parasocial relationships Flashcards
what are parasocial relationships?
relationships with famous people, typically singers, actors and athletes however they are completely one sided
how can levels of parasocial relationships be measured?
- using questionnaires and scales to determine ppt’s level of involvement
- the most common is the celebrity attitude scale (CAS)
how is CAS measured?
consists of 26 items measured using a 5 point scale (5 = strongly agree to 1 = strongly disagree)
what are the CAS subscales?
the entertainment/social subscale, the intense personal subscale and the borderline pathological subscale
what is the entertainment/social subscale?
has 7 items measuring social aspects associated with following the celebrity (discussing with friends & shared experiences like attending concerts)
what is the intense personal subscale?
13 items measure the intensity of feelings towards the celebrity, along with obsessional tendencies
what is the borderline pathological subscale?
6 items measuring potentially harmful aspects of feelings towards the celebrity
what is a strength of measuring parasocial relationships using CAS?
- questionnaires are a good way of collecting lots of data relatively quickly
- they can be completed easily and especially the posted online large samples can be used
- use of fixed responses yield quantitive data so averages can be calculated and can be compared
what is a weakness of measuring parasocial relationships using CAS?
- no guarantee that data is accurate
- used of fixed response answers can be frustrating when the preferred answer ‘it depends how im feeling’ is not available
- no guarantee its been completed seriously
- validity is questionable
what is the absorption-addiction model (mccutcheon 2002)?
- people pursue parasocial relationships due to deficits in their lives and real relationships
- an attempt to cope with or escpe from reality
- provide a sense of identity and fulfilment
- can become addictive, individual needs to feel an increasingly strong sense of involvement
how is the absorption-addiction model closely tied to the 3 levels of celebrity worship?
- most fans stay at level 1 but those two have a weaker sense of personal identity or poorer psychological adjustment may go beyond and ‘absorb’ themselves into the cleberitys life
- a personal crisis may also lead an individual to move from one stage to the next
what is the attachment theory explanation (bowlby and ainsworth)?
- bowbly state people develop an ‘internal working model’ of how relationships work in early childhood, which continues through adulthood if life events don’t alter it
- develop a characteristic attachment style that cane be categorised as secure or insecure (ainsworth)
what is the attachment explanation (kienlin)?
- focussed on importance of attachment styles in parascocial relationships
- believed adults with insecure attachment styles were more likely to form parasocial relationships
- believed parasocial relationships were attractive to insecurely attached people as there was little risk of criticism, disapproval or rejection, which are all part of relationships
what is the evidence to support absorption-addiction model?
- conducted by maltby using students (126 m + 181 f)
- completed two questionnaires - CAS and general health which measure symptoms of depression and anxiety
- individuals who reached first level of celebrity worship had some degree of social dysfunction
- supporting that in this level they often lack social relationships in real life, experienced loneliness, and used the celebrity to ‘soothe the empty self’
- those who reached second level, scored highly on anxiety and depression
what is the evidence to support attachment theory explanation?
- conducted by cole asking are attachment styles related to formation of parasocial relationships?
- students completed a questionnaire
- included parasocial interaction scale and two attachment style measures regarding their favourite tv personality
- ppts weren’t informed of the attachment style part of survey
