The Violence, Horror, and Pornography: the Problem of Criteria of Their Influence on the Juvenile Psyche round table was held on May 29, in an atmosphere of scientific precision and public emotion. Initiated by the Institute of Social and Political Psychology of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, its expert findings proved totally unexpected in many respects.
Eros and thanatos, sex and death, have always been side by side in the human subconscious; the entire history of civilization has been aimed at getting these two basic instincts under control. The expansion of low quality television films breaks through the dam of common sense, opening the rising generation to attack. Children often mistake television reality for what happens in real life; they fight and someone gets killed, the others standing back and watching in amazement (in a movie he would surely survive). This sluggish mental response is known as affective flattening. It is a psychological trauma that can cause problems afterward, when a man decides to have a family. Children with a more sensitive nervous system show a more vivid foreign bodily reaction to scenes of violence. They can develop nervous psoriasis, enuresis, stammering, and various neurotic disorders.
Experts believe that erotic films (not to be mistaken for porno movies) have a calming effect on children. When an adolescent takes an interest in the facts of life, such televised material becomes an important instructional aid. Statistics show that children, whose curiosity in this sphere remains unsatisfied, grow up to sustain various sexual malfunctions. However, moderation is strongly recommended.
Adult films in Ukraine are allowed to be played after 22:00. Every film is allocated a rating by Derzhtelevideoprokat (State Committee on Television Video Rentals) experts. A movie meant for the general public must not have scenes of stark violence and horror; naked flesh must be aesthetically presented, in keeping with established artistic standards. So far, only 60% of 10,000 films shown on television are licensed. Still, the situation did begin to change for the better after state control was instituted.
