Vicarious learning, which is at the heart of the social cognitive theory of mass communication, is the process through which a person learns to perform a behavior after observing a behavior being rewarded (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). This concept, regardless of your political views, could be one way to look at some of the criticism surrounding Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Recently, there has been much discussion regarding an incident between John McGraw, a Trump supporter, and Rakeem Jones, a protester that he assaulted. As Rakeem Jones was being escorted out of a Trump rally in North Carolina, John McGraw punched him in the face. McGraw was quoted as saying of Mr. Jones, “Yes, he deserved it,” and adding, “The next time we see him, we might have to kill him” (Parker, 2016). Prior to the assault, Trump had repeatedly told supporters of his desire to be rougher with protesters. One could easily make the argument that McGraw acted, at least in part, due to vicarious learning. He saw the violent behavior of Trump supporters being encouraged and rewarded, which then increased the likelihood that he would exhibit like behaviors.
Another way to look at the violence associated with the Donald Trump campaign is through the neoassociationistic model of media priming. According to Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts (2012), priming is the effect that a stimulus or event can have on the way that we react to future stimuli. Essentially, exposure to media violence can affect how aggressively we act in subsequent situations (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Looking back to Trump’s campaign, his recent comments, regarding the likelihood that him being denied the nomination will lead to violence and riots, could potentially have a priming effect. He has recently been quoted as saying “I think it would be- I think you’d have riots. I think you’d have riots. I’m representing a tremendous, many, many millions of people” (Haberman, 2016). Is it possible that such statements, which he has repeated over and over again in subsequent addresses could act as primers for violent behavior? While Mr. Trump’s words might not be meant as a call to arms, I believe that similarly to the way that Mr. McGraw acted violently following Trump’s declarations regarding his desire to be violent against protesters, his most recent comments could also incite violence.
In addition to how violent rhetoric can in fact lead to violence, one could also focus on how such violence leads to an overall increase of fear. Cultivation theory is a theory based on the premise that TV is one of our primary socializing agents, and as such it can cultivate our social reality. In that sense, media violence can lead to, for people with heavy media exposure, a feeling as if the world in general is a violent place (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). If that is the case, then beyond inciting specific acts of violence, the rhetoric that has been central to Trump’s campaign could lead to an overall feeling of fear and insecurity amongst his supporters as well as all of those who are exposed to his views. Now this is certainly not limited to Trump’s campaign, but it is possible that his campaign is greatly contributing to feelings of unrest.
By applying social psychological theories to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, you can see where there is perhaps room for criticism. This is not about his political views or his fitness for office, but simply a breaking down of the potential consequences of some of his statements. That being said, these are certainly not concepts that apply exclusively to Donald Trump or even to the presidential race at large. I think it is important to understand how our exposure to media can affect our levels of aggression, our reactions, and how we view the world around us.
References
Haberman, M. (2016, March 16). Donald Trump warns of ‘riots’ if party blocks him at convention. The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/03/16/donald-trump-warns-of-riots-if-party-blocks-him-at-convention/
Parker, A. (2016, March 10). Black protester is sucker-punched by white Donald Trump supporter at rally. The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/03/10/donald-trump-rally- protester/
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.