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Chris Wilburn

Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
October 25, 2016

Separating Real from Reality


Inquiry: What psychological effects, if any, are there of watching reality television?
Proposed Thesis: I propose that unscripted, documentary like television shows are associated
with adverse effects on the mental well-being, perception of reality, and general disposition of
the viewer.
Intro: In the past two decades, there have been a rise in the unscripted drama, or
reality, television shows. The shows show a warped and most likely exaggerated view of
reality that may confuse some of the viewers who partake in this form of entertainment. There
have been studies that have linked our behavior with that of our idols, or the subjects of a reality
television show that we look to get real life entertainment. As an outside observer, you can see
that it is very possible that this reality could become real for many television watchers.
Aubrey, Jennifer Stevens, et al. "Investigating Personality And Viewing-Motivation Correlates
Of Reality Television Exposure." Communication Quarterly 60.1 (2012): 80-102.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
This 2012 article is a little different from the other articles I have read. It examines the
viewers motivations to watch rather than looking for correlations in the effect of watching. It
breaks down the personality of the viewer and what gratifications they seek from reality
programs. This study reveals that extraverted personalities can be a predictor of reality
viewership. This article raises an important question dealing with my research: Does the show
shape personality, or does personality predict the show? With many studies out there being
correlational in nature, could this be a major confounding variable for my research? This would

be an important point to raise in my research paper, to keep an appearance of being unbiased. I


do not believe this study is at all biased in it conclusions because it states that all the data is
correlational and must not be taken as causational.
Flynn, Mark A., et al. "Let's Get This Party Started!": An Analysis Of Health Risk Behavior On
MTV Reality Television Shows." Journal Of Health Communication 20.12 (2015): 13821390. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
This article breaks down the risk factors (drug use, alcohol, etc.) present in many reality
television shows from 2004-2011. This is useful in my own article to present data on what is
appearing on these shows that could negatively impact the viewers. The article also uses race
and gender demographics to possibly distinguish what characters may be influencers to
adolescent viewers. This article was published in 2015 by a peer reviewed academic journal. I
do not think there is much bias to be found because this is just data, but there could be some
ambiguity in what is considered a risk factor. There would need to be a specific definition to be
truthful in my own research paper.
Fogel, Joshua, and Lyudmila Kovalenko. "Reality Television Shows Focusing On Sexual
Relationships Are Associated With College Students Engaging In One-Night Stands."
Journal Of Cognitive & Behavioral Psychotherapies 13.2 (2013): 321-331. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
This article is about a survey that was used to establish a correlation between reality
television viewership and one night stands among college students. They found that there is a
positive correlation between viewership and promiscuity that supports their claim. That
correlation is important, but thats not the key piece of data that I found. I found it important that

the views identified more with the media personalities. They also found that regular viewers had
a higher rating of perceived realness. This supports my own claim that it twists the viewers
perception of reality. It is a very recent article that was published in a peer reviewed journal. I
would say there is no strong bias because it is a survey and there can be no strong claims made, it
will only show correlation and must be viewed with proper skepticism.
Lundy, Lisa K., Amanda M. Ruth, and Travis D. Park. "Simply Irresistible: Reality TV
Consumption Patterns." Communication Quarterly 56.2 (2008): 208-225. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
I added this article on consumption habits of college students to have some raw data in
my research article. This is another survey, but it addresses a few more questions the other study
on college students does not. It talks about the deceptive nature of reality television, how people
do not realize how much they consume due to the broad nature and many subgenres of reality
television as a whole. They also discuss in this article that some students claim that Reality
programs help with their problem solving skills, sometimes emulating the people they see in
these unrealistic shows. It also helps with the idea of public perception of reality television, with
many people in this study saying that these shows are negative impacts. This is an 8 year old
article, so it may be pushing it in terms of being more recent. This is a peer reviewed article from
an academic journal.
Reiss, Steven, and James Wiltz. "Why People Watch Reality TV." Media Psychology 6.4 (2004):
363-379. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
This 2004 study may seem outdated, but I believe its data can be applied to my more
modern research. This study attempts to answer, Why do people watch reality TV? This

study, performed at Ohio State University, surveyed adults to find out what they are expecting
emotionally from watching these programs. This article falls more on the psychology side of my
argument. This article looks into what feelings, such as vindication and a sense of superiority,
are brought up from watching reality television programs. This was an academically published
article from a major university.
Ward, L. Monique, and Corissa Carlson. "Modeling Meanness: Associations Between Reality
TV Consumption, Perceived Realism, And Adolescents' Social Aggression." Media
Psychology 16.4 (2013): 371-389. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
This article focuses more on social aggression, surveying the viewing habits of
adolescents, and focusing on reality programs compared to other genres. It showed a clear
correlation between aggression and perceived reality to having continued watching of reality
television programs. This is very important in how it supports my claim of emotional changes
brought about by reality television, and it supports the idea of warping views of reality with a
different age group. This is a university study that published by an academic journal that was
peer reviewed. This article was recently published in 2013, still relevant to my topic.

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