L10 - absorption-addiction model Flashcards
what is a parasocial relationship
one sided unreciprocated rs often with a celebrity, fan spends a lot of emotional energy, commitment and time
3 levels of parasocial rs
entertainment-social
intense-personal
borderline-pathological
what is entertainment-social
most people engage in this level
celebrities are a source of entertainment and a topic for lighthearted gossips
what is intense-personal
deeper level
may see them as a soulmate
intense interest in personal life
typical for teenagers obsessed with with every detail of a favourite celebrities lifestyle
what is borderline-pathological
most intense
obsessive fantasies
spends lots of money to obtain memorabilia
engage in illegal activity - stalking
if they met this celebrity, their feelings would be reciprocate
who made the absorption addiction model
mccutcheon
what is the absorption addiction model
engage in celeb worship to compensate for deficiency e.g. lack of identity of difficulty forming intimate r/s
achieves fulfilment they lack in everyday life
sense of purpose and excitement
what is the absorption
absorption - looks for satisfaction in celebration worship, sense of purpose/excitement motivates them to be more intensely attached
what is the addiction
compared to physiological addiction
increase dose to gain satisfaction
leads to more extreme behaviours and delusional thinking
e.g. stalking and believes celeb wants to reciprocate but cannot as someone stops them
2 strengths of absorption addiction model
- evidence showed that develop celebrity worship to deal with recent loss/ loneliness
- +correlation between amount of tv that pp watched and degree they perceived a TV character as real and level of parasocial rs
2 weaknesses of absorption addiction model
- other research found no significant correlationship between intensity of loneliness and intensity of parasocial r/rs. so evidence is not conclusive
