COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 1
Representing Mental Health:
Coping Models of Adverse Experiences in Children’s Television
Cyan DeVeaux
Duke University
COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 2
ABSTRACT
Children’s television media is familiar with addressing “mature” topics and exploring the emotions of characters facing these situations. This paper examines the potential for these television shows, viewed in informal settings, to assist the development of healthy coping mechanisms in older children, particularly those who have undergone adverse experiences. Due to the large number of children who encounter adverse experiences, understanding ways to help them through these difficult times is important. Previous work has shown audiovisual material to be helpful in clinical settings, but overlooks its potential benefits in more casual settings. With this paper, I convey that viewing television episodes in the absence of a therapist can have some effect. I provide a review of other creative forms of therapy, such as cinematherapy, and a discussion on why television shows have this potential to resonate with viewers. Moreover, the accessibility of television shows over clinical therapy should be noted. Following this, the paper offers a content analysis that determines how two episodes of television shows aimed towards older children attempt to effectively relate to their viewers and convey messages about coping with adverse experiences. I focus on an older childhood audience because there already exists a show aimed towards younger children praised for its ability to teach young kids positive messages about mental health: Sesame Street. However, Sesame Street does not reach a 5th grader as much as it would reach a preschooler. The episodes I chose came from Cartoon
Network’s Steven Universe and Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. They were chosen due to their therapeutic value. In order to further examine this value and determine its relevancy to an older childhood audience, the episodes are analyzed based on how they represent identification, catharsis, insight, and coping mechanisms on screen. The first three criteria stem from the three stages of cinematherapy. The closer the criteria are to real word situations, the COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 3 more likely it is for a viewer to identify with the episode and gain something from it. Using these findings, I propose that a television show that instills positive mental health practices in older children looks like should not only be realistic in terms of the coping process, but also demonstrate the complex emotions of the protagonist.
COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 4
INTRODUCTION
According to a 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, almost half of American children experience an adverse childhood experience and one in five experience at least two.
These experiences range from death of a family member, to abuse, to poverty, to divorce, to illness, and more (Kamanetz, 2017). The National Child Traumatic Stress Network points out that children experiencing traumatic stress can react in ways that interfere with their daily life and interactions. They may experience depressive symptoms, intense emotional upset, anxiety, and behavioral changes. Although this reaction differs from child to child and depends on their age and developmental level, its potential harm demonstrates the necessity for children to develop healthy coping mechanisms regardless of whether they have experienced a traumatic event or not (NCTSN, 2003).
In order to develop this skill, Help Guide, an online trusted guide to mental and emotional health, suggests for adults not to pressure children into talking about a traumatic experience because they may find it difficult to do so. Instead they point to indirect alternatives such as drawing pictures to illustrate feelings and discussing their art. (Smith, 2017).
Additionally, research has demonstrated the benefits of using strategically chosen books and movies as a means to facilitate discussion between children and therapists. However, could viewing a television show outside of a clinical setting assist the development of healthy coping mechanisms in children as well?
Television shows can be just as complex as books and movies, even if children are their targeted demographic and if they take place in the span of the standard 11-minute format. They address topics that reflect and metaphorically relate to the range of experiences of their viewers.
Consequently, there are notable examples of television episodes marketed towards children that COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 5 address “mature” topics and provide healthy models for coping to its audiences. And even while there may not be a therapist present, something is gained by indulging in the stories of characters with situations that hit close to home. The casual viewing of television has potential to serve as a relevant form of passive therapy for children still learning how to manage their emotions.
This study will examine the means through which television can encourage positive coping mechanism in older children. It will include a literature review that discusses previous ways that media has been used in therapy and explain why television has potential for this favorable consequence. Using criteria found in the literature review, I will conduct a content analysis on two episodes to explore how they convey their messages. Lastly, I will analyze how effective the shows were, based on the criteria, and how relevant they are to real world situation that kids face.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Various mental health organizations emphasize the importance of telling stories. In
Resources to Recovery’s “The Way Back from Mental Illness: 6 Reasons Why You Should Tell
Your Story of Hope and Recovery”, insists that someone sharing their story can be another person’s saving light (Boll, 2015). The National Alliance on Mental Illness, America’s largest grassroots mental health organization, states, “It’s important for people living with mental health conditions to know that they are not alone. Sharing stories about your personal experiences with mental health challenges can help in your own recovery as well as provide encouragement and support to others with similar experiences.” In other words, NAMI believes that sharing stories about personal experiences can be beneficial to the mental health of both the teller and the listener (NAMI, 2003). Similarly, television shows utilize storytelling. Whether they feature human or non-human protagonists, television shows detail experiences that, at its core, are COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 6 relevant to some aspect of the real life and can provide the same “encouragement and support” as a person telling their story. Therefore, television shows with stories that resonate with their viewers can help improve the mental health of its viewers.
