Parasocial Relationship

Question 1

What is a parasocial relationship

Answer 1

A one sided relationship where one is very committed and the other may not even know they are in the relationship

Question 2

What is a common form of this relationships

Answer 2

When a person likes a celebrity they see on tv yet only know the character and not the geniune person

Question 3

What is the model of parasocial relationships called

Answer 3

Absorption-addiction model

Question 4

Who made the absorption-addiction model and when

Answer 4

McCutcheon et al in 2002

Question 5

What is the main statement of this model

Answer 5

The reason people seek parasocial relationships because they feel dissatisfied with their own lives

Question 6

What are the three levels of parasocial relationships

Answer 6

Entertainment-social level

Intense-personal level

Borderline-level

Question 7

Who identified the three levels of parasocial relationships and when

Answer 7

Giles and Maltby in 2006

Question 8

What is the entertainment-social level

Answer 8

Where the person keeps up with their celebrity and researches then in order for entertainment

Question 9

What is the intense-personal level

Answer 9

When the person develops intense feelings for the celebrity and can be described as obsessed

Question 10

What is the borderline-pathological level

Answer 10

The person has over-identified with a celebrity and their fantasies and behaviours are uncontrollable akin to an addiction

Question 11

Why has McCutcheon called the first stage of the model “absorption”

Answer 11

Because the person feels so much satisfaction from researching the celebrity they can become more intensely attached to them, becoming more addictive until the person engages in inappropriate behaviour such as stalking

Question 12

What is the second theory of parasocial relationships and who made it

Answer 12

Attachment theory by Bowlby and Ainsworth

Question 13

How did Bowlby suggest parasocial relationships

Answer 13

Suggests that we instinctively seek a bond in infancy to a caregiver and if this does not happen we then substitute that figure in adulthood such as a celebrity

Question 14

What are the types of attachment styles Ainsworth suggested we form in infancy

Answer 14

Insecure-resistant

Secure

Question 15

What is an insecure-resistant attachment style in infants

Answer 15

They were very clingy with mothers and explored less than others, as they did not feel secure enough to leave their parent

Question 16

What is an insecure-resistant attachment style in adults

Answer 16

More likely to form parasocial relationships as they are afraid of criticism and rejections from real partners

Question 17

What is a secure attachment style

Answer 17

They are confident in their relationships and are unlikely to look for celebrities to fulfill their need for attachment and can form lasting attachments to real people

Question 18

What is the evidence for attachment theory

Answer 18

Cole and Leets in 1999 found that those with insecure-resistant attachment styles are more likely to be in a parasocial relationships and that those with a insecure-avoidant style would be least likely as they often avoid relationships as a qhole

Question 19

What are the strengths of attachment theory

Answer 19

Research shows that the formation of parasocial relationships have positive effects

Perse and Rubin in 1989 found that those who are introduced to the same character in soap operas benefits from the parasocial interactions as there is a reduction in uncertainty about social relationships

Question 20

What are the weaknesses of attachment theory

Answer 20

Maltby et al in 2005 found that a parasocial relationship with celebrities considered slim and a good body shape leads to a poor body image in female adolescents and a predisposition to eating disorders. Which suggests that parasocial relationships provide expectations in society