Parasocial Relationships

Question 1

Parasocial Relationship.

Answer 1

A one-sided, unreciprocated relationship, usually a celebrity, on which the ‘fan’ expends a lot of emotional energy, commitment, and time.

Question 2

Levels of Parasocial Relationship.

Answer 2

A 3-step description of one-sided relationships in terms of increasing strength from entertainment-social to intense-personal to borderline-pathological.

Question 3

Who identified the levels of parasocial relationships?

Answer 3

John Maltby et al (2006).

Question 4

Each level describes…

Answer 4

The attitudes and behaviours are linked to ever more extreme forms of celebrity worship.

Question 5

Entertainment-social.

Answer 5

The least intense level of celebrity worship.

Celebrities are viewed as sources of entertainment and fuel for social interaction.

Question 6

David Giles (2002) found that parasocial relationship…

Answer 6

Were a fruitful source of gossip in offices.

Question 7

Intense-personal.

Answer 7

An intermediate level which reflects a greater personal involvement in a parasocial relationship with a celebrity.

Question 8

Borderline-pathological.

Answer 8

Strongest level of celebrity worship, featuring uncontrollable fantasies and extreme behaviours.

Question 9

Absorption Addiction Model.

Answer 9

Explains parasocial relationships as total preoccupation in a celebrity’s life, plus an addictive striving after stronger involvement.

Question 10

McCutcheon (2002) linked the levels approach to…

Answer 10

The deficiencies people have in their own lives.

Question 11

The parasocial relationship allows them to ‘escape from reality’.

Answer 11

Someone who intially has an entertainment-social orientation to a certain celebrity may be triggered into more intense involvement by some personal crisis or stressful life event.

Question 12

Absorption.

Answer 12

Seeking fulfilment in celebrity worship motivates an individual to focus their attention as far as possible on the celebrity, to become preoccupied with the celebrity and identify with them.

Question 13

Addiction.

Answer 13

The individual needs to increase their ‘dose’ in order to gain satisfaction.
This may lead to more extreme behaviours and delusional thinking.

Question 14

Attachment Theory.

Answer 14

An explanation of how an enduring emotional bond forms between 2 people that persists over time.
Leads to certain behaviours such as clinging and proximity-seeking.

Question 15

Insecure-resistant types are most likely to form parasocial relationships as adults.

Answer 15

This is because they seek to have unfulfilled needs met, but in a relationship that is not accompanied by the threat of rejection, break-up and disappointment that real-life relationships bring.

Question 16

Insecure-avoidant types prefer to…

Answer 16

Avoid the pain and rejection of relationships altogether, whether they be social or parasocial.

Question 17

Strength: The research concerning the absorption addiction model shows a link between celebrity worship and body image.

Answer 17

The addiction-absorption model suggests that a deficiency in a person’s life would predispose them to forming parasocial relationships.
In one study, Maltby et al (2005) assessed boys and girls aged 14 to 16 years. The researchers were particularly interested in girls who reported an intense-personal parasocial relationship with an adult female celebrity whose body shape they admired. They found that girls tend to have a poor body image; they speculated that this may contribute to the development of an eating disorder.
This supports the model’s prediction of an association between poor psychological functioning and the level (type and intensity) of parasocial relationship.

Question 18

Strength (inclu counterpoint): A strength of the attachment theory is that it can explain why people all over the world have a desire to form parasocial relationships.

Answer 18

Dinkha et al (2015) compared 2 contrasting cultures - a collectivist (Kuwait) and an individualist (US). The researchers found that ppl with an insecure attachment type were the most likely to form intense parasocial relationships with TV personalities and characters. This was true in both types of culture. In other words, the ‘driver’ for forming a parasocial relationship is independent of cultural influences.
This supports the view that attachment type may be a universal explanation for the need to form parasocial relationships.
However, other evidence is not supportive. For example, McCutcheon et al (2006) measured attachment types and celebrity-related attitudes in 299 American ppts. The researchers found that attachment security didn’t affect the likelihood of forming a parasocial relationship with a celebrity. Ppts with insecure attachments were no more likely to form such relationships than ppts with secure attachments.
This shows that parasocial relationships are not necessarily a way of compensating for attachment issues.

Question 19

Strength: The levels model is that its predictions are supported by research (predictive validity).

Answer 19

For instance, McCutcheon et al (2016) used the CAS to measure levels of parasocial relationships. They also assessed ppts’ problems in their intimate relationships. Ppts who scored as borderline-pathological or intense-personal tended to experience a high degree of anxiety in their intimate relationships; people at the entertainment-social level generally did not.
This suggests that ‘celebrity-worshippers’ can usefully be classified into three categories and that these are predictive of actual behaviour.