Parasocial Relationships

Question 1

What is a parasocial relationship

Answer 1

• they are one sided where one person extends emotional energy interest and time while the other party is completely unaware of the others existence

Question 2

What are the two theories for parasocial relationships

Answer 2

• absorption- addiction model

- attachment theory

Question 3

Why are we attracted to celebrities and give an example of someone who formed a parasocial relationship with a celebrity

Answer 3

• 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

Question 4

What are the three different levels

Answer 4

• entertainment social
• intense personal
• borderline pathological

Question 5

Explain entertainment social

Answer 5

• social aspects are measures here- discussed with a Friend about the personality
• the celebrity/ tv show is used to chat with friends

Question 6

Explain intense personal

Answer 6

• strength of feelings and levels of obsession are measured here
• having obsessive thoughts
• feels a connection with it personally

Question 7

Explain boarder line pathological

Answer 7

• measures levels of uncontrollable feelings and behaviours about personalities
• uncontrollable behaviour and fantasies
• become divorced from reality
• prevented from living a normal life

Question 8

What is the absorption addiction model

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

What are the two components in the absorption addiction model

Answer 9

Absorptions

Addictions

Question 10

What are absorptions

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

What are addictions

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

Evaluation of Maltbys study

Answer 12

:) supports absorption addiction model
:( questionnaires
- people lie and say what they think they want you to say
:( correlation doesn’t mean causation

Question 13

What is the attachment theory into why people develop parasocial relationships

Answer 13

• insecure attachment leads to an increase in interest into celebrities
• psr make no demands and no risk of rejection

Question 14

How does insecure resistent children act in the strange situation

Answer 14

On separation- start to cry

On reunion- are still crying and aren’t easily calmed down

Question 15

How do I secure avoidant children act in the strange situation

Answer 15

On separation- don’t care and keep exploring

On reunion- still don’t care

Question 16

How do secure children act in the strange situation

Answer 16

On separation: start to cry

On reunion: are easily calmed down and start to explore again using cater as a safe base

Question 17

Why are insecure resistent children more likely to form a psr

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

Why don’t secure children form psr

Answer 18

• often have satisfaction in real life relationships and do not seek additional relationships with a celebrity

Question 19

Why don’t insecure avoidant children from psr

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

Evaluation of Kienlen et al study

Answer 20

:( secondary data

- do t know how the research was conducted so you don’t know if the research supports your conclusion

Question 21

Problems with attachment theory

Answer 21

:( 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