We use desensitizing in all aspects of our world; communications, psychology, entertainment, and medical field to name a few. In some cases desensitizing is the best way to cope with a situation. Lets take for a moment the psychology field. Using desensitization in dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the psychologist must bring to light the causes of the PTSD and desensitize the patient to the traumatic event so that the client will be less apt to suffer from PTSD again or at least start the patient with coping strategies to lessen the effect. This is a wonderful way desensitization has its benefits.

Some people have to become desensitized to be able to perform their duties, such as soldiers, anyone in the medical field and so forth. However, further desensitization of us as humans may not be such a great thing. I know personally I have lost something, something I will never see again.

I never thought of myself as naive. I have been raped, tortured, beaten physically and mentally in my life. I have been married twice with a third soon and I have three boys ages 20, 7 and 5. I was so sure that had been desensitized already. I would have never thought that the world would still have more desensitization for me to go through.

I trained as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), so I have seen a decapitated body, severed fingers, heart attack victims and heat stroke to name a few. I thought I had seen my share in two years of my EMT career. However, never in my wildest dreams would I think that I would ever look at the human body as I do today.

When I took my License Nursing Assistant (LNA) course, I viewed and learned many of the same things I learned training to be an EMT. I never figured that actually doing the job would eventually desensitize me in any more of a personal way then I already was at this time. When viewing the human body I no longer look at it in a sexual manner. I view the body as parts only, each part doing its job as nature intended.

Looking back at myself in my earlier years, I realize how the world desensitizes people, places and things. I even look at a person that is at their “end of life” differently. I thought the first time I did “end of life care” on a body I would be 'freaked out' or thought it would be 'gross'. Much to my surprise, I did not have these feelings.

I feel like my desensitization toward the body and death is much like we have become desensitized towards violence. “Psychologists have demonstrated that people gradually become less physiologically and emotionally aroused as they view more violence” (video violence). As we view the news, horror movies, video games rated 'M'; we are desensitized against violence.

Has violence become worse in our day and age with our new technologies in war, our new weapons or has we as human become more psychotic? Is it that we report it more as we have been told many times that violence sells? What happened to the days of old?

Because of the gain in popularity of video games there is a new kind of research, the research of the impact that video game violence has on human psychology. There has been a number of studies that show media violence increases aggression which will desensitize the person to the point that they lose the normal inhibitions against violence. Desensitization has been believed that it has cognitive and emotional components. However, most research has only focused on the emotional component (Journal of Experimental Social Psychology).

Today, more people have become afraid to leave their homes, their safety. There are several blogs out there in the Internet that have asked the question,”How do I stop being scared”.Take this person for example,”As I get older, I find myself more and more being scared of totally irrational things. For example, the thought of being alone in the woods terrifies me, as does sleeping in the woods. While this probably stems partially from the “normal” fears of bears, getting lost, etc., what terrifies me is the thought of psycho killers/homicidal maniacs waiting in the woods to kill me. Another example: it’s really difficult for me to be alone at night in homes, because every noise I hear or shadow I see leads me to believe that someone or something is in the home. I am generally a completely rational and collected person, but I can somehow convince myself that every little creak or rattle is a crazy killer waiting for me in the basement” (Ask Metafilter). I realize that crime and violence is high in many cities, but this has to stop. Many people would say that this person has to get real and become desensitized just like the rest of us. My question is why?

Some days when I look at the world around me, I long for the days where I did not see violence towards myself. Also while doing the duties of my job I wonder where I would be now if I had not seen the horror in which I have seen first hand. I know that I find that I tend to shelter my children more from the world by refusing to get cable, playing more with the children in sports at the park and giving them toys that will not activate the aggression that many children have today.

I am not sure I am right in doing so, but my innocence was taken from me, so why not let my children have theirs for as long as I can. Why rush the outside world in, let the kids be kids. The violence will be right out the front door – when they are ready it will be ready for them. The horror of the world should not be viewed as the usual, it should be viewed as 'HORROR'!

Works Cited

Bartholow, Bruce D., Brad J. Bushman & Marc A. Sestir. “Chronic violent video game exposure and desensitization to violence:Behavioral and event-related brain potential data.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 7 October 2005 <http://www.elsevier.com/authored_subject_sections/S05/S05_361/misc/JESP_Bartholow.pdf>

Elquin. “Help me overcome my fear.” Online posting. 13 November 2006. 29 may 2008 <http://ask.metafilter.com/50826/>

Yates, Bradford L, Michelle Ballard, Mary Ann Ferguson, Kirk Filer, Ann Villanueva, Alison Knott, and Tracy Cristal. “Video Violence: Desensitization and Excitation Effects on Learning.” University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Graduate Division 3 August
1998 <http://www.westga.edu/~byates/video.htm>