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The Secret Life of the American Teenager"

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The Secret Life of the American Teenager University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2011 The Portrayal Of Teen Pregnancy In The Tv Series "the Secret Life Of The American Teenager" Erin Lovell University of Central Florida Part of the Communication Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Lovell, Erin, "The Portrayal Of Teen Pregnancy In The Tv Series "the Secret Life Of The American Teenager"" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 2075. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/2075 THE PORTRAYAL OF TEEN PREGNANCY IN THE TV SERIES “THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER” by ERIN LOVELL B.S., Stetson University, 2008 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Communication in the Nicholson School of Communication in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2011 © Erin Lovell 2011 ii ABSTRACT The aim of the current study was to investigate the way teen pregnancy is portrayed in Seasons 1 and 2 of the television drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Framing theory and social cognitive theory were used as guiding frameworks for exploring the way the main character’s pregnancy was presented and the way this presentation may influence the ideas and behaviors of viewers. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to examine portrayals in the first 23 episodes. Results indicated that teen pregnancy was portrayed in five major ways: as Dramatic, as Identity, as Manageable, as Transformative, and as Serious. Overall, the findings suggest that teen pregnancy was presented in ways that encourage viewers to perceive this issue as positive and negative, with clearly positive outcomes. iii To my parents and sister for their continuous support, genuine interest in my research, and encouragement during this process. Also, a special thanks to Janine Pate for keeping me motivated and answering my endless list of questions. Your patience and help was invaluable. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe gratitude to my thesis committee: Dr. William Kinally, Dr. Kristen Davis, and especially my thesis chair, Dr. Denise DeLorme. Dr. DeLorme’s constant support, patience, and words of encouragement kept me focused and motivated. I also owe thanks to the UCF Communication faculty, especially Kirsten Seitz, who answered my questions and celebrated my progress during every step of this process. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 The Importance of Studying Teen Pregnancy: The Rising Teen Birth Rate .............................. 2 The Media’s Potential Role in Misconceptions about Teen Pregnancy ..................................... 4 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 9 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................... 11 Framing and Social Cognitive Theory ...................................................................................... 11 Framing Theory .................................................................................................................... 12 Social Cognitive Theory ....................................................................................................... 16 Research on Teen Health Issues as Presented in Popular Media .............................................. 20 Research on the Relationship Between Television Viewing and Teens’ Attitudes Toward Sex .................................................................................................................................................. 24 Research on the Relationship Between Television Viewing and Teens’ Sexual Behavior and Pregnancy .................................................................................................................................. 27 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 31 Program Sample ........................................................................................................................ 32 Data Collection ......................................................................................................................... 33 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 35 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS ..................................................................................................... 40 (1) Teen Pregnancy as Dramatic ............................................................................................... 41 1 (a) Emotional ..................................................................................................................... 41 1 (b) Life Complications ....................................................................................................... 47 1 (c) Romance ....................................................................................................................... 50 (2) Teen Pregnancy as Identity ................................................................................................. 53 2 (a) Negative Identity .......................................................................................................... 54 2 (b) Positive Identity............................................................................................................ 57 (3) Teen Pregnancy as Manageable .......................................................................................... 58 3 (a) Social Support .............................................................................................................. 59 3 (b) Financial Support ......................................................................................................... 60 3 (c) Humor ........................................................................................................................... 61 (4) Teen Pregnancy as Transformative ..................................................................................... 62 4 (a) Physical Changes .......................................................................................................... 63 4 (b) Psychological Changes ................................................................................................. 65 4 (c) Social Changes ............................................................................................................. 66 (5) Teen Pregnancy as Serious .................................................................................................. 70 5 (a) Lack of Knowledge/Foreign ......................................................................................... 71 5 (b) Health Issues ................................................................................................................ 73 5 (c) Consequential ............................................................................................................... 74 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION ................................................................................................. 77 Overarching Themes ................................................................................................................. 78 vi Contradictions ....................................................................................................................... 78 Realism versus Entertainment............................................................................................... 80 Theoretical Connections ........................................................................................................... 82 Framing Theory and Teen Pregnancy Portrayals ..................................................................... 83 Social Cognitive Theory and Teen Pregnancy Portrayals ........................................................ 86 Practical Implications ............................................................................................................... 91 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 93 Directions for Future Research ................................................................................................. 94 APPENDIX A: CHARACTER CHART ...................................................................................... 97 APPENDIX B: CATEGORIES AND SUBCATEGORIES ....................................................... 102 APPENDIX C: PORTRAYED CONTRADICTIONS CHART ................................................ 104 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 107 vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Teenagers in the United States are currently exposed to various fictional portrayals (i.e., frequent and inconsequential sex, drinking, and drug use) in the media (Eyal et al., 2007; Jensen & Jensen, 2007). The mass media in general has been found
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