Previous studies have demonstrated bibliotherapy as a beneficial means to aid people through the coping with adversities such as death of a loved one, adoption, disability, mental illness, and parent separation. Clients are assigned a book to read and discuss with a therapist afterwards. When children identify with particular characters in a story, it can validate their thoughts and feelings. They feel less isolated when their reactions to difficult experiences are normalized. Furthermore, it creates an environment where children feel more comfortable sharing their feelings to therapists when it is through “the safe distance of a storybook character, cartoon, or animal” (Mendel, 2016; Berns, 2004).
Cinematherapy is an extension of this process that uses movies instead of books and has several advantages. According to Emily Marsick, “books are less popular with many child and adolescent clients because some young clients do not want to invest the time required for reading, and many prefer technology, television, and movies.” They would rather spend time watching a two-hour movie than reading a long book (Marsick 2010; Sharp 2002).
Bibliotherapy and cinematherapy consists of three stages: identification, catharsis, and insight. Identification happens when a reader consciously or unconsciously relates to a character or situation in a story. As the reader becomes emotionally involved in the story, they vicariously share the character’s experiences and feelings. Catharsis, an emotional release that occurs when a reader revisits previously repressed feelings, happens as a result of this. Lastly, insight represents when the reader understands their feelings in a new way and is prompted to make positive behavioral changes (Rozalski, 2010; Mendel, 2016; Deslile, 1977). This entire process COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 7 demonstrates how as readers empathize with the characters in the stories they read, they are better aware and understand more of their situations in real life (Sharp, 2002).
Therapists play a crucial role in these forms of therapy. They help process the client’s experience by either asking specific questions about client’s situation or indirect, metaphorical questions. Metaphorical questions can be advantageous because the reduce defensiveness in the client (Sharp 2002, Mars, 1995).
However, even in the absence of a therapist, storytelling has been shown to promote at least temporary positive behavioral changes. A study conducted by Shelley McKeown found that teachers reading their students a value-in-diversity story encouraged positive intergroup behavior in a racially diverse school. However, the reduction in racially segregated seating lasted for only around 48 hours. Its short lived nature led McKeown to suggest for value-in-diversity messages to be incorporated into curriculum as opposed to one shot interventions (McKeown, 2017).
McKeown suggests that quantity and quality could make these effects more impactful.
This is why television has the potential to overcome temporary effects. Reruns, the number and variety of complex issues addressed in children’s media during the 21st century, and the positive mental health practices expressed in this media are all methods that can counteract a short-live outcome.
Given this, television has the potential to harness the power of storytelling in an iterative way that provides longer lasting benefits. Even in the absence of a therapist, television is more accessible and is already widely used. A 2015 national survey found that 62% of tweens, ages 8 to 12, watched television on a daily basis. This surpassed listening to music, playing mobile games, reading, watching online videos, and using social media as the number one form of daily COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 8 media consumption. For adolescents, ages 13-17, 58% watched television every day, which fell only behind music (Common Sense Media, 2015).
