Toward a Broader Conceptual Framework for Research on Social Stratification, Childrearing Patterns, and Media Effects

Abstract

A theoretical framework describes differences in the social distribution of family childrearing patterns as a primary component in children's preferences for violent media content as well as a component in development of knowledge gaps and citizen participation differentials. The interrelated elements include family childrearing prototypes, attachment theory, authoritarian personality theory, and Kohn's (1976, 1977) theory of childrearing values. The concept of power underlies these elements on the levels of individuals, families, and society, as operationalized in (a) the perceptions of self-efficacy or powerlessness that the attachment process fosters in children; (b) parent-child power relations; and (c) ultimately, social power. Children of parents who feel powerless and who attempt to assert power through authoritarianism often grow up to have the same sense of powerlessness and other authoritarian characteristics, and they may be especially attracted to the portrayal of violent power options in mass media and video games.