ABSTRACT
One of the reasons heavy metal music has received so much public attention and debate is that some critics hear in it not just obnoxious music but an incitement to antisocial behavior. Adolescent boys who are high in sensation seeking tend to be attracted to heavy metal music and also tend to have higher rates of reckless behavior, because both heavy metal music and reckless behavior provide intense and novel sensations. The chapter argues that it is sensation seeking, not heavy metal music, which is the boys' primary motivation for reckless behavior. Sensation seeking may underlie both their attraction to heavy metal music and their enjoyment of reckless behavior. In describing the release of aggression that takes place at concerts, the metalheads talk especially about slamdancing. Aggressiveness is a characteristic that particularly requires socialization. Even in the American majority culture, although self-expression is prized over self-control, children are taught at least a minimal level of self-control over their aggressiveness.
