Shelby Peterson
Final Prospectus
30, November 2012
The Evolving of Female Friendships
Introduction: Friends or Foes?
Female friendships are based off of many things and can impact someone for the better
or the worse. Many teenagers have seen movies such as “Mean Girls” and shows such as “Pretty
Little Liars” where female friendships are seen as a joke and using your friends to become
popular is seen as a norm. My question is, how much does the media influence how females treat
other females? While conducting my research, I have found many studies concluding that female
friendships are often affected by outside influences, one being the media. I find this to be
important because as we all know, friendships are something to cherish and I find it disturbing
that the term friendship is starting to evolve into something negative due to the media portraying
certain stereotypes of female to female interactions. Whether watching movies or certain types of
television shows, female friendships are often shown in a negative manner and end up portraying
females in an aggressive, backstabbing form. I believe that this has an influence on female
friendships, developing them into something negative and making certain actions that would not
normally be acceptable, adequate. The purpose of my research is to identify the patterns of
communication between women and determine whether the media has an influence on their
social identity, interpersonal relationships, and if this creates socially aggressive behavior for
female viewers.
Topic Overview: Influences by the Media
When watching a movie or a television show, viewers tend to become absorbed in the
plot and the characters, which can often lead to a negative result such as a change in attitude and
personality. If the viewer tends to find some sort of relation to the character and the drama they
are involved in, this creates a social identity. When someone finds some sort of connection
within a media figure it helps them develop their self-identity and form social attitudes that will
satisfy their needs for belonging.
An important aspect to point out when talking about the influence the media may have on
young females is the molding of socially aggressive behavior. Certain studies I have researched
show that as young adults, it is easy to adopt certain behaviors. With this, it leads to young
viewers picking up on aggressive behaviors and after viewing it routinely, it becomes present in
their everyday lives. Goldberg (2011) found that socially aggressive behavior in young females
is known to affect them tremendously in ways in which it creates depression, substance abuse,
eating disorders and so on. An article written by Dr. Lauren Hughes (2012) published by ABC
News found that out of the 50 most popular television shows for children, 92 percent of the
programs contained some sort of social aggression, both verbal and non-verbal forms. She then
described socially aggressive behaviors as acts that “damage social status, self-esteem, or both”
(Hughes, 2012). A similar article that was published through Scientific American written by
Jessee Bering (2009) defined socially aggressive behaviors in females as eye-rolling, gossiping,
ostracizing, and bitchery comments.
Another important influence the media can have on young females is seen within their
interpersonal relationships. The relationship one has with another person is based on many
different things and is formed by certain connections being present. Through my research, I have
concluded that the media has a negative influence on interpersonal relationships due to certain
television shows and movies portraying female friendships stereotypically. In conclusion, the
media is influencing and changing what people believe a true friendship is and what it should
entail.
This communication phenomenon is important to study because “identifying with media
figures allows us to experience social reality from other perspectives and, thus, shapes the
development of self-identity and social attitudes (Cohen, 2001). The repeated exposure to
stereotypical female clicks, like female to female interactions in movies such as Mean Girls and
White Chicks, will allow viewers to identify with the characters and their actions, which will
eventually become a mainstream behavior.
The purpose of this study is to discover the relationship between the media and its female
viewers and determine the effects the media may have on their interpersonal relationships and
social identities, and their behaviors. I will ground my research by first studying the effects the
media has on young female viewers. Second, analyzing their identification with media figures.
Finally, I will research if this has any effect on one’s own relationship with other females.
Let’s Talk Theory
According to Lattimore, Baskin, Heiman, and Toth, (2009) social learning theory are
ways in which an individual processes information. This theory allows us to take note of
behaviors that interest us and determine whether that behavior would be rewarding to us or not.
They go on to describe that when we note something from the media that we like, we think about
it and if the rewards of using it seem positive, we will store it and use it when it is beneficial to
us.
In relation to my research topic, one may see an act of betrayal over and over again while
watching their favorite shows so in terms of Social Learning Theory, by processing the betrayal
acts, we may start to use those acts in our own lives.
For more theoretical background, I chose to focus on is the organismic view of emotions.
