Parasocial Relationships Flashcards
Parasocial Relationships
One sided relationships in which one member is heavily invested while the other has limited or no awareness of the other persons existence
Common between celebrities and their fans
Parasocial relationships are more likely if…
• the object of affection is perceived as attractive
• they are perceived as similar to us
• we perceive them as real
• the viewer is female
• the viewer is lonely and shy
McCutcheon (2003)
Developed the Celebrity Attitude Scale using 600 participants to identify three levels within parasocial relationships
- entertainment social
- intense personal
- borderline pathological
Entertainment Social
The fan will only follow the celebrity for a source of gossip
20%
Intense Personal
Intense and compulsive feelings towards the celebrity
10%
Borderline Pathological
The fan overidentifies
They feel as though the celebs success and failures are their own
Behaviours and fantasies are intense or uncontrollable to the extent they might contact or even stalk them
1%
Absorption Addiction Model (Absorption)
Intense involvement in finding information about the personal life and career of the celeb in an attempt to feel closer to them
Absorption Addiction Model
- McCutcheon et al. (2002)
A fans parasocial relationship are an attempt to escape the reality of their lives and make up for deficits in their real-lie relationships, can also provide a sense of identity
Absorption Addiction Model (Addiction)
Behaviours escalate and can result in an attempt to contact the celebrity or stalk them
Attachment and Parasocial Relationships
Defected internal working model due to problems in childhood
Parasocial relationships are linked to insecure avoidant relationships with mothers, involving inconsistent affection and rejection
Parasocial relationships provide the need for attachment but without the possibility of rejection
Anxious Avoidant and parasocial relationships
• least likely to form parasocial relationships
• they find it difficult to develop relationships and therefore are very unlikely to seek them from real or fictional people
Secure Attachment and parasocial relationships
• not likely to form parasocial relationships
• often have satisfactory real-life relationships and do not seek as additional relationships with a celebrity
Evaluations of attachment theory explanation
Significant evidence that early attachment goes on to influence adult relationships, the theory that this would include parasocial relationships has face validity
McCutcheon (2006) found through 299 college students that participants with insecure types were not more likely than secure types to be attracted by celebrities as predicted by attachment theory
Evaluations of Absorption Addiction Model
McCutcheon (2016) - 330 students completes CAS. Found higher levels of anxiety when students scored on the two higher subscales as well as problems forming real life relationships
Self Report methods can lead to bias where people give socially desirable answers
