factors outlined earlier and not by each individual question. However, some questions, which the researcher finds as being significant to the research, will be analyzed individually. A pre test will be done on five participants to ensure that the questionnaire did not have errors and that the questions are clearly understood by the respondents. This will aid in determining the validity of the questionnaire.