Parasocial Relationships Flashcards
What is a parasocial relationship
- they are one sided where one person extends emotional energy interest and time while the other party is completely unaware of the others existence
What are the two theories for parasocial relationships
- absorption- addiction model
- attachment theory
Why are we attracted to celebrities and give an example of someone who formed a parasocial relationship with a celebrity
- unable to make real fulfilling relationships
- one- sided so there’s no fear of rejection and hurt
- make few demands on you
- mark chapman for,ed an obsession with John Lennon from the Bett,Es before he shot him
What are the three different levels
- entertainment social
- intense personal
- borderline pathological
Explain entertainment social
- social aspects are measures here- discussed with a Friend about the personality
- the celebrity/ tv show is used to chat with friends
Explain intense personal
- strength of feelings and levels of obsession are measured here
- having obsessive thoughts
- feels a connection with it personally
Explain boarder line pathological
- measures levels of uncontrollable feelings and behaviours about personalities
- uncontrollable behaviour and fantasies
- become divorced from reality
- prevented from living a normal life
What is the absorption addiction model
- the reason we from parasocial relationships is because of the deficiencies in our life
- weak sense self identity
- could be poorly adjusted psychologically
- this ,etc them escape reality
- someone with a entertainment social relationship might have a triggering life event which makes them more involved with the celebrity
What are the two components in the absorption addiction model
Absorptions
Addictions
What are absorptions
- behaviour designed to make the person feel close to the celebrity
- can be researching facts/ playing their music or seeing them in concert
- paying for merch to strengthen the apparent relationship
What are addictions
- the escalated behaviour to sustain and strengthen the re,stir ship
- person starts to think that they need the celebrity
- behaviour become extreme
- stalking is a severe example of this
Evaluation of Maltbys study
:) supports absorption addiction model
:( questionnaires
- people lie and say what they think they want you to say
:( correlation doesn’t mean causation
What is the attachment theory into why people develop parasocial relationships
- insecure attachment leads to an increase in interest into celebrities
- psr make no demands and no risk of rejection
How does insecure resistent children act in the strange situation
On separation- start to cry
On reunion- are still crying and aren’t easily calmed down
How do I secure avoidant children act in the strange situation
On separation- don’t care and keep exploring
On reunion- still don’t care
How do secure children act in the strange situation
On separation: start to cry
On reunion: are easily calmed down and start to explore again using cater as a safe base
Why are insecure resistent children more likely to form a psr
- because they are needy and clingy in relationships
- so more likely to from psr because there is no rejection there where as in real life they probably would be rejected
Why don’t secure children form psr
- often have satisfaction in real life relationships and do not seek additional relationships with a celebrity
Why don’t insecure avoidant children from psr
- find it difficult to develop relationships and therefore they wan to avoid pain and rejection
- very unlikely to seek them from real and fictional relationships
Evaluation of Kienlen et al study
:( secondary data
- do t know how the research was conducted so you don’t know if the research supports your conclusion
Problems with attachment theory
:( deterministic
- environmentally deterministic
- suggests that factors entirely out of stalkers control are influenced on whether they become a stalker or not
- stalkers are rare so must be something else influencing them
:( socially sensitive
- insecure resistant attachments are quite common which means you can’t generalise to the whole populations do you make the parents feel bad
:) cross cultural
- when an online questionnaire about Harry Potter released found similar results in Germany and Mexico
:) practical application
- research into this field can produce warning signs in people vulnerable to develop psr
