Betrayal; Dangerous fantasy of home theater series

"When treason is told over and over again with attractive colors, its ugliness is shed"; This is the warning of Hoda Moradi, a clinical psychologist, about the image that home show series present to the audience.

According to Ambassador Arjan's report, he wrote: For many audiences, the story begins with a series; We watch a few episodes and suddenly we encounter a character who has entered into a secret relationship despite having a common life. At first, we may be surprised by his decision, upset by the character's behavior or even consider it immoral; But as the story progresses, the same secret relationship takes a different shape among romantic music, eye-catching images, emotional dialogues and popular faces.

In recent years, the home show has repeatedly gone to emotional triangles, betrayal, parallel relationships and the presence of a "third person" in the lives of couples; From "Romance" and "Dell" to "Zhomkari" and other series where breaking commitment is part of their story. But the story becomes interesting from the point where the audience, instead of judging the character's behavior, gradually gets involved in his feelings and destiny; He feels sorry for him, understands his reasons and may even consider his decision understandable or justified.

This is where a serious question arises: Does the audience's mind really draw a clear line between "story" and "reality"? And if a traumatic behavior is recounted repeatedly and with an attractive appearance, does our sensitivity to it remain the same? Hoda Moradi, a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, in an interview with the reporter of Arjanzandagi Ambassador, emphasizing that facing these images is not a passive and neutral experience, he believes that repetition and glamorization of behaviors such as cheating can affect the emotional reaction and judgment of the audience.

When infidelity no longer raises "red flags".

Moradi explains that the audience is not just following a story when watching such images; Because when betrayal and other traumatic behaviors are narrated in a background of romantic music, seductive lighting and the presence of charismatic actors, the audience's physiological and emotional reactions are also affected. Pointing out that the human brain instinctively has an "alarm" when faced with harmful behaviors such as betrayal, he says: the same sense of disgust, shock or moral conflict that warns us in the real world that this behavior is destructive can also be affected when faced with media representations.

According to this clinical psychologist, when such behavior is repeated over and over again with an attractive tone, a person may experience some kind of conditioning and emotional desensitization. In simple words, the mind gets used to the undesirable phenomenon and in common terms, its ugliness falls. Moradi emphasizes that in such a situation, the warning system that should be activated against the breach of contract, may no longer react as it did in the past; Because the brain is used to the images and the type of narrative and this undesirable stimulus has been placed many times next to the desirable and attractive visual and emotional elements.

He continues that in this situation, that internal reaction that is "treasonous and destructive" may no longer be formed and the audience will look at it from the position of identification with the character instead of looking at the story from the position of moral judgment. As a result, the inherent ugliness of betrayal fades in his mind and this behavior becomes an inevitable drama; In such a way that it may not only not shock the audience, but also appear acceptable and even justified as part of a romantic relationship. Moradi emphasizes that repeating such narratives is not just storytelling, but can also affect the audience's mental boundaries about ethics and commitment.

Betrayal; From "moral disaster" to a normal event?

This clinical psychologist also believes that the effect of the same content on all audiences cannot be considered mechanically and the same about the repetition of betrayal in several series and the image that is transmitted to the audience. He explains that humans have mental filters, ingrained beliefs, and varying degrees of critical thinking, and because of this, one content cannot be expected to change everyone in the same way. However, according to Moradi, psychological data and clinical observations show that the general pattern of such content is not safe and has a worrying direction.

Moradi says that the human brain generally tends to internalize what it sees many times, from different sources and in various forms, as part of the context and reality of the environment. From this point of view, when betrayal becomes the priority of stories in various series, one's belief may not change overnight, but his "thought atmosphere" may change gradually.

He believes that this issue can become more important, especially for people who are facing a feeling of insecurity, loneliness or dissatisfaction in their real relationship, and it can lead to a dangerous shift in standards; In the sense that betrayal is reduced from a "moral disaster and interpersonal trauma" to a "pervasive and perhaps inevitable complication in the modern world". At the same time, Moradi emphasizes that people's reactions to these contents are different, but the background and general result of such depictions can lead to the gradual weakening of the stigma of breaking commitments and the formation of structural pessimism towards the sustainability of a shared life.

When the fantasies of the series take the place of the reality of life

But the issue is not limited to changing the audience's attitude towards betrayal. The more important question is whether continuous watching of such narratives can make its way into the marital relationship itself. In response to this question, Moradi emphasizes that continuous exposure to these narratives does not have a one-sided and direct effect on all people, and the extent of its effect depends on individual contexts, the characteristics of the content itself, the quality of the current relationship, and how the audience is evaluated.

However, he points out some important mechanisms and says that Tamasha is not without influence. Referring to a classic study by Segrin and Nabi, Moradi explains that in this study, a positive relationship was observed between watching the romantic genre and the formation of ideal expectations of marriage. In the following, he considers one of the important dangers to be "comparison" and explains that the characters of the third lover in movies and series are usually depicted as passionate, perfect and free from the daily burden, fatigue and financial challenges of real life. According to Moradi, when a person unconsciously compares his wife with these edited fantasies, his evaluation of the real relationship can drop and this issue can damage the relationship.

This clinical psychologist also points to the role of individual backgrounds and says that if the audience has a history of doubt, attachment anxiety, or a bitter experience of betrayal, repeated viewing of narratives related to betrayal can intensify extreme caring behaviors, pessimism, and obsessive checking in the relationship; An event that can be traumatic for both the person and the relationship.

How can couples watch series more consciously?

In the final part of his speech, Moradi emphasizes the necessity of strengthening the "media literacy" of couples. According to him, couples should remember that the purpose of the movie industry is to create drama, suspense and sell tickets, not to provide a working model of a healthy marital bond. Of course, according to this psychologist, there are also films and series that can have a therapeutic effect and be healthy, but the number of such contents is small.

He considers the first step to change the situation from "passive viewing" to "critical conversation between two people" and suggests that couples talk about it after watching the movie; Discuss the logical consequences of the characters' decisions and redefine for each other the difference between fleeting passion and committed intimacy. Moradi believes that such conversations can restore agreements and safe boundaries of the relationship against dramatic narratives. He also emphasizes the awareness of the "comparison trap" and says: You should not compare a real life partner who is involved in work and daily life concerns with a fictional character who only appears in a few emotional scenes.

Finally, this clinical psychologist considers it necessary to observe a "targeted media regime" and emphasizes: if a relationship is experiencing tension, loss of intimacy or suspicion at some point, watching these topics continuously can play the role of a destructive catalyst. According to Moradi, in such a situation, perhaps the best choice is to temporarily stop these contents and direct attention and energy towards restoring the quality and intimacy in a real relationship.