Furthermore, there exists television shows that have been praised for guiding children through identification, catharsis, and insight. One notable example of a show that does this is
Sesame Street. Their programming, aimed towards 2 to 4 year olds, has touched upon topics such as divorce, incarcerated parents, autism, HIV/AIDS, and death. More recently, they launched an initiative designed to help children cope with traumatic experiences. This initiative includes videos, storybooks, and digital activities that present coping strategies to children. “Count,
Breathe, Relax” and “Comfy Cozy Nest” are two examples that teach breathing strategies and about safe spaces to go to and feel better. In regards to this topic, Sherrie Westlin, Executive
President for Global Impact and Philanthropy at Sesame Workshop, stated, “Children need to know–especially during hard times–that they’re not alone. Sesame Street has always been a source of comfort to children dealing with very difficult circumstances, and given how few resources there are for young children dealing with traumatic experiences, we knew we could help.” (Sesame Workshop, 2017)
Because Sesame Street is aimed towards pre-school aged children, their helpful messages are less likely to reach older children and young teens. Unlike most content aimed towards older childhood audiences, Sesame Street brands itself as educational television. This is not the most appealing thing to older kids. From my experience, it is common to hear children refer to programs that embrace this educational role as “for babies”. However, this age group could still benefit from some of the messages portrayed in shows like Sesame Street. They are just as vulnerable to adverse experiences and need to learn healthy ways of coping with them, but in a more age appropriate manner. Fortunately, there are notable examples of televisions episodes COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 9 aimed towards this demographic that do just that. I performed a content analysis on some of these examples to examine how they represent characters managing tough emotions, the applicability of their messages to real life, and ways in which that particular episode has helped its audience. Through this analysis, I hope to help determine ways in which television shows can be as impactful for older children and young teens as Sesame Street is for preschoolers.
METHODS
Film Selection
The analyzed content consists of two episodes from the television shows, Steven
Universe and Avatar: The Last Airbender, that each showcase an adverse experience, emotional release, and coping mechanism. Common Sense Media rates Steven Universe for ages 10+ and rates Avatar: The Last Airbender for ages 8+. This ensures that the shows I am examining are intended for an older childhood audience (Ashby, 2013; Herman, 2006). The episodes I am focusing on were aired within 10 years of each other, which decreases the amount of generational differences between the audiences.
Analysis Questions
In addition to a short synopsis and the coping mechanism introduced, each episode was analyzed based how the three stages of cinematherapy are represented in the episode. Instead of the examining the effects on the viewer, like how cinematherapy is traditionally studied, I examined how the outcomes of cinematherapy are represented on screen. I hypothesized that if these stages were portrayed on screen, it would mirror a real life coping response and would be beneficial to the viewer.
Identification What experience does the character face that others may identify
with? COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 10
Catharsis What event takes place that leads to an emotional release within
the character?
Coping Mechanism What coping mechanism was suggested in the episode and how
did the episode differentiate between healthy and unhealthy
coping mechanisms?
Insight How did the character understand their feelings in a new way and
make positive behavioral changes?
Using this data, I analyzed how relevant these episodes are to older children to determine how effective identification, catharsis, and insight will be for its viewers. Additionally, this provided insight into what the status quo is for addressing adverse experiences to older children in television shows.
Background Information
Episode: “The Southern Raiders”, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Date Released: July 17, 2008
Synopsis: Katara decides whether or not to seek revenge on the Fire Nation Soldier who murdered her mother.
Episode: “Mindful Education”, Steven Universe
Date Released: August 25, 2016
Synopsis: Steven and Connie learn how to confront their respective problems after gaining valuable advice on how to manage their feelings from Garnet.
RESULTS
Identification COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 11
Each of these episodes address adverse experiences that older children today are familiar with.
“The Souther Raiders” explores the emotions of Katara dealing with the death of a parent. A fire nation soldier murders Katara’s mother when she is a child. Presently, Katara is a teenager that still struggles with how to cope with this insurmountable loss. Learning that she has the chance to confront and seek revenge on the murderer brings out the anger she felt inside of her for many years. She does not take her best friend, Aang's, disagreement with her decision kindly. She expresses that Aang does not understand what she is going through and that revenge is something she needs to feel better about losing her mom. After her brother, Sokka, starts agreeing with Aang, she snaps at him and insists that he does not love her like she does.
Steven encounters a similar situation in “Mindful Education.” His non-human mother has to give up her existence so that he could exist. As a result, Steven primarily knows about his mother through what others tell him. His feelings towards his mother are complex and include guilt, love, anger, and frustration. However, in this episode, Steven admits to suppressing these feelings, along with other feelings, as a means to cope with them. Upon hearing his best friend,
Connie’s, problems, he attempts to console her by saying, “I know what it’s like. Sometimes you hurt people by accident… y-you just have to… try not to think about it.” As he is saying this, his face is visibly distraught and he is clutching onto his arm. This makes it evident that Steven handles his negative emotions by locking them away.
Catharsis
Each episode leads up to a climax where both Katara and Steven experience an emotional release.
