Download - Comm Theory; Digital Essay
-
8/3/2019 Comm Theory; Digital Essay
1/6
CULTIVATION THEORY AND MARRIAGE Farmer 1
Amelia Farmer
Cultivation Theory and Marriage
December 12, 2011
-
8/3/2019 Comm Theory; Digital Essay
2/6
CULTIVATION THEORY AND MARRIAGE Farmer 1
Cultivation Theory and Marriage
There is no question that television still dominates Americas media culture. There is
typically at least one in every household; many times one in each room of a household. Although
today there are multiple sources of media, television still dominates Americans attention when it
comes to information gathering and entertainment. That being said, it is likely that many of the
opinions and beliefs that Americans have are derived from what they have seen on television
throughout the course of their lifetime. This idea is part of cultivation theory. George Gerbner
claimed that because TV contains so much violence, people who spend much of their time
watching television are more likely to form an exaggerated belief that the world is a scary and
violent place (Griffin, 2011, p. 366).
Gerbners theory focuses mainly on violence in the media, specifically television. He
believed that constant exposure to violence would mainstream audiences to have a common
outlook of it, and constant exposure to the same images will cause a common outlook to develop
among viewers (Griffin, 2011, p. 371). Although Gerbners theory focuses primarily on media
violence, this theory could be applied to other ideas as well. This theory generally is concerned
with the effects of different media, or television programs, on the attitudes and behaviors of the
viewers on a certain issue, such as expectations for a family dynamic; specifically, marriages. It
is important to study the effects of media on our perceptions of marriage because it could affect
our expectations of what marriage is like, and these changing views on marriage could affect a
persons future and either satisfaction or disappointment.
Previous studies on this topic have shown that the idealized expectations for marriage
contribute to high divorce rates, and the medias portrayal of marital relationships are likely the
source of these unrealistic beliefs (Bradford, Rhodes, and Edison, 2005, p. 1). When imagining
-
8/3/2019 Comm Theory; Digital Essay
3/6
CULTIVATION THEORY AND MARRIAGE Farmer 1
television shows from the past few decades until today such as The Brady Bunch, Family
Matters, Home Improvement, andModern Family, it is hard to argue with the fact that many of
these popular sitcoms portrayed a somewhat traditional family, where the parents are happily
married and the kids are close with them. There are also several shows such asBrothers and
Sisters, Cougar Town, and Gilmore Girls which show more non-traditional families or families
that have either experienced divorce, death, or single parenthood in their relationship.
The question that Bradford, Rhodes, and Edison (2005) sought to answer in their study
was whether or not there existed a correlation between viewing of romantic television programs
and relationship expectations. In the study, the participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire
that determined what their relationship expectations were as compared with the amount of media
they used. They were then asked to watch the final twenty minutes of the movie Sleepless in
Seattle, and then fill out the same questionnaire. The study found that there was in fact a
correlation between reported habitual viewing of romantic television programs and relationship
expectations, as well as that those who reported using more relationship-themed media had more
idealistic views on marriage (Bradford, Rhodes, and Edison, 2005, p. 3). This study determined
that there not only is an effect on habitual television viewing and perceptions of marriage, but
also short term effects (20 minute Sleepless in Seattle clip). Overall, this study supports previous
studies and the cultivation theory in that over time, constant exposure to something on television
will result in the changing of that behavior to a certain homogenized ideal (Griffin, 2011).
Many studies have been conducted on how media viewing changes our views on
relationships and marriage expectations, but what about the flip side of that? Divorce is also
portrayed in television movies and shows quite frequently, and viewers are likely getting a
skewed view of the incidences of divorce in the world. According to a study by Paterno (1998),
-
8/3/2019 Comm Theory; Digital Essay
4/6
CULTIVATION THEORY AND MARRIAGE Farmer 1
television programming over-estimates the rate of divorce in America (p. 6). This same study
also found that television portrays high rates of divorced non-remarried families, as well as
widowed parenthood. In addition, the number of never-married families is vastly underestimated.
This study supports the idea that distortions of reality when it comes to divorce and marriage do
exist. The question is, which one is more predominant?
When looking at romantic movies and television shows, there seems to be a great amount
of traditional portrayals of the American family as well as non-traditional, divorced or widowed
families, with some television shows showing all types of family dynamics. It is hard to
determine which is more predominantly put out there for viewers. In a study by Johnson &
Holmes (2009), it was found that in many romantic films, contradictory information was shown;
for example, many films or shows portrayed couples as having characteristics of a new, exciting
relationship as well as the serious intimacy of a more long-term relationship (p. 358). This could
likely confuse adolescents who are looking to media to help explain romantic relationships. In
this study, the researchers coded romantic gestures and incidences in forty different romantic
films, including Runaway Bride, Sweet Home Alabama, and Serendipity. From the results,
Johnson and Holmes determined that adolescents are likely going to be left disappointed in their
real lives; these films show relationships developing quickly in the emotional sense without
really explaining why they develop so quickly (2009, p. 368). There were also many movies
which ended in a happy, romantic relationship, even though there may have been instances of
cheating or heartbreak prior to this; this is confusing to adolescents as well.
Scripted television shows and movies, however, are not the only way in which television
can portray marriage. Reality shows such as Say Yes to the Dress and big, televised celebrity
weddings such as the Kardashians hype up the wedding aspect of marriage, making it something
-
8/3/2019 Comm Theory; Digital Essay
5/6
CULTIVATION THEORY AND MARRIAGE Farmer 1
that female viewers dream of and put great expectations into because of these fabulous fairy
tale weddings they are seeing on television. This in fact, however, is not reality; these television
shows that focus on weddings bias our perception because they do not show the aftermath of the
wedding and what occurs in the first few years of a marriage. Another issue that can affect
viewers perception of marriage is the fact that it seems as if celebrity divorces and troubles in
their marriages are focused on much more in television entertainment news than the good things
about their marriage. This could be a form of bias that is portrayed to impressionable viewers.
In conclusion, television viewers perceptions of marriage are going to depend on which
shows they are being exposed to. Although studies point to the fact that divorce is over-
represented, there are still many shows out there which portray the traditional family or that at
least end with a happy romantic ending. When looking at how media affects our perceptions of
marriage from the view of the cultivation theory, it is likely that viewers are going to get a very
mixed and sometimes biased representation of marriages through television viewing. The
important thing to remember, however, is that whatever view of marriage is being portrayed,
viewers are likely going to follow that view and turn it into their own attitudes and beliefs about
marriage. Either way, research suggests that viewers are going to be set up for disappointment in
our lives if we follow the view that television gives us.
-
8/3/2019 Comm Theory; Digital Essay
6/6
CULTIVATION THEORY AND MARRIAGE Farmer 1
References
Bradford, M., Rhodes, N., & Edison, A. (2005). Cultivation of Relationship Expectations
through Accessibility. Conference Papers -- International Communication Association, 1-
5.
Griffin, E. (2011). A first look at communication theory. (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill
Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Johnson, K. R., & Holmes, B. M. (2009). Contradictory Messages: A Content Analysis of
Hollywood-Produced Romantic Comedy Feature Films. Communication Quarterly,
57(3), 352-373. doi:10.1080/01463370903113632
Paterno, D. J. (1998). Making Sense of the American Family: Audience Constructions of Social
Realities through Television and Interpersonal Relationships.