L13 - absorption-addiction model

Question 1

absorption addiction model

Answer 1

• where an individual’s fascination w/ a media personality progresses to a delusion of a relationship
• explains parasocial relationships as a total pre-occupation w/ a celeb’s life
• addictive striving for a stronger involvement
• people may have a weak sense of identity
• lack of fulfilment in their everyday relationships
• allows an ‘escape from reality’

Question 2

CWS

Answer 2

• celebrity worship syndrome
• the fascination w/ the lives of rich/ famous people
• starts off being harmless fun
• however leads to an abnormal obsession
• can develop into mentally disturbed behaviour involving e.g. stalking + delusions

Question 3

research - McCutcheon

Answer 3

• two components to the model:
• absorption
• addiction
• found evidence to suggest that those w/ insecure attachments
  = more likely to condone stalking + obsessive behaviour
• no correlation between insecure attachment + parasocial relationships

Question 4

absorption - research - McCutcheon

Answer 4

• Seeking fulfilment in celebrity worship motivates one to focus all their attention on the celebrity
• to become pre-occupied in their existence + identify with them

Question 5

addiction - research - McCutcheon

Answer 5

• the individual sustains their commitment to the relationship by feeling a stronger + close involvement with the celebrity
• this leads to more extreme behaviours + delusional thinking
  = E.g. stalking a celebrity because there is a belief they share mutual feelings

Question 6

ads of research - McCutcheon

Answer 6

• personality traits
• stalking

Question 7

disads of research - McCutcheon

Answer 7

• inconsistent
• reductionist
• eating disorders
• sample bias

Question 8

personality traits - ads of research - McCutcheon

Answer 8

• there’s supporting evidence of personality traits
• some predicted characteristics (shyness, loneliness)
• shown to exist in those who worship celebrities + develop parasocial relationships

Question 9

stalking - ads of research - McCutcheon

Answer 9

• psych reported that stalkers often have a history of failed sexual relationships at the time of stalking
• stalking = reaction to social incompetence, isolation + loneliness
  = suggests that the borderline pathological level of parasocial relationships is related to personal factors

Question 10

inconsistent - disads of research - McCutcheon

Answer 10

• individuals may not have consistent attachment styles across all relationships
• psychs found that people have shown variation in attachment styles across different significant relationships
  = attempts to identify a single pattern for celebrity worship may be futile

Question 11

reductionist - disads of research - McCutcheon

Answer 11

• research can be reductionist
• there’s no single personality type that engages in celeb admiration
• there are many different motivational factors that determine whether people admire celebs or not
• Schiappa’s research found that most parasocial relationships seem normal + common
  = w/ no particular trait associated
• found that the celeb is likely to be attractive + similar to the person who admires them
• age isn’t a predictor

Question 12

eating disorders - disads of research - Derrick et al

Answer 12

• research has found that parasoical relationships can have negative side effects
• Maltby found that parasocial relationships w/ celebs = slim + good body shape
  = may lead to a poor body image in female adolescents
  = predisposition to eating disorders
  = suggests that there’s a relationship between attitudes to celebs + body image = low self-esteem

Question 13

sample bias - disads of research - Derrick et al

Answer 13

• many studies on parasocial behaviour focus on students
  = sample bias
  = results can’t be generalised to the entire population
• means that if the research is carried out on a different age group = psychs may not necessarily obtain the same findings
  = therefore age differences need to be considered
  = found that parasocial behaviours normally occur in teenagers + can occur in adults as well