Once Katara is face to face with her mother’s murderer, she nearly carries out her COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 12 harmful deed. She invokes fear into him and forces him to remember the little girl whose eyes he looked into before killing her mother behind closed doors. But instead of killing him, she halts her weapons right before they could pierce his fragile, old body. As he cowards in her presence, she says to him, “I always wondered what kind of person would do such a thing… You’re pathetic and sad and empty. But as much as I hate you, I just can’t do it.”
As for Steven, it is his emotional suppression that triggers a break down. His feelings that he left un-confronted for too long compound and overwhelm him. He collapses into tears and finds great difficulty in mustering up the courage to face his problems.
Coping Mechanism
Both “The Souther Raiders” and “Mindul Education” include characters that offer advice for the character undergoing the adverse experience.
When Katara feels like she has no choice but to harm the perpetrator, Aang reminds her that she does: forgiveness. He emphasizes the importance of forgiveness both in the moment
Katara tells him about her plan and again towards the end of the episode after Katara decides not to follow through with it. He tells her, “Forgiveness is the first step it will take to begin healing.”
In addition to the importance of forgiveness during the coping process, this episode disparages revenge. As Aang describes it to Katara, “revenge is like a two-headed rat viper. While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself.” Aang agrees that Katara should face the murderer if Katara believes that it would help her. However, he does not believe she should stoop as low as the person causing her pain. Therefore, revenge and violence are presented as an unhealthy way of coping.
“Mindful Education” offers an entire song dedicated to guiding both Connie and Steven through the coping process. After overhearing their conversation about Connie’s problem, COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 13
Garnet takes Steven and Connie aside. She articulates that “To find balance, you must understand your feelings. To understand your feelings, you must see them clearly without running from them.” Through Garnet’s song, “Here Comes a Thought”, she expresses some key advice about coping with a problem. The song first establishes what it’s like have an overwhelming, negative thought:
Here comes a thought that might alarm you What someone said and how it harmed you Something you did that failed to be charming Things that you said are suddenly swarming
And, oh, you're losing sight, you're losing touch All these little things seem to matter so much That they confuse you That I might lose you
Not only does it accurately portray, what Steven, Connie, or an audience member might be feeling, but it also encourages them to think about their problems and to get in touch with their emotions. This is pivotal for Steven as someone who does not confront their feelings. The next lyrics address what a person should do once getting in touch with those emotions:
Take a moment, remind yourself To take a moment and find yourself Take a moment and ask yourself If this is how we fall apart
But it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay You've got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear I'm here, I'm here, I'm here
Garnet’s advice here is to pause and recollect themselves, know that their thoughts will not be the reason they break, and remember that there is always someone there for them. This message is emphasized through the lyrics’ repetitive nature, which mimics a constant reminder to oneself. COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 14
“Here Comes a Thought” represents the positive coping mechanisms introduced during this episode. Meanwhile, Steven’s suppression is viewed in a negative light since it inevitably leads to intense emotional episode.
Insight
At the end of “The Southern Raiders”, Katara reflects on what had happened. She does not know whether she could not hurt her mother’s murderer because she is too strong or too weak. She is not able to forgive the murderer and believes that she will never be able to forgive him. However, she is able to forgive Zuko, a character that she previously had qualms about and helps Katara find the murderer. He is affiliated with the same nation as his mother’s murderer and has had previous confrontations with Katara and her friends do to this affiliation. Since then,
Zuko redeems himself and everyone but Katara trusts him. This is why Katara forgiving Zuko represents a step forward in Katara’s development.
Fortunately, Connie is there to remind Steven of Garnet’s advice during his emotional episode in “Mindful Education.” He is reminded that he is not alone and that “it is okay to think about” his tough experiences. With much difficulty, he is able to do so, but the episode ends with
Stevonnie1 lying in the grass, surrounded by peaceful imagery. They exhale and say, “I’m here.”
This demonstrates that Steven was able to find some form of peace by the end of this episode and overcome his mental breakdown. However, the episode does not imply that his problems disappear completely.
DISCUSSION
In this section, I will discuss how relatable each show is to its targeted demographic, the
1 Stevonnie is a character that represents a fusion, or physical embodiment of a mixture, between Steven and Connie. Fusions can only exist if they are stable. Therefore, Steven overcoming his breakdown places him in a condition where his is able to fuse. COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 15 effectiveness of the messages introduced in each episode, and trends that provide insight into what a “Sesame Street”, or a show that successfully promotes positive coping models, for older children looks like.