This theory states that we experience psychological change when we practice an emotion that
stimulates a change in us. Wood (2009) states that when an event occurs, we first experience a
psychological change and second, an emotional change. Sooner or later we will start executing
the same emotions with the same occurrences of events. Emotions are our own experiences and
interpretations of specific incidences and are all shaped by physiology, perceptions, language,
and social experiences.
With this theory, my research will focus on the reactions females have to specific
situations, defining our emotions. Watching females in the media constantly backstab and spread
rumors will set off a psychological change in female’s bodies allowing them to feel a certain
emotion. This emotion can then be found within female friendships whether negative or positive,
creating a connection with the emotions the media stimulates and the emotions that are
stimulated within a friendship, possibly having some sort of influence on each other.
Literature Review: Always be Yourself
Identification: Who Am I?
According to Cohen (2001) identification is found when viewers experience a sense of
reality when watching a certain action take place within a plot. Viewers tend to find some sort of
common ground between their reality and the characters’ reality leading them to identify
themselves through the characters.
Cohen (2001) performed a textual analysis and pulled findings from many different
scholars who used different approaches to define identification. Cohen developed his definition
of identification as fantasizing about being a specific character. He measured this through a scale
on how much one liked the character, how much they wanted to be the character, and how much
they can relate to the character through means of a survey. Some scholars measured through a
wide range of survey questions to rate their similarity, friendship, and role modeling. They then
measured their responses in terms of the feelings their audience received and the intensity of
their feelings while analyzing their character.
The results Cohen (2001) reported focused on defining identification and suggested that
roles of socialization and persuasion are ways that people create their own identities that are
influenced by watching the media; Researchers found an influence of media characters on their
viewers. They related all this to social influence and by means of the research, found that
watching media characters brought out a sense of identity in some, helping them create their
identities.
Studies done by Cohen (2001) brought up a research gap that helped me further my
research. I began to research the impact a characters role can have on a viewer if the viewer
experiences a reference of reality when watching television. If certain negative events are
happening in movies or on television that the viewer can relate to, does this impact their social
reality in a negative way? Will they form low self-esteem and have a behavior that is socially
aggressive if their character is portraying such traits? A quantitative study that was done by
Hawkins, Granley, Richards, and Stein (2004) helped me fill this gap. 145 undergraduate women
were tested to see how the media affects their lifestyles, anywhere from eating disorders to mood
swings. The women were given pictures of models (thin, medium, and plus) and then questioned
about their responses and their feelings towards the pictures. The results of the survey showed
that after looking at the “thin model” images, the women were more dissatisfied with their body
image and had decreased self-esteem right away. They began thinking about their body image
and comparing it to the models. They also mentioned they felt a sense of jealousy. After looking
at “medium models” they felt a little better about themselves. After looking at images of ‘plus
models” they noted how they relaxed and felt more comfortable. The women had immediate
effects to these pictures leading to my argument that women are affected by the media. It is
allowing us to believe that being beautiful is everything and the stereotype of female friendships
that the media is supporting is normal and that it is accepted for women to lie and cheat in order
to create a higher status for oneself.
According to Identity Construction and Social Positioning (finding one’s self by relating
to the behavior of others), Chittenden (2011) believes that certain situations that are shown on
television shows such as The Hills can teach young females how to not only stand behind their
values, but how to present them, and if necessary, how to defend them and their position to
others. The textual analysis that was done by Tara Chittenden on the MTV reality show The Hills
points out many great examples of female characters standing up for what they believe in and
often having many confrontational situations that turned bad. The study that was done for this
article was by means of observing season four of The Hills and analyzing the casts’
conversations to understand their identities. The article argues the importance of peer
conversations and how it shapes the identities of young females.
The research found that TV programs teach their viewers “modes of communication” and
as young females being the audience, it is important that they are being shown the correct way to
communicate with others and how to form their identity as young adults. The results from
Chittenden textual analysis also summarized that viewers find closeness to media figures that
seem to be like them or is someone who shares the same interest. For the cast of “The Hills”
many teenage girls found themselves relating to the drama on the show. Chittenden believes that
shows like The Hills can have a positive effect on female to female interactions by showing
someone how to stand behind their beliefs and to not shy away from their values as a young
female. Furthermore, there is a negative side to having popular television shows in that the
drama that is on the shows can be seen as a mainstream action through the viewer’s eyes.
