Parasocail Relationships

Question 1

What is a Parasocial Relationship?

Answer 1

An individual is attracted to another person (usually a celebrity) who is normally unaware of the existence of the person who has started the relationship.

Question 2

Who identified the 3 levels of parasocial relationships?

Answer 2

Giles and Maltby (2006).

Question 3

What are the 3 levels of parasocial relationship?

Answer 3

1. Entertainment-social.
2. Intense-personal.
3. Borderline-pathological.

Question 4

Explain the Entertainment-Social level of parasocial.

Answer 4

• fans follow the celebrity on social media, keep up with what they do and learn about them purely for entertainment.
• most people stay at this level and can keep in control of their emotions about the celebrity.

Question 5

Explain the Intense-Personal level of parasocial.

Answer 5

• involves deeper level of involvement and reflects intensive and compulsive feelings about the celebrity.
• typical for teenagers but they could still move away from the intense feelings (grow out of the attraction).

Question 6

Explain Borderline-Pathological level of parasocial.

Answer 6

• identify with the celebrity’s success and failures.
• over identification with the celebrity and uncontrollable behaviours/fantasises about their lives ‘together.’
• individual thinks that if they meet the celebrity the feeling will be mutual.

Question 7

Explain the Absorption Addiction Model.

Answer 7

• when the individual becomes psychologically absorbed with a celebrity to establish a sense of fulfilment.
• person becomes so absorbed with the life of the celebrity, that leaving more about the celebrity becomes an addiction.

Question 8

Who produced the Absorption Addiction Model?

Answer 8

McCutcheon (2002).

Question 9

Define the Attachment Theory.

Answer 9

• explanation of the formation of an emotional bond between 2 people; 2 way process and leads to certain behaviours such as proximity seeking.

Question 10

Explain Proximity seeking in terms of attraction.

Answer 10

• fans exhibit this behaviour as they collect trivia and try to meet the celebrity in person.

Question 11

Explain Secure Base in terms of attraction theory.

Answer 11

• there is no chance of rejection and they can create a secure base from which they can explore their ‘relationship.’

Question 12

Explain Protest at Disruption in terms of attraction.

Answer 12

• fans feel grief when anything happens to their parasocial partner.

Question 13

Explain how Attachment Style affects the likelihood of creating a parasocial relationship.

Answer 13

• insecure resistant were most likely to enter parasocial relationships.
• avoidant attachment less likely due to inability to make intimate feelings and don’t enter real relationships let alone fake ones.

Question 14

Who create the attachment theory in regards to attraction?

Answer 14

Weiss (1991).

Question 15

Who suggested the attachment style theory?

Answer 15

Cole and Leets (1999).

Question 16

Evaluating: What did Schiappa (2007) find?

Answer 16

• carried out meta analysis and found that people who entered PSRs arched more television (supports idea of celebrity PSRs).

Question 17

Evaluating: What did Eyal and Cohen (2006) find?

Answer 17

• link between PSRs and intensity of loneliness experienced in PSRs.

Question 18

Evaluating: What did Greenwood and Long (2009) find?

Answer 18

• found that they are usually developed due to intense loneliness, not resulting in loneliness.

Question 19

Evaluating: Explain one weakness of PSRs.

Answer 19

• doesn’t consider the mental health benefits the PSR may be having someone.