ABSTRACT
In some sense everyone is a media critic. Far fewer, however, have real answers to the questions and concerns that are so easy to raise. The answers to many questions about the media come from scientific research. The results from such research are cited throughout this book, but in this chapter we look at some of the theoretical frameworks and constructs behind such research. It is easy to raise concerns about violence in the media; it is more difficult to precisely assess the effects of viewing that violence. It is easy to bemoan the lack of positive values on TV; it is more difficult to identify exactly what values television does communicate. Our relationship with the media is so profound precisely because it meets some of our deepest
psychological needs and contributes to our ongoing psychological development in numerous ways.