Overall, I believe female viewers identify with characters who remind them of
themselves. This leads to them forming a connection and holding on to it, finding their identity
within the character.
Interpersonal relationships: Who are We?
As stated, I want to find the correlation between relationships with media figures and
ones interpersonal relationships. Studies done by multiple scholars conclude that interpersonal
relationships are changed and influenced by media figures that viewers find a relation with.
Cohen (2010) conducted a qualitative study to “discover the extent to which individuals’
relationships with media figures resemble their interpersonal relationships.” 125 undergraduate
students were given a questionnaire that had them select a close friend and a media figure of the
same sex and rate their closeness to each individual they choose on a scale of 1-5. Further
questions were asked that would help them identify their relationship and for them to analyze
their differences on moral, trust, and social issues. This quantitative study pinpointed the effects
of a relationship with an individual and their selected media figures and how that relationship
influences their interpersonal relationships. Results found that viewers compare their media
figure with the friends in real life. They tend to change their behaviors and react in ways that
their media character often portrays changing the status of their relationships with their friend in
either a positive or negative way depending on the actions of their selected media figure.
Studies done by Chittenden (2011) highlight how “teens integrate media cultures into
their everyday lives and negotiate meanings around these forms of communication.” In other
words, teens pick up on things that the media portrays and they begin to change and adapt to the
forms of communication that are being repeatedly represented. This connects to how the media is
influencing their viewers by how they communicate with others, ultimately affecting their
interpersonal relationships.
Another topic that I see is important to research is if the definition of friends changes and
if what is expected out of a friendship is altered by watching certain types of media (movies,
television dramas, reality shows)? Goldberg (2011) states that “ research on transgressions in
interpersonal relationships is founded on the assumption that individuals base their close
relationships on a shared schema for how each individual should behave and respond to each
other.” This statement allows for me to build a conclusion that what was once expected out of a
female friendship can be changed by watching certain genre of media that show the same
negative stereotypical actions of female friendships.
In conclusion, I believe interpersonal relationships are very important and define who
someone is, and if this is something that is being affected by certain hours of media use, it is
important to note and research.
Socially Aggressive Behaviors: Who Have I Become?
Socially aggressive behavior has been defined as many things and has been researched
and concluded by scholars to be influence by different genres of media. It is an important subject
to research because if socially aggressive behavior becomes a mainstream within the media, the
end results of the influences it may have on viewers is only going to be negative.
Goldberg (2011) surveyed 199 children from the ages of 11-14 and found that those who
viewed relationally aggressive behaviors on television had increased levels of aggressive
responses in their own lives. Even though this survey was done with a younger age group and
was given to both males and females, it is important to point out that even at a young age, one
can always be influenced by what they are viewing. As Goldberg said, certain behaviors that are
viewed can then become present in everyday situations.
An article written by Hughes (2012) found the same results. After analyzing different
scholarly texts, Hughes came to an agreeing conclusion that the media plays a major role in the
psychological development of children. Studies show that in 50 popular television shows,
socially aggressive behavior occurred 14 times per hour or once every four minutes. This
behavior was summarized as insults, name calling, offensive giggling, and looks of disgust. The
media is encouraging unwanted behaviors in teens and as they are in their formative years, it is
important that these behaviors do not become mainstream acts.
A similar study was conducted by Behm-Morawitz and Mastro (2008). The study
consisted of twenty “teen” movies that were analyzed by three undergraduate students. The
students answered questions by means of survey based on the movies that would help them
identify how the female characters were portrayed in the movies. The second study consisted of
135 undergraduate students where 64% were female and 36% were male. They were surveyed on
their teen movie viewing habits, gender-related beliefs, and attitudes.
The results from these students found that of the 20 teen movies, female characters were
consistently portrayed as socially aggressive while male characters had no specific characteristic
consistently present. The second study led to the results that these movies portray females with a
negative stereotype about female friendships and their gender roles. The study went on to
suggest that after watching these movies, the students had more unfavorable attitudes towards
women and that their beliefs were influenced to believe that social aggression increases one’s
popularity with peers.
Overall, the media has a major effect on its viewers and as young females are trying to
form their identity, it should not be okay for them to be viewing socially aggressive behavior
repeatedly because eventually it will become a reaction that occurs in their interpersonal
relationships.
Why does it matter?