“The Southern Raiders” and “Mindful Education” each address topics and experiences that children today are familiar with. One identifiable characteristic in both Katara and Steven, the protagonists of these episodes, was the death of a loved one. For Katara, her mother is murdered when she is a child. As for Steven, his mother is non-human and has to give up her existence so that he could exist. Therefore, they knew their mothers for little to no time which causes emotional burdens apparent in their respective episodes. Unfortunately, one in seven
Americans encounter a similar fate and will lose a parent or sibling before the age of 20. Some of the most common reactions to death from parentally bereaved children include anger, guilt, and sadness. For older children, ages 6 to 18, they may struggle discussing their feelings and endure a wide range of emotions that they do not know how to handle since they do not have the same coping skills as an adult (Goldberg, 2010; Szymanowska, 2014; Cancer.Net, 2013). This difficulty with coping is present within both Steven and Katara. Steven’s emotional suppression of feelings about his mother and other unpleasant events in his lifetime is an example of this. He thought it was the proper way to handle his emotions, which is evident based on the fact he suggests this technique to his best friend. However, this technique is what leads to an emotional breakdown in Steven by the end of the episode. This accurately represents a coping strategy that many utilize but has been found to have harmful consequences. MySahana, an online nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness about mental health, suggests that despite research showing that emotional suppression can make you stronger, it can take one “small hiccup” to cause an overreaction (mySahana, 2011). Additionally, constant emotional COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 16 suppression can cause increased physical distress on the body (Smith, 2017). Because emotional suppression is not uncommon, this enhances the likelihood for viewers to relate to Steven for reasons that do not necessarily have to stem from parental death. Katara encounters an experience that is identifiable on a large scale among older children as well. Towards the beginning of the episode, she feels that Aang does not understand what she is going through and therefore cannot offer her advice that is helpful. This “no one understands me” feeling can be found among teens and especially those with depression. Each of these components increases the probability that a viewer, while watching these episodes, will undergo identification, the first step of cinematherapy where a viewer vicariously shares a character’s experiences and realizes that their situation is not unique and that they are not alone.
Each episode put forth a message about coping and confronting difficult situations.
Overall, “The Southern Raiders” promotes a message of forgiveness over violence. Aang, the character who initially introduces this concept, has basis in his argument. A 2014 study demonstrated that forgiveness buffers negative effects of lifetime stress on mental health
(Toussaint, 2014). While Katara is unable to forgive the murderer, she forgives another character. In “Mindful Education”, the song, “Here Comes a Thought”, provides constructive coping strategies to Steven, Connie, and viewers of the series. The song suggests that it is okay to get in touch with their negative emotions, to “take a moment” to recollect themselves when confronted by these emotions, and that they are not alone. Furthermore, there are lyrics that represent what it is like to have an overwhelming, negative thought. This heavily resonates with
Steven and Connie’s experiences. Using other strategies such as repetition, imagery, color scheme, and rhyme, “Here Comes a Thought” effectively conveys its messages and exudes an overall mood of peacefulness. Unsurprisingly, it was received well by viewers of the show. COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 17
Countless comments on social media about this song thank the show for helping get them through difficult moments in life.
“I can't tell you how much this song helps me. I struggle with anxiety, and have moments where I freak out. Thank you”
“having a real hard night tonight but this made me feel a little more calmer/at peace.”
“Thank you Rebecca2, this song helped me tackle my anxiety and cleared my conscience” (Rebeccasugar, 2016)
“I cannot begin to describe how much this song has helped me. The melody and lyrics and everything is set up in such a way that whenever i’m singing it, i am forced to take deep breaths before singing the next part. I take a deep breath before saying “It’s ok, it’s ok, it’s ok” and it calms me. It helps me in a way no other song ever has. I am so incredibly thankful for this show, the creators, the voice actors, the musicians and everyone involved in creating this song.”([Cartoon Network], 2016)
While the ages of these commenters are unknown, based on the demographics of Twitter and YouTube, it is likely that they are either teens or young adults. Regardless, their comments still demonstrate the potential for this song to instill knowledge of healthy mental health practices to childhood audiences.
