Why am I choosing to do this project solely on Disney movies and not on other media?
An important question is how children acquire labels and attitudes, especially in the absence of direct exposure to mental illness in their everyday lives [3]
I have summarized four reasons by Lawson et al for putting emphasis on Disney movies opposed to other media viewed by children.[3]
1. Walt Disney is one of the major , and most well-recognized producers of full-length animated feature films viewed by children.
2. The greater length of feature films allows for the establishment and development of characters, which is not always possible while watching television with limited time spots
3. Most parents take their children to see Disney movies, or rent/ purchase Disney movies because they themselves saw them as children
4. Research examining the contents of Disney movies, has found that these films present and often promote various stereotypes and social inequalities
According to Wahl, 1 in 11 prime time television shows contained a character who has a mental illness. In general, the studies of mental illnesses have focused
on adult media. Wahl goes on to suggest that childrens media appears to have negative stereotypes similar to adult media. They are also being shown that the
proper response is confinement and isolation of individuals with a mental illness, instead of empathy and treatment. [2, 5,11,12]
1. Walt Disney is one of the major , and most well-recognized producers of full-length animated feature films viewed by children.
2. The greater length of feature films allows for the establishment and development of characters, which is not always possible while watching television with limited time spots
3. Most parents take their children to see Disney movies, or rent/ purchase Disney movies because they themselves saw them as children
4. Research examining the contents of Disney movies, has found that these films present and often promote various stereotypes and social inequalities
According to Wahl, 1 in 11 prime time television shows contained a character who has a mental illness. In general, the studies of mental illnesses have focused
on adult media. Wahl goes on to suggest that childrens media appears to have negative stereotypes similar to adult media. They are also being shown that the
proper response is confinement and isolation of individuals with a mental illness, instead of empathy and treatment. [2, 5,11,12]
"...the mass media provide a consistent set of images that are assimilated by audience members and come to define their social reality" [2]