The following is a student presentation from the Summer 2012 "Media Psychology and Influence" course taught as part of the SPICE Study Abroad program at Universitat Erfurt. In this course, students were asked to propose a theoretically- and practically-relevant research model about one facet of media psychology and communication. Read more about SPICE: http://www.uni-erfurt.de/kommunikationswissenschaft/studium/bachelor-kommunikationswissenschaft/spice/ ABSTRACT: It has been suggested that listening to hip hop and rap music leads to higher substance abuse. This paper seeks to highlight existing research that might further our understanding of the topic, present and apply communication theory to help us explain this possible connection, and suggest other mediator and moderator variables which alter or strengthen the drug usage of individual persons. In this context we suggest taking a closer look at personal opinions of drug use and acceptability of drug usage in the subculture, in addition to a sensation seeking personality. Therefore we developed a structural equation model, which we will present in this paper after explaining why we suggest that listening to music does not lead directly to higher substance abuse.

1. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
HIP HOP MUSIC AND
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AS
MODERATED AND MEDIATED BY
ADDITIONAL VARIABLES
Media Psychology Sean Aquadro (WVU), Leighanne Dean
Summer 2012, University of Erfurt (Oklahoma), Friederike Lehmann (Uni Erfurt),
Dr. Nicholas Bowman - Professor Katherine Webster (WVU)

2. Music and Substance Abuse
“So what we get drunk,
So what we smoke weed.
We’re just having fun.
We don’t care who sees.
So what we go out.
That’s how it’s supposed to be,
Living young and wild and free.”
(Young, Wild and Free by Snoop Dog and Wiz Khalifa)

3. Music and Substance Abuse
 Harry Shapiro (1988) in „Drugs & Rock„n„Roll“:
 nearly every music genre used to have his own
party drugs
 alcohol and tobacco stayed favored until today

4. Hip Hop and Substance Abuse
 Hip Hop and Rap Music often seems to
contain drugs (mostly positively associated)
 S. Diamond et al. (2006):
 content analysis of 69 rap songs (1996-2003)
 D. Herd (2008):
 changingof prevelence of drug use in rap music
from 1979-1997, 341 rap music lyrics
 songs with references to drugs increased
sixfold

5. Hip Hop and Substance Abuse
 Meng-Jinn Chan et al. (2006):
 over 1000 college students (15-25 years), music-
listening habits and use of alcohol and drugs &
aggressive behaviors
rap music alcohol use, illicit-
drugs use,
aggressive behavior

6. Hip Hop and Substance Abuse
 T. Bogt et al. (2012):
 relationships
between music preferences and
substance use, 18,103 fifteen-years-olds from 10
European countries
 for Hip Hop and R„n„B: both, positively and
negatively
 there must be some other variables, which
influence the association to drugs of an
individual person!

7. Cultivation Theory
George Gerbner, 1976
gender
[ ]age
class
vocation
lifestyle

8. Social Learning Theory
Bandura, 1977
observation
retention
ability to copy
motivation

9. The resources are available
“ 95 percent of state and local law
enforcement agencies describe the
availability of marijuana as high or moderate.
-National Drug Intelligence Center, 2005
Glorification of prison does
not discourage behavior
“ When . . . incarceration is not
sufficiently stigmatized, it loses it value
as deterrence.
-Butler, 2004

10. Personal Opinions on Drug Use
They can get ideas from cultivation theory
and learn to reproduce the behavior with social learning
theory
but realistically, personal values are a necessary component
“ A value is an enduring belief that a
specific mode of conduct or end-state
of existence is personally or socially
preferable -Rokeach, 1973
“ A value is a conception…of the
desirable which influences the
selection from available modes,
means, and ends of action."-Kluckholn, 1951
Behavior is the result of values at attitudes (Fritzsche, 1995)
Continued exposure to drug-friendly media results in changed values and
attitudes

11. Personal Opinions on Drug Use, cont.
•religious and spiritual experiences
•higher levels of personal understanding
•heightened creativity
•decreased social inhibitions
Maslow says we‟re all driven to fulfill self actualization once our other
needs are taken care of, a sense of purpose and higher personal
achievement. (Maslow, 1943, 1954)
Using drugs for these religious and creative purposes can be in pursuit
of self actualization, which gives a favorable personal opinion towards
drug use.
H2: Individuals with favorable personal opinions towards
drug use are more likely to use drugs to the point of substance abuse

12. Social Identity Theory
 Developed by Henri Tajfel in the 1970s
 Defined as “a social psychological analysis of
the role of self-conception in group
membership, group processes, and intergroup
relations” (Hogg, 2006).

13. Social Identity Theory
 Shared beliefs and values
 More inclined to act like those around you to fit
in
 Group membership
 In-groups and out-groups

14. Subculture
 Youth subculture- shared values within a group

15. Subculture

16. Music & Subculture
 Popular music and opinions of illegal drugs
 Music is important to youth
 Fills emotional needs
 Connects peers

17. Acceptance in the Subculture
 Drug use desensitized in youth subculture
 Deviant, but leisure-oriented

18. Club Culture
 Important to stay up-to-date on trends
 Use drugs to enhance club experience
 Only the subculture had a positive view of
drugs
H3: People in a subculture accepting of drug use are more likely to use drugs

19. What is Sensation Seeking?
 Personality Trait
 “Tendency to seek novel, varied, complex and
intense sensations and experiences and the
willingness to take risks for sake of
experiences”( Zuckerman,1994)
 “Let Me try ”

20. Four Components
 Trill
 Adventure seeking
 Disinhibition
 Boredom susceptibilty

21. Positive and Negative Sides of
Sensation Seeking
 Positive- Extreme Sport
 Negative- Unhealthy risky behaviors

22. Sensation seeking and drug
use
 High sensation seekers are more likely to be
involved in drug use
Underestimate the risks
 Less likely to consider drug use a risky
behavior

23. Sensation Seeking Over Time
 Low sensation seekers- remained low level in
use, frequency, quantity
 High sensation seekers- maintained the same
over time, high levels of use, frequency and
quantity.

24. Sensation Seeking and Peer
influence
 Is Peer influence stronger than sensation
seeking?
 High sensation seekers = High sensation
seeking friends
 Pro drug conversations

25. Sensation Seeking and Peer
Influence
 41.6%- non using youth compared to 97.5%
using youth

26. Sensation Seeking and Music
 Heavy Metal Music = High sensation seeking
 Positive results in all but one reckless
behaviors
 Very strong connections

27. Overview
 Sensation Seeking role
 The sensation seeking trait causes them to
participate in drug use
H4: People with high sensation-seeking
personalities will be more likely to use drugs

28. Figure 1

29. Do you have
any questions?

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