Refining Essay Question

I need to refine my essay question and come up with an essay plan, the subject of escapism is extremely broad and I want to make sure I research in relation to society. Escapism activities are often viewed as negative, timewasting and running away from problems. Names of characters that are thought of as escapist have been used as insults by high ranking political officials. I think that escapism is not as simple as running away and hiding from 'real life' , I think there are many benefits that can be gained through escapist activities. I think through these activities we can learn how to make sense of the complexities of the world around us. There are theories that suggest we have developed empathy through literacy, especially fiction. Fiction allows us to see through the eyes of other people. In the past we only felt empathy for a small group of people, friends, family. Through fiction we have been able to learn more about other cultures and see things from a wide variety of perspectives. if these theories are correct, fiction (which is essentially an escapist activity) could have had a huge impact on society. I think my question should be

Why is escapism viewed in a negative way and are these views justified?

I want to start the essay looking at psychological studies of escapism and exploring the possible positive and negative effects. Next I want to look at the way escapism is portrayed in popular culture such a television and film. Then look at genres in fiction and how they have changed over time: I want to explore whether genre can have a positive or negative effect on how the book is viewed. Then I want to look at theories relating to escapism and empathy looking at their effects on the individual and society as a whole.