Big Brother UK reality television Shock Tactics and set changes
are part of the ongoing appeal of Big Brother.
The
2003 version has new ideas (according to the press coverage) with smaller
and more confined areas. Space is a big issue as people who live together
in inner cities know all about. Getting on top of each other can cause
friction and rows.
Organizations
that impose rules are showing how people learn to adapt or try to
break the rules. Stealing occurs and anger
erupts. Stress starts to show in extreme behaviors such as excessive
drinking, smoking, breaking rules and sleep disturbances.
Sleep
disturbances create a cycle of stress responses in the body systems
leading to fatigue and exhaustion.
The
story and the stress responses. Big
Brother 3 - Year 2002 - £70.000 up for grabs - survival is the
name of the game - rejection is to be avoided at all cost. Behaving
in extreme ways - like the TV program Men Behaving Badly - has become
part of the show. Winners in the past have shown extreme behaviour and
Big Brother 3 is no exception.
How
much are people influenced by others around them? Alex finds Jade's
voice difficult to live with.
Other
programmes and newspapers are trying to influence the voting by stating
their opinion and asking people to vote with them - almost like elections
for Members of Parliament. TV presenters are making comments. One
effect of stress can result in a very high sex drive or rejection of
sexual desires completely.
A
sudden change in lifestyle can be felt as stressful while pressure to
conform can be felt as a threat. People who have learned to entertain
themselves are better able to cope with their stress.
Intellectual
discussions or silly games become distractions from thinking about the
effects. However Tim says he does not want to play silly games, while
Alex is getting angry with Jade.
Organization
stress in the Big Brother House - Rich and Poor divided the Group -
while Big Brother got tough on rule breaking. Two faced people and the
divide created a wish to be on the other side of the fence. Stress creates
a mind that becomes confused - unable to think clearly.
Adele
said that the situation in the house was doing her head in. Conflict
on sexual identity was evident in Adele; saying she is bi sexual while
becoming aware that the attentions of Alex were more than a peck on
the cheek. Davina showed the expressions and comments that Alex had
made about Adele.
Contestants
had arrived in the house with much chattering and talk. One or two said
they were nervous, while some chain smoking was evident. The amount
of alcohol consumed varied from nothing to a large amount with an almost
continuous flow of cider at one stage. Drunkenness became more extreme
as the weeks went on; to the point of being sick and feeling very ill.
Antics and high spirits seemed to be the name of the game.
An attempt to break the rules using secret codes and pointing to words
rather than speaking resulted in a ban on all magazines and books. Sexual
feelings appeared high on the agenda with swearing a common feature.
From
the outside the house looks like a prison with high fences and barbed
wire around the perimeter. Inside either a haven away from the world
and a chance to begin to unwind from past stresses or if contestants
have many conflicts in their life outside then the pressures in the
house will magnify the stress responses.
Anger,
rage, fighting, bickering tears and primitive behavior become part of
the daily life; Jade seemed prone to extreme rows.
Kate
licked to fight and kick box finding her partners in Jonny, Alex and
PJ.
Nominations showed how some contestants began to recognize manipulators
or trouble makers, while jealousy or envy is surfaced in little conversations
around the house.
Early
stress responses - jittery, high excitement, biting nails, constant
chatter, talking behind people's back, feeling gutted, wanting to throw
things, scream, hit someone, make someone feel sorry for you, sexual
arousal, change in relationships - love/hate.
Jade
learned to speak at a speed equivalent to- the foot full down on the
car throttle, not bothering to listen to anyone else and often talking
over other house mates. The shock of being nominated, so soon, brought
tears and sobbing to Jade.
Loud and aggressive behavior is learned as a survival strategy early
in family relationships.
Making
people feel guilty for something they have done and seeking attention
by any means - these are survival tactics in the house contestants and
are sometimes inbuilt survival responses which are not recognized by
an individual until they are pointed out by someone else. Often the
reaction will be horror or refusing to see themselves as they really
are.
The
diary room where contestants can speak about themselves and others was
used frequently and Jade was sometimes in there for very long periods
- an hour or more. Sometimes this can wind people up even more while
changing subject can deflect the person away from their problems.
Two
evictions and Big Brother gets down to business with tasks that require
individual responses. Five members were successful and lived in luxury
- the others will live on basic rations. Some feel cheated by others
who they think have cheated. The losers talked about robbing the food;
not realizing that the house was about to be divided in two. The
house was split with a dividing wall that was see through;
like prisons within prisons or a luxury hotel away from any distractions.
Overwhelming luxury means the contestants could drink or smoke as much
as they like. Down to minimal living showed that being deprived created
a strong bond and togetherness.
Patterns of behavior and
long term effects on health. Feeling in control or out of
control often imposes extreme reactions.
No
place to hide, so two chose to leave the house and one suggested
that the other competitors were self obsessed. Sandy
left by scaling the roof; he said he was
bored and even beyond boredom. He also said he always walked away
if there was something he did not like. Sandy often withdrew from talking
to other people because he said he did not like them, although he admitted
that they behaved as he did when he was younger. In his interview he
said he would go back to work after a weekend away with his partner.
He also said that felt he was not in control; something he was not used
to feeling. Changing and adapting to new and unfamiliar ways can be
extremely stressful, scary and “go against the grain”. Sandy
felt he was there not to enjoy himself, but was punishing himself. Sometimes
- the luxury of nothing to do and everything done for you - can make
people feel guilty. As a military man, Sandy would be trained to be
self sufficient. Rule
breaking
became a feature of the night before Sandy left. As a result the house
mates have been reminded and asked to think about their behavior.
Childlike
behavior relating to sexual contact was observed in the teasing and
"I will show you mine, if you show me yours". Under pressure
people can resort to early behavior patterns learned in child hood.
Lee was evicted and would like to be remembered as a flirt. He said
it was hard in the house and his need for sexual contact was clearly
on show.
Half
way through and the pressure increased to avoid eviction. Tim lived
alone on the rich side and encouraged the Group to revolt without success.
The divide came down with sacrifices such as no unlimited wine allowance.
Finally
four contestants make it to the last day - Kate, Alex, Jonny and Jade.
The fate rests on the public views and preference for watching others
who entertain, irritate, amuse, disgust. The
choice is yours or is it influenced by other views? Finally Kate wins
with strong emotional reactions after nine weeks of intense interaction
with other house mates.
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