Violence still begets violence in children, Murray says
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
The actor had a balding pate and a bow tie.“I was hoping they would get Tom Cruise to play me,” laughed John Murray who is retiring this spring after 23 years in the School of Family Studies and Human Services.
The Murray-like character was an expert witness on episode No. 918 “Virtual Reality” of “Touched by an Angel,” a weekly television drama that aired for nine years.
An expert he is.
The professor of developmental psychology has written 14 books and 100 articles on the topic of children, media and violence.
The “Touched by an Angel” episode explored the influence of a video game on a two boys accused of attempted murder. Do violent video games spawn violent crimes? The expert witness at the trial, using Murray’s actual research images of brain activity, says yes.
The real Murray agrees. “It was a courageous show,” he said.
His extensive study, using an actual video violence (clips from “Rocky IV” the Sylvester Stallone film) similar to the television show’s “Carjack 2000: Millennium Mayhem,” proved that viewing video violence triggers dangerous buttons in the brain. It fires up areas of the brain that detect threat in the environment (the amygdala) and areas of the brain that store trauma memories (the posterior cingulate). Together, these brain areas ensure that the violence viewed by children will remain with them for a very long time.
Murray is an expert witness in a case similar to Episode No. 819, similar but more violent. A young man is accused of several murders that replicate the situation in a video game in which players get points for stealing and killing.
The link between violent entertainment and violent actions is strong and undeniable, Murray said. After 40 years of research, he is more convinced than ever.
Every 3 or 4 years, like clockwork, Murray has witnessed a resurge of interest in children and violence in media. The questions are always the same. So are the answers.
“The reason we’re still fighting over them is because there is so much money involved. It’s always money and politics,” he said.
He isolated three falsehoods that won’t die:
‘Viewing violence is a release.’ Nonsense, Murray said.
There is nothing cathartic about watching violence. In fact, instead of purging aggressive feelings, violence does the exact opposite, according to Murray’s brain-mapping studies in 8 to 12-year-old boys.
“We have disproved this 100 times in 1,000 different ways and it still confronts us,” he said.
‘We really don’t know about the effects of violence.’ Wrong.
“More than 20 professional organizations ranging from the American Psychological Association to the American Academy of Pediatrics agree that we do know the effects of violence on children and that effect is harmful,” he said.
Children know the difference between real and fantasy. Yes and no.
Children know when violence they see in media is supposed to be entertainment or make believe. But research demonstrates that their brains, the posterior cingulate– where traumatic memories are stored–did not make the distinction.
Brains reacted to violence the same as it would react to impending danger – an animal attack or an approaching tornado, or a fight in the school yard. Even if the violence is on television or in a game, the brain says, “This is real. This is important. Protect yourself.”
It’s like an instant flashback, Murray explained, similar to the biology of post traumatic stress syndrome. “This part of the brain can get activated instantly and the memories of violent actions that the child has seen in the past become instant “guides” for his or her reactions to the threat or fear.
He has seen changes. Video games have become more graphic. Their violence is interactive violence, the worst kind, he said. Some have high degrees of stereotyping and sexualization.
Murray first studied children and violence after the first congressional hearings on the topic in 1969. He worked with the National Institutes of Mental Health searching for answers.
“I hope this is my legacy,” he said.
Retirement: some things old, some things new
Murray anticipates opportunity in retirement.
He may renew his license to practice clinical psychology. “I would have to take the professional exam again. That should be a hoot. But in 1972 I did quite well on it,” he said.
“Professional groups keep asking psychologists to retool to help meet the growing need to work with the elderly,” he said, surmising that retirement and longevity germinate adjustment problems. “And, since I will be facing some of those same transitions that confront all the elderly, I might be able to use my experience in studying human development to provide some psychotherapeutic assistance to the older generation.
“As I get older I realize we’re more like the kids than we like to think,” he said.
He hopes to continue brain mapping research with colleagues at Harvard Medical School. He’s not done yet, he said. “There are a lot of complex, nasty, overwhelming problems out there.”
Still, Murray is ready for the next challenge in his life. He will take painting courses at Washington College. He plans to buy a boat so he can rove the waters of the Chester River and the Chesapeake Bay near his new house in Chestertown, Maryland. And, he and his spouse, Ann, hope to travel the world.
“It’s fun to teach and it’s fun to retire,” he said.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 and is filed under Dean's Blog.