When I first read this article the first thing I noticed was all the apparent holes in their study. The biggest flaw is the assumption that the role models are the only source for moral teachings for children. I admit role models can influence a person’s moral standings considerably; however, a person’s beliefs and morals are developed in so many other ways, such as their life experiences. Children also learn morals from school and their parents. Now these are the most influential possible Role Models, but the article puts too much emphasis on pop heroes being the sole role models. I believe that children start with their parents as role models and learn from them. Then choose more role models, usually from the media, that fit what they have already learned. Thus the actual influence of these pop heroes is minimized due to the parent’s teaching and the fact that an actual person is more influential than a picture.
Other flaws I noticed are that the statistics seem misrepresented and that there is a great deal of confounding factors that have not been accounted for. Some of these possible factors include, how much control the parents have over the children’s exposure to the pop media, i.e. how much television is allowed and what type of shows are watched. Also the data that states minorities and females are more likely to choose role models that are different than themselves, hence white and male. This is because of the proportion of possible role models that are white males and those that are not. Also that African Americans are more likely to choose professional athletes, maybe because this is what the majority of successful famous African Americans are. In the end it does state that the majority of our children do choose their parents as a role model. This is very important influence that we hold over children, and we must use it effectively in the raising of our children.
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I agree with most of what you're saying, but i believe the pop heroes or athletes can play a huge role. Children do look up to their parents, and they are the first role models children have.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as the child hits adolescence. I think they move away from this somewhwhat. The children are talking more with their peers than parents, and there is more conflict in the home. I believe this is when children may look for other forms of role models. These often come from what all children wish to be, either an athlete, a pop idol, or a actor/actress. When I hit my teen years, I began idolizing Ken Griffey Jr., and many of my friends also idolized athletes. This was the first time, I had a role model other than my parents.
I joined baseball, had his glove, and his bat. I watched every game he played, and I know at that time i would follow almost anything he did. I believe that this is not uncommon for many teens, and therefore happens more often than not. That means, that a role model outside of the family and school may play a huge role in moral development.