Running head: MUSIC THAT STIMULATES PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS

Music that Stimulates Problematic Behaviors

Ricardo M Dominguez
RWS 1301
Brenda Gallardo
4/3/2016

Running head: MUSIC THAT STIMULATES PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS

Abstract
This paper will discuss the power that music has to influence the human behavior. It will provide
different sides as well as points of view form primary sources and studies that have been done by
multiple research groups and doctors. This report will also provide statistics on how music has
affected people of all ages into having problematic behaviors and vice versa. The main music
genres involved on this report will be Rock and its subcategories, and Rap. The studies will
include the effects of misogynous and non-misogynous music in relationships and also the
effects that music in general have in academics.

Running head: MUSIC THAT STIMULATES PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS

Music that Stimulates Problematic Behaviors

What relationship does people have with music?
Music has been around for thousands of years and as, R. E Radocy and J. D Boyle,
state in the book, Psychological Foundations of Musical Behavior, Music throughout history
has had a vital role on human culture. And also according to them; in recent years, claims
regarding musics purported therapeutic, commercial, and educational benefits have increased.
(p. 3) Radocy and Boyle talk about the uses that people give to music throughout time giving it
cultural value as well. Music has also been shown to have a relationship with who we socialize.
As J., Mulder, T. T., Bogt, Q., Raaijmakers, and W., Vollebergh, explain in the journal, Music
Taste Groups and Problem Behavior., Cluster analysis on their music preference revealed six
taste groups: Middle- of-the-road (MOR) listeners, Urban fans, Exclusive Rock fans, Rock-Pop
fans, Elitists, and Omnivores. This six groups were the groups they they came up with, when
they performed the survey (Youth Self-Report) and classified youth members into this musical
and social groups according to what they listened to.
Music has been related to human development and socialization of young people. The
American Academy of Pediatrics, support the idea that music has a lot to do with childrens
development into the social world. As they state in the journal, Policy Statement-Impact of
Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on Children and Youth, Music plays an important role in the
socialization of children and adolescents. Listening to popular music is considered by society to
be part of growing up (P.1488).
Music has shown to be relaxing and to help with entertainment and to forget about issues
going on in our lives. In the journal, Policy Statement-Impact of Music Lyrics, and Music

Running head: MUSIC THAT STIMULATES PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS

Videos on Children and Youth, the American Academy of Pediatrics claim, Music provides
entertainment and distraction from problems and serves as a way to relieve tension and boredom.
Some studies have reported that adolescents use popular music to deal with loneliness and take
control of their emotional status or mood (1488).
Does music have the power to stimulate violent or problematic behaviors?
Rap music has been one of the main genres that had been involved in the racial fight
between white and African American people. The lyrics in rap music commonly include violent
messages as stated in, Violent Attitudes and Deferred Academic Aspirations: Deleterious Effects
of Exposure to Rap Music, by ,J. D. Johnson, L. A. Jackson, and L. Gatto stating that There
is concern that rap lyrics, such as those suggesting that African-Americans are "in a state of war"
with Whites and that African-Americans should be "Cop Killers," (Ice-T), may increase the
probability that listeners will engage in violent behavior (p.28).
The violence portrayed in media by rappers give a bad example to the children and youth
who want to imitate what they do. In an interview that, Dr. B. Watkins, do to Savannah
Overton by the name of , Researcher Cites Relationship Between Violent Music and Criminal
Behavior savannah states that, people talk about the exposure to violence would have, you
know, effects once they see in television or if they watch it a lot theyll start to model their
behaviors.
Hate Metal is a genre that promotes hate with its lyrics and strong guitar riffs but this
music hurts many people by making them have a propensity to violent behaviors without them
even thinking making them get into trouble. A former member of a Hate Metal band by the name
of, Arno Michaels is interviewed by reporter, will fellows and Arno states in the article,

Running head: MUSIC THAT STIMULATES PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS

