Gender differences in the representation of aggressors and victims are an important issue in the study of television violence in order to ascertain whether television contributes (and how) to reproduce or transform the traditional gender regime. Eighty-four hours of Spanish main TV broadcasting stations were randomly recorded during years 2000 and 2005. Variables related to the presentation of aggressors and victims and to the normative context of aggression were selected through content analysis. The results show the minimal presence of women in violent scenes. But women are also the victims of more serious violence. Paradoxically, women's aggressions appear to have more positive consequences and to be less legitimized. The implications of these findings are discussed from a gender studies perspective.

A quantitative analysis of broadcasted violence by the main television (TV) channels transmitting for Madrid (Spain) was carried out using a novel method that randomly selects fragments of delimited duration from TV broadcasts. The device selects acts of aggression shown in those TV extracts, and classifies them according to their type. There was a high incidence of aggressive acts, especially physical (particularly leading to death), in TV fiction: films, serials and promos. The device also allowed examination of the prominence of aggression in children's programs, as well as showing minimal variation in the number of aggressive acts over screened time intervals. The pattern of the collected data suggests that the broadcasting of violence on TV emphasizes the conflicting elements of social reality, reproducing it in fiction, news reports and children's shows. Aggr. Behav. 32:137-145. 2006.

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the relationship between the culture in one of the majority national trade unions in Spain and the difficulties in accomplishing the desired changes and innovations.Design/methodology/approachA total of 15 focus groups comprised of trade union leaders were conducted. Transcriptions of the groups were analyzed from a grounded theory approachFindingsThe presence of an “inconclusive dialectic” structure (thesis‐antithesis‐no synthesis) in the leaders' rhetoric was identified. From a dialectic perspective of organizational change, this can be interpreted as a factor slowing change within the organization.Research limitations/implicationsThe study reflects the role played by organizational culture in maintaining this inertia and in the delay of the reduction of divergence between internal and external dimensions implied in the working and survival of trade union organizations. The results of the study reflect the need to introduce changes in the trade union's language and to redefine some of the terms in the discourse. New standards for the evaluation of the efficiency of trade unions as a whole, teams and their members are also necessary. This redefinition implies proposals able to synthesize tensions between the ideological and instrumental and between activism and professionalism.Originality/valueIn order to face workers' demands in the current framework of labor relations, there is general consensus on the need for change and development in trade union organizations. There are numerous factors involved that have been analyzed and some initiatives have been implemented from different levels with unclear success. Although literature on organizational development gives culture a central role, in the case of trade unions this dimension has been neglected.

RESUMENLos efectos de la violencia en la televisión han sido ampliamente estudiados desde una perspectiva experimental, que soslaya en cierto modo la interacción entre emisor y receptor. El presente trabajo plantea una perspectiva complementaria que tiene en cuenta la interpretación y la elaboración que los espectadores hacen de las emisiones. Se propone identificar y analizar las dimensiones sociales que mediatizan las experiencias emocionales ante la violencia vista en televisión y cómo esas dimensiones emocionales, que se construyen en el discurso, están ligadas a actitudes, dimensiones éticas y posiciones de acción. El discurso analizado procede de ocho grupos de discusión -compuestos diferencialmente respecto al género, la edad y el nivel educativo-, que se analizaron a partir de las emociones que experimentan ante la violencia en la televisión. El análisis del discurso muestra, en primer lugar, la importancia de una primera movilización emocional, con referencias a emociones complejas y, en segundo lugar, una articulación de la experiencia emocional respecto de la repetición de escenas (modalidad, clasificación y evaluación), los actos (legitimación o no) y los personajes (identificación o desidentificación). En conclusión, el doble impacto de las emociones (inmediato y diferido) genera narrativas complejas que abocan a un único curso de acción caracterizado por la responsabilidad y la culpa, que solo puede tenerse en cuenta asumiendo el papel activo del espectador. ABSTRACTThe effects of TV violence have been widely studied from an experimental perspective, which, to a certain extent, neglects the interaction between broadcaster and recipient. This study proposes a complementary approach, which takes into account viewers' interpretation and construction of TV messages. Social dimensions influencing emotional experiences to TV violence will be identified and analyzed, as well as the way these emotions are construed in discourse, how they are linked to attitudes, ethical dimensions and courses of action. Eight focus groups (segmented by age, gender and educational level) were the basis of a discourse analysis that reconstructed the way audiences experience TV violence. Results show the importance of a first immediate emotional mobilisation, with references to complex emotions, and a second emotional articulation of experiences regarding repetition of scenes (type, classification and assessment of broadcasts), legitimacy (or lack thereof) of violent acts, and identification (or lack thereof) with main characters. In conclusion, the double impact (immediate and deferred) of emotions generates complex narratives that lead to a single course of action characterised by responsibility and guilt, which can only be taken into account by assuming the active role of viewer. PALABRAS CLAVE / KEYWORDSViolencia, televisión, emociones, impacto emocional, recepción por la audiencia, análisis de discurso. Violence, television, emotions, emotional impact, audience reception, discourse analysis. D O S S I E R Comunicar, nº 36...

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