Media Column
Academic Psychiatry, 25:2, Summer 2001 125
Taking Professional Wrestling to the Mat
A Look at the Appeal and Potential Effects
of Professional Wrestling on Children
Jim Waxmonsky, M.D.
Eugene V. Beresin, M.D.
Professional wrestling (PW) has gained a firm foothold in American culture and appears to
be here to stay. Children comprise a large portion of its audience, much to the dismay of
many parents and clinicians. Society has struggled with how to respond to their children’s
fascination with PW, a novel hybrid between sports and entertainment. Parents expose
children to sports, thinking they will learn healthy ways of managing conflict and aggression.
However, PW is not a sport. Its values are the exact opposite of traditional sportsmanship;
it demonstrates to children that cheating and verbal intimidation are effective
problem-solving techniques. Because PW resembles sports, children risk applying its values
to legitimate sports, as well as other realms......
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Approximate Word Count: 4438
Approximate Pages: 18 (260 words per double-spaced page) |