parasocial relationships Flashcards
What is a parasocial relationship?
Example?
A relationship missing key elements, normally present in relationships.
Being a huge fan of a celebrity, having an obsessive crush on them and spending hours thinking about them, but then the celebrity doesn’t know they exist
What are the 3 main characteristics if a parasocial relationship?
One sided
Unreciprocated
Lot’s of time and energy invested
What does McCutheon suggest the 3 reasons why people form parasocial relationships are?
Poor real-life relationships
Less well-adjusted psychologically
Desire to escape real life
What are the 2 explanations for parasocial relationships?
Absorption-addiction model
Attachment theory
What does the absorption component of the absorption-addiction model involve?
Focussing on a celebrity and becoming preoccupied with their lives, so the parasocial relationship takes up their whole life
What does the addiction component of the absorption-addiction model involve?
Sense of fulfillment becomes addictive for the person>person needs a higher ‘dose’ to be satisfied>engage in more risky behavior e.g. stalking, for satisfaction
Explain the ‘Celebrity Attitude Scale’, developed by McCutheon (absorption-addiction model)
Examples!
Entertainment-social: least intense level, celebs are small sources of entertainment/gossip (enjoying the songs and their personal life)
Intense-personal: feeling greater personal involvement with the celebrity (strong connection and obsessively thinking)
Borderline pathological: intense level of feeling like fantasying and engaging in extreme behaviours (spending £££)
One strength of the absorption-addiction model is that there’s research support, PETC
E: Psychologist found teenage girls who reported an intense parasocial relationship with a female celeb, if they obsessed about the celebs body shape>likely to have poor body image
E: Supports the suggestion that parasocial relationships are formed by those psychologically less well-adjusted
C: Cause and effect, does poor body image>parasocial or vv
One weakness of the absorption-addiction model is that it’s a limited explanation, PET
E: Model is good at describing the characteristics of the parasocial, but does not explain why or how these characteristics develop
T: Doesn’t help us prevent more extreme versions of parasocials>not useful>limited
One of Bowlby’s key ideas of attachment theory is that infants with a poor first attachment will..?
What is insecure resistant and avoidant from Hazan and Shaver’s love quiz?
…have long lasting negative consequenses
Insecure resistant- attatchment would fall in love easily but get hurt
Insecure avoidant- do not believe in true love, so avoid romantic relationships
Which attachment type is most likely to FORM from parasocial relationships? Why?
Insecure-resistant
Parasocials do not carry the risk of rejection>need for attachment can be met without this accompanying fear
They build an internal working model>recognising parasocial relationships as normal
Which attachment type is most likely to AVOID any type of relationship? Why?
Insecure-avoidant
Avoid all pain and rejection
A strength of the attachment theory is that there is research support
PET
E: Psychologists who supported Bowlby’s theory investigated the experiences of stalkers, found 63% of ppts experienced a loss of a caregiver in early childhood, 50% experienced emotional and physical abuse
T: Supports
One weakness of the attachment theory is that there is contradictory research
PET
E: McCutcheon et al examined the correlation between attachment type and celebrity worship levels using 229 ppts. Found no link between insecure-resistant attachment, and more intense levels of parasocial relationships
T: Weakens attachment theory
A strength of the attachment theory is that there’s research support
PETC
E: Psychologists researched parasocial relationships to the character Harry Potter. Found that there were similar levels of parasocial attachment in individualistic and collectivist cultures
T: Parasocial relationships are universal
C: Self report study>Social desirability
