Blog #6: Third Force Psychology

Third Force Psychology encourages individualism and creativity. This psychology movement can be easily seen in North American media. From television shows featuring a wide range of programs from showcasing musical or dancing abilities to pregnant and drug addicted adolescents, to entertainment sensations such as Justin Bieber and Carrie Underwood. Another prominent entertainment figure is Rihanna. In her songs and music videos Rihanna puts passion and personality into each one, leaving the newest addition to her legacy more astounding than the last. In her song “S&M,” the artist claims to be talking about her relationship with the paparazzi, yet popular culture took an entirely different view on the subject matter. In her music video, “We Found Love” ft. Calvin Harris,” Rihanna shows off the many aspects of her personality making the video as unique as her. The audience sees a romantic couple, yet the constant costume and wardrobe changes, along with the borderline explicit behavior show that Rihanna is not ashamed or embarrassed about romantic behavior.

I believe it is models like this that have lead to the desensitization of America’s youth. Growing up, media was much more censored than it is today; material that was once on during the dark hours of evening is now readily available for children during the dinner hours. Not to mention the ease at which production companies prey on the general population. In the wake of “reality T.V.” it seems that any yahoo with a knack for getting into trouble or making people laugh can get an hour segment on a network. Examples such as “Teen Mom,” “Jersey Shore,” “The Bachelor,” and “Big Brother” quickly come to mind. Today’s reality television has replaced the cartoons and scripted family values shows (such as “Rugrats” and “Full House”) that used to predominate television. The lower standard of television has lead to America’s youth believing that it is normal or okay to  engage and delinquent behavior and be satisfied with a life that is drastically altered by consequences they do not fully comprehend.