Former Skinhead Shares His Life After Hate, I hurt many innocent peopleNot only with
my hands, but by infecting others with hate and setting them off. My hate metal band Centurion
sold over 20,000 CDs of brutal music designed to incite atrocity. Its still popular with hate
groups today. Arno also believes that his hate in the music was a justification for violence and
did not see it as something bad at the moment but now he knows all the problems he created with
his music.
Popular music often include misogynous messages as well stated on the journal, The
Influence of NonMisogynous and Mixed Portrayals of Intimate Partner Violence in Music on
Beliefs About Intimate Partner Violence, by the authors, R. Franiuk, J. Coleman, and B. Apa,
Furthermore, in an analysis of the 20 most popular songs on Billboards Hot 100 from 1998
to 2003, Bretthauer, Zimmerman, and Banning (2006) found men and power, the objectification
of women, and sexual violence against women to be three common themes (p.2). The result in
the experiment showed different results but when they focused on men they found that in some
cases misogynous music did have a negative as, R. Franiuk, J. Coleman, and B. Apa assert in
their journal stating that, several researchers have found that male participants expressed
more negative attitudes toward women after exposure to sexually violent music in the heavy
metal and rap genres (p.3)
What effect does music have on the human emotions and behaviors?
For what we know music has been present for thousands of years; the effect that music
has on the human behavior has been a big question throughout history. Researchers believe that
musics biggest effect is gives us our sense of being humans because we can communicate with
it. As stated in the book, Psychological Foundations of Musical Behavior, by the authors, R. E
Radocy and J. D Boyle, music is the essence of humanness not only because people create

Running head: MUSIC THAT STIMULATES PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS

it, but because they create their relationships to it. Gaston maintains that the human brain, which
distinguishes people from other animals by making possible speech and abstract thinking , also
enables significant nonverbal communication in the form of music (p.10)
Music does not just have negative effects on the emotions but it is also associated with
romance and also in the creation relationships with groups of people making them feel like they
belong to something. The American Academy of Pediatrics in the journal, Policy StatementImpact of Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on Children and Youth, support this in this quote,
Music also can provide background for romance and serve as the basis for establishing
relationships in diverse settings. Adolescents use music in their process of identity formation,
and their music preference provides them the means to achieve group identity and integration
into the youth culture (p.1488)
Studies show that the type of music that young people listen have different effects in their
emotions and in their behaviors like in the studies reported in the journal, Music Taste Groups
and Problem Behavior where, J. Mulder, T. T. Bogt, Q. Raaijmakers, and W. Vollebergh,
stated that, Omnivores also tend to be more anxious and depressedThe Omnivores, Rock-Pop
and Urban fans report engaging in aggressive behavior more often than the MOR, Elitist, and
Low-Involved groups. Exclusive Rock fans tend to aggressive behavior as well, but differences
with other groups were not significant (p.319).
What effect does music have on society?
Music as a side effect of its influential power can bring problems to society such as
problematic behaviors and those including crimes. That problem hurts society in the way that the
prisons will be more saturated. Savannah Overton in her interview, Researcher Cites

Running head: MUSIC THAT STIMULATES PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS

Relationship between Violent Music and Criminal Behavior, comments, from people literally
in prison...what I was able to find is that there is a relationship, for some it is not as strong as
with others but some people are, you know, engaging on the level that is so heighten that what
they see what they hear they are literally living it out.
There has been studies that prove that the exposure to rap videos can make a person less
likely to want to succeed in the academic world hurting the society is well supported by, J. D.
Johnson, L. A. Jackson, and L. Gatto in , Violent Attitudes and Deferred Academic
Aspirations: Deleterious Effects of Exposure to Rap Music, where they state, when compared
to the controls, subjects in the rap video exposure conditions were more likely to say that they
wanted to be like the materialistic young man and were less confident that the other young man
would achieve his educational goals (p.1)

Running head: MUSIC THAT STIMULATES PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS

Reference
Boyle, J. D., & Radocy, R. E. (2012). Psychological Foundations of Musical Behavior (5th ed.).
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Fellows, W. (2010, December 30). Former skinhead shares his life after hate. Wisconsin
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Franiuk, R., Coleman, J., & Apa, B. (2016). The Influence of Non-Misogynous and Mixed
Portrayals of
Intimate

Intimate Partner Violence in Music on Beliefs about

Partner Violence. Violence against

Women.

Impact of Music, Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on Children and Youth. (2009). Pediatrics,
124(5), 1488 -1494. Retrieved March 22, 2016.

Running head: MUSIC THAT STIMULATES PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS

Johnson, J. D., Jackson, L. A., & Gatto, L. (1995). Violent Attitudes and Deferred Academic
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Psychology, 16(1/2), 27-41.

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Watkins, B. (2013, May 7). Researcher cites relationship between violent music and criminal
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Retrieved March 25, 2016, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAHim1Z21YQ