There were several notable aspects of “The Southern Raiders” and “Mindful Education” that I believe demonstrate age appropriate ways of representing adverse experiences to older children. When evaluating insight, I found that despite showing signs of emotional development,
Katara and Steven’s respective problems do not necessarily disappear entirely. Katara feels ambivalent towards her decision not to hurt the murderer and admits that she will never be able to forgive him. In Steven’s case, it is slightly less obvious but still exists. The episode ends on a positive note where Steven is able to make it passed his mental breakdown, but that is all. Steven does not reflect on the situation or indicate that his problems fade away entirely. This becomes
2 Rebecca Sugar is the creator of Steven Universe. COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 18 more evident in future episodes of the series. In conjunction, these two scenes offer more realistic representations of what it is like for children and teens to cope with adverse experiences.
“The Southern Raiders” shows that progress does not occur all at once. However, those moments of growth should be noted. Aang tells Katara that he was proud of her for her decision against releasing her anger in the form of violence. “Mindful Education” shows that there are ways to calm down and feel better during moments of intense distress, even if the cause of the problem does not disappear.
Furthermore, while Katara and Steven develop as characters throughout their episodes, it is not a perfect process. The shows do not oversimplify to the point of step one: encounter a problem, step two: learn a healthy coping mechanism, and step three: immediately implement the mechanism and feel better. Katara and Steven do not immediately grasp onto the positive coping mechanisms introduced. Katara vehemently disagrees with Aang’s recommendation to forgive.
Steven is not able to immediately utilize the advice that Garnet gives him. It takes a reminder from Connie about it in order for him to calm down. From this, viewers will see that it is normal for coping not to be straightforward and to have trouble with it. This is appropriate for older children gaining a handle of the complexities of their life and the world around them.
Both episodes come from shows that are narrative based and have continuity throughout their respective series. This has both advantages and disadvantages when it comes to effectiveness. For those who kept up with the series, it adds an extra layer of understanding to the events and emotions that occur in these episodes. Children who view these episodes in isolation will not have this extra context. However, this does mean they cannot gain something or will not understand what is going on. “The Southern Raiders” provides flashbacks and monologues that provide new viewers with necessary information. Steven’s problems aren’t COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 19 delved into as heavily in “Mindful Education”. But this only further illustrates his emotional suppression and enables viewers to watch the episode through the lens of their problems. There are not many shows geared towards younger children that have this amount of continuity, therefore this serves as another example for a possible way to particularly reach older children as a demographic.
CONCLUSION
The purpose of this content analysis was to determine how episodes of television shows aimed towards older children attempt to effectively relate to their viewers and convey messages about coping with adverse experiences. I found that the proximity of what appeared on screen to real word situations and the introduction of relevant positive healthy coping mechanisms increased the likelihood for older children watching these shows to identify with the characters and gain something from their lessons. Furthermore, the representation of the complexities of each character’s individual situations made it age appropriate.
Given each show’s potential to reach an older childhood audience, my research further demonstrates the capability of television shows to have some therapeutic value. Whereas previous research on cinematherapy insists that a therapist is needed in order to be effective, my research suggests that even in the absence of a therapist, watching a substantive television show can be useful to a viewer’s mental health. Although I grant that the addition of a trained facilitator is probably more effective, I still maintain that there are benefits to inducing this media-oriented form of therapy in a non-clinical setting. Watching a television show is more accessible than therapy. Therefore, children can access these shows by their own means. This could potentially reduce defensiveness that a therapist might introduce. In some cases, a COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 20 television show might motivate a viewer to seek clinical therapy or discuss their problems with a trusted person. This can prompt additional catharsis and insight for the viewer.
While this study only focuses only two episodes, it provides a set of criteria in which future episodes may be examined. Moreover, these were only two episodes out of the fourteen I watched during my research phase. I decided to narrow down the scope to go into more depth with each episode and because of the potential for therapeutic value I saw in each episode.
However, both episodes are from series with continuity. It would be interesting to analyze how shows without story arcs promote healthy coping mechanisms. In addition, the effects of viewing episodes from series with story arcs and not in isolation could enhance further research on how shows can best resonate with older children.
This content analysis provides insight into the potential for television to be used to improve the mental health of older children. Further studies can benefit from examining the direct impact of episodes, such as the two I examined, on children and teens. This study in particular supports several real world applications. Similar to the Sesame Street initiative I described in the introduction, a website with playlists that contain suggested shows to watch when a user is undergoing certain circumstances could be implemented. Additionally, content creators can draw from this to see how to incorporate positive coping models into their stories while maintaining entertainment value.
COPING MODELS OF ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION 21
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