Research Source 2

Tayler Dooley

Bragadottir

English 201

11 March 2015

Research Assignment Source

            The second research article that I will incorporate into my research paper is titled, “Why People Watch Reality Television.” Authors Steven Reiss and James Wiltz of Ohio State University have co-written the article. The article is in an inquiry into the potential psychological appeal reality television has for its viewers. The authors asked 239 participants to rate how much they enjoyed reality television, and to rate themselves on the 16 basic motives outlined on the Reiss Profile standardized instrument scale. The results propose that reality television watchers share a general psychological profile with one another. They feel very self-important and are status oriented. They tend to be free of morality, secure with themselves, and free from authority and order. Some are vengeful and watch for a competition-oriented outlet, while others tend to be romantic and looking for and outlet for that. The results also show that people watch television shows that stimulate the feelings and inner values they possess.    

            This is source is incredibly useful for my paper and the research behind it. I was unable to find a paper that discussed the psychology behind RTV for the longest time. However, that is exactly what this article does, it provided insight into the psychological profile of the common RTV viewer. The source also coincides with the other sources I reference in my paper because they have all used some of the same papers in their works cited pages. The information provided by the sources is unbiased and reliable because it came from a peer-reviewed study that collected and measured impartial data from their participant’s television viewing. This source was very helpful for my research because it provided me with psychological etiology for RTV viewership. I was able to cite this source and provide evidence that specific personality traits influence and predict RTV audiences.