Parasocial relationships Flashcards
What is a parasocial relationship
One sided, unreciprocated relationship
What did Maltby et al find?
Conducted a survey with CAS
Found 3 levels of parasocial relationship
What are the 3 levels of parasocial relationship
-Entertainment social
-Intense personal
- Borderline pathological
Descirbe the entertainment social level
- Least intense
- Parasocial r/s fuel for gossip
Describe the intense personal level
Obsessive thoughts and intense emotions
Describe borderline pathological
Extreme uncontrollable behaviours for celebrity
2 explanations for parasocial relationships
-A A MODEL
-ATTACHMENT THEORY EXPLANATION
Why do we form parasocial r/s according to AA model
-Deficiencies in our own lives
-Poorly adjusted psychologically
What triggers someone to more extreme form of celebrity worship according to the AA model
-Personal crisis or life event
What is absorption?
-Where we seek parasocial rs to achieve fulfilment
What is addiction
-Individual engages in stronger involvement with celebrity
-E.g. stalking
What does attachment theory expl suggest
Form parasocial rs due to attachment difficulties in childhood
Bowlby theory of attachment
-Poor childhood attachment style- negative IWM for adult relationships
Why do insecure resistant tend to form parasocial rs
Parasocial rs allow them to engage in rs without the fear of rejection
How does intense resistant attachment lead to unhealthy emotional development
I.R children more clingy to mothers
Strength of the absorption addiction model
Maltby et al - females with intense parasocial rs have a poor body image
-strength because supports model prediction of rs bw poor psychological functioning and level of parasocial rs
Weakness of aa model- methodological issues
Research studies used self report methods, others used correlational analysis
Strength : cross cultural application
Schmid and Klimmt- tendency to form parasocial rs not culturally specific (USA and Mexico - Harry Potter )
-The A.A model can be used for explanation of parasocial rs around the world
