Parasocial Relationships

Question 1

What are parasocial relationships?

Answer 1

One sided, unreciprocated d relationships, usually with a celebrity, on which the fan expends a lot of emotional energy, commitment and time

Question 2

Why might people form a parasocial relationship?

Answer 2

To make up for something missing in our lives (eg being single or just bored)

To gain an identity through emulating a celebrity

To learn social/cultural rules
(Celebrities dominant members of society
, so we learn how to fit in/gain higher status through observing them)

Question 3

Levels of parasocial relationship

Answer 3

Using the Celebrity Attitudes Scale, Giles & Maltby (2006) have identified 3 levels of parasocial relationship. Each level describes the attitudes & behaviours linked to ever more extreme forms of celebrity worship

Question 4

Entertainment social

Answer 4

Fan watch, keep up with gossip, read and learn about a celebrity for fun and social interaction

“Learning the life story of my favourite celebrity is a lovely of fun”

Question 5

Intense personal

Answer 5

Fan has a deeper level of involvement and compulsive feelings about the celebrity

“If I was given £10000 I would spend it on something once owned by my favourite celebrity”

Question 6

Borderline pathological

Answer 6

Fan empathises with the celebrity and over identifies with them, fantasising their feelings are reciprocated

“If I walked through the door of my favourite celebrities house they would be happy to see me”

Question 7

The absorption addiction model

Answer 7

Suggests that people pursue parasocial relationships due to deficits, a lack of something in their real life. People may follow celebrities to gain a sense of personal identity & fulfilment.
This model is closely tied in with the 3 levels of parasocial relationship from earlier, and as the name suggests, has 2 components

Question 8

Absorption

Answer 8

those who have a weak sense of personal identity may ‘absorb’ themselves in a celebrity’s life. This involves being pre-occupied with the celebrity, focusing all their attention on them.

Question 9

Addiction

Answer 9

if the level of absorption is high enough it may become ‘addictive’. This may lead the person to more extreme behaviour and even delusional thinking

Question 10

The attachment theory explanation

Answer 10

Parasocial relationships, to some degree, exhibit 3 properties of adult attachment (Weiss).

Question 11

Proximity seeking

Answer 11

trying to maintain physical contact or be close to their attachment figure.

Eg Collecting trivia about them, rearrange schedules to see them on TV / in person, attempt to contact them through social media etc.

Question 12

A secure base

Answer 12

Exploration of other relationships

As there is little chance of rejection from the celebrity, the individual is able to create a ‘safe haven’ from which they can explore other relationships in a safe way.

Question 13

Protest at disruption

Answer 13

Eg When Top Gear was axed by the BBC, the loss of Jeremy Clarkson was extremely emotional for some. On a petition to ‘Bring back Clarkson’ one fan wrote ‘I want to cry…’

Question 14

Additionally, it has been suggested that insecure resistants are most likely to form parasocial relationships as adults. This is because….

Answer 14

they need to have unfulfilled needs met, but in a relationship that is not accompanied by the threat of rejection and break up that real relationships bring.

Question 15

research supporting the factors involved in parasocial relationships.
Schiappa et al

Answer 15

carried out a meta-analysis of studies that had explored factors that were instrumental in the formation of parasocial relationships.

They found a _____________ relationship between the degree to which a person perceives TV characters as being real and their tendency to form parasocial relationships.

adds validity to the observation that parasocial relationships typically develop with TV celebrities.

Question 16

There is also evidence that loss of parasocial relationship is linked to attachment style.
Cohen

Answer 16

sample of 381 adults completed a questionnaire, including questions about their relationships with their favourite TV characters, how they would react if those characters were taken off air, and their attachment styles.
Viewers expecting to lose their favourite TV characters anticipated negative reactions like sadness, anger, loneliness, similar to those experienced after the loss of a close personal relationship.

adds some validity to the attachment theory explanation of parasocial relationships.

Question 17

not all research supports the predictions made by the attachment theory explanation.
McCutcheon et al (2006)

Answer 17

measured attachment types & celebrity related attitudes in 299 participants.

found the participants with insecure attachments were no more likely to form parasocial relationships with celebrities than those with secure attachments.

finding fails to support a central prediction of attachment theory, serious doubts are raised about the validity of this explanation.

Question 18

Methodological issues with evidence from Schiappa

Answer 18

Correlational study, lack of manipulation of variables eg attachment type
Can’t establish cause and effect

question the possible link between perception of TV celebrities & parasocial relationships due to issues regarding the validity of the supporting evidence.