“Research on transgressions in interpersonal relationships is founded on the assumption
that individuals base their close relationships on a shared schema for how each individual should
behave and respond to each other (Cohen, 2010).” I believe this is a valid point that helps us
understand how relationships are formed. With my research, I want to dig further to see if these
interpersonal relationships are affected throughout life based on outside influences such as the
media.
After researching the work of many scholars, I have formed a research gap that with the
rise of depictions of female friends and how their negatively portrayed within the media, does it
influence the expectations within groups of female friends?
Methodology
For the purpose of this study, the quantitative method has been selected to collect data by
means of survey. According to Keyton (2011) a survey is a system that researchers use to collect
data by asking questions and having participants respond. This information is then analyzed to
describe, compare, or explain a specific finding. Surveys are used to also analyze knowledge,
attitudes, and behaviors of certain groups of people on different topics.
Through my research I have developed the following hypothesis:
H 1: After a certain amount of hours of watching (IV) certain genres of media where negative
female friendships are consistently present, mothers see an aggressive change in their daughters
attitudes and behaviors (DV).
As hours of watching television increases with negative female friendships present, there is an
increase of negative behaviors and attitudes present within the female viewer.
H 2: When female viewers become absorbed in watching different genres of today’s media, they
will have a change in what they believe friendships should entail ultimately affecting their
interpersonal relationships in a negative way.
This hypothesis concludes that my research gap will be filled and will agree with my conclusion
that female friendships are not cherished the way they use to be and the media has influenced the
expectations of friends and what they should entail.
I. Participants:
I plan on studying college age women and older women with daughters. I will survey these
two particular groups of women. No other demographics are necessary. The text I plan to use as
examples are movies such as “Mean Girls”, “White Chicks”, “Bride Wars” and television shows,
both reality and scripted, such as “Real Housewives” show, “Pretty Little Liars”, “Bad Girls
Club” and “The Hills”. I do not plan on picking out specific episodes because for my study, I
want to see the influence these specific types of media have on females of certain ages and
basing it on just one episode will not allow me to collect significant changes in behaviors. The
types of content that all of these examples have in common is the portrayal of female friendships
in a negative manner. I believe negative behaviors that are seen on these shows and movies is
backstabbing, lying, cheating, being aggressive, and stealing.
I plan on collecting data that will allow me to analyze how females interact with other
females, how they interpret what they see on the media, if they are influenced in any way by the
shows listed above, and to fill my research gap, I want to measure what they think a friendship
should be and what their friendships really are.
For each survey I will give questions that will cover the topics of identification, socially
aggressive behaviors, and interpersonal relationships. The survey to the younger females will be
questions about them and their own personal thoughts and behaviors, while the survey to the
older women will be questions asking them about their daughters and changes they have noticed
over the years. The variables I will use are Reality television, drama television shows, and
movies.
I choose these two groups because the purpose of my research is to see if the media does
have an on young females and I think it would not only be helpful to survey them, but to survey
mothers who have seen their daughters grow and change.
II. Procedure:
For each survey I will give questions that will cover the topics of identification, socially
aggressive behaviors, and interpersonal relationships. The survey to the younger females will be
questions about them and their own personal thoughts and the survey to the older women will be
questions asking them about their daughters and changes they have noticed over the years. The
variables I will use are reality television, drama television shows, and movies.
The following research questions have been developed to help analyze whether females
are influence by the media:
1. How many arguments/ disagreements do you and your best female friends have within a 2
weeks span? A. 1-3 B. 4-6 C. 7-9
2. What movie or television show best represents you and your closest female friends? A. Mean
Girls B. Legally Blonde C. Bride Wars D. Bad Girls Club E. Comment box
With these questions, I will be able to see what they think of their friendships by making them
relate their friendships to a popular source of media. I will also be able to see how well their
friendships are by how many arguments they have.
The statistical test that will be used is the T-Test. According to Keyton (2011) a T-test is
used to test two groups of the independent variable with the same dependent variable. The
dependent variable results are then compared from the two groups of the independent variable.
The variables I will use are hours of television/movies, time spent with friends, TV shows and
movies. The two groups I plan to study are college age women and mothers with college age
daughters. The IV’s will help me determine an increase or decrease in my dependent variables
which will be personality changes, increased aggressive behavior (beliefs of aggressive
behavior), and what is expected of friends.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the media has created a stereotype of female friendships in that they
consist of backstabbing, cheating, lying, and manipulating each other. Television shows such as
Gossip Girls, Pretty Little Liars, The Hills, and The Life of an American Teenager all have one
thing in common; backstabbing. Young female viewers are seeing this over and over again not
only in television shows but in movies as well such as Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, and White
Chicks. With the transgressions of interpersonal relationships, I believe that as young female age
and mature they shape their social identity and will begin to “integrate media cultures into their
everyday lives and negotiate meanings around these forms of communication (Chittenden,
2011).”
Female to female relationships are very important but the meanings behind them are
beginning to evolve into something negative by the way female to female interactions are being
depicted on television shows and movies. I decided to research the influence media effects
female viewers after I started noticing how many genres of media are always portraying females
to be manupilative between friends. This is something that will only have a negative effect on
anyone who is watching and I am seeing this more and more in different genres of media
therefore I plan on continuing my research to build through knowledge of the transformation of
female friendships. I will then be able to build a solid survey that will allow me to build my own
research to support my argument that the media has an effect on female’s behaviors,
interpersonal relationships, and self-identity in a negative way.
References
Behm-Morawitz, E., & Mastro, D. E. (2008). Mean girls? The influence of gender portrayals in
teen movies on emerging adults gender-based attitudes and beliefs. Journalism & Mass
Communication Quarterly, 85(1), 131-146.
Bering, J. (2009, May 29). The bitch evolved: Why girls are so cruel to each other. Scientific
american.
Chittenden, T. (2011). Do You Understand What You're Accusing Me of? Confrontational
Conversation in MTV's The Hills as a Means of Identity Construction and Social
Positioning in Young Female Adults. Popular Communication, 9(3), 196-211.
Cohen, E. L. (2010). Expectancy violations in relationships with friends and media figures.
Communication Research Reports, 27(2), 97-111.
Cohen, J. (2001). Defining identification: A theoretical look at the identification of audiences
with media characters. Department of Communications. 4(3), 245-264.
Goldberg, R. L. (2011). The influence of the mass media on relational aggression among
females: A feminist counseling perspective. Journal Of Aggression, Maltreatment &
Trauma, 20(4), 376.
Hawkins, N., Richards, P., Granley, H., & Stein, D. M. (2004). The impact of the thin-ideal
media image on women. Eating Disorders, 12(1), 35-50.
Hughes, D. L. (2012). Social aggression plagues most kids’ shows. Abc news .
Keyton, J. (2011). Communication research: Asking question, finding answers.
3rd ed. pg. 161
Lattimore, D., Baskin, O., Heiman, S., & Toth, E. (2009). Public relations: The profession and
the practice. (3rd ed., p. 50). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Wood, J. T. (2009). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. (6th ed.). New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill Companies
Appendix A
The following research questions have been developed to help analyze whether females
are influence by the media:
1. How many arguments/ disagreements do you and your best female friends have within a
2 weeks span? A. 1-3 B. 4-6 C. 7-9
It will be important for me to ask questions about their personal relationships and figure out
where they stand. I can then ask questions that will allow me to determine if their friendships
have been influenced by any genre of media in the past, filling my research gap of whether the
depictions the media portrays of female friendships has any influence on interpersonal
relationships.
2. What movie or television show best represents you and your closest female friends? A. Mean
Girls B. Legally Blonde C. Bride Wars D. Bad Girls Club E. Comment box
By having them relate their friendships with an actual movie, it will allow them to rethink their
relationships and possibly bring some things to their attention. I feel that females may not notice
their friendships have been affected by the media until they have to actually sit down and think
about it.
For the survey that will be sent to the mothers I will ask the following questions:
1. What movie or television show do you think best exemplifies your daughter’s
relationships with her female friends?
A. Mean Girls B. Legally Blonde C. Bride Wars D. Bad Girls Club E. Comment box
With this question, I am hoping to receive an honest answer that will allow me to find out what
the most significant characteristics of female friendships are today.
2. In a few sentences, can you describe any changes you noticed in your daughter’s
behavior between the ages of 17-22? (ie. eye-rolling, short temper, argumentative. etc.)
Comment box
This question will allow me to see what types of behaviors are present, specifically looking for
socially aggressive behavior.