Parasocial Relationships

Question 1

What does CAS stand for

Answer 1

Celebrity attitude scale

Question 2

What does CAS do

Answer 2

Assess celebrity attraction

Question 3

What is the CAS

Answer 3

Was used by Maltby and et al to identify three levels of parasocial relationships

Question 4

What are the three levels of a parasocial relationship

Answer 4

1. Entertainment-social
2. Intense-personal
3. Borderline pathological

Question 5

What is the entertainment-social level

Answer 5

This is the least intense level where the celebrities are viewed as a source of entertainment and fuel for social interaction

Question 6

What is the intense-personal level

Answer 6

And intermediate level where someone becomes more personally involved with the celebrity which may include obsessive thoughts

Question 7

What is the borderline pathological level

Answer 7

The strongest level of celebrity worship where fantasies are uncontrollable and behaviour is more extreme

Question 8

What does the absorption-addiction model do

Answer 8

Explains parasocial relationships in terms of people’s deficiencies

Question 9

What did McCutcheon suggest

Answer 9

That parasocial relationships can make up for personal deficiencies and provide an escape from mundane lives

Question 10

What may trigger people towards a higher level

Answer 10

Stressful life events such as bereavement

Question 11

What are the two components of the model

Answer 11

Absorption and addiction

Question 12

What is absorption

Answer 12

Seeking fulfilment in celebrity worship motivates an individual to focus their attention on the celebrity, to become absorbed in the celebrities existence and identify with them

Question 13

What is addiction

Answer 13

Like physiological addiction, the individual needs to increase the dose of involvement to gain satisfaction which may lead to more extreme behaviours and delusional thinking

Question 14

What does the attachment theory do

Answer 14

Links early attachment problems to parasocial relationships

Question 15

What does Bowlby attachment theory suggest

Answer 15

That early difficulties in attachment may lead to difficulties in forming successful relationships later in life

Question 16

What might Bowlby theory lead to

Answer 16

A preference for parasocial relationships to replace those within ones own social circle as parasocial relationships do not require the same social skills

Question 17

What are linked to parasocial relationships

Answer 17

Insecure attachment types

Question 18

What did Aimsworth do

Answer 18

Identified two attachment types associated with unhealthy emotional development

Question 19

What were Ainsworth’s two attachment types

Answer 19

Insecure-resistant

Insecure-avoidant

Question 20

What are insecure-resistant types most likely to do and why

Answer 20

For parasocial relationships because they want to have their unfulfilled needs met in their relationship where there is no real threat of rejection

Question 21

What are insecure-resistant types most likely to do

Answer 21

Prefer to avoid the pain and rejection of any type of relationship, either social or parasocial

Question 22

Name a strength of parasocial relationships

Answer 22

The absorption-addiction model - Maltby et al

Question 23

What did Maltby et al study?

Answer 23

Female adolescents who reported an intense personal relationship with a female celebrity whose body shape they admired, these females tended to have poor body image

Question 24

What did Maltby do

Answer 24

1. Linked entertainment-social level with extrovert personality traits,
2. Linked the intense-personal category with neurotic traits
3. Linked borderline pathological with psychotic personality types

Question 25

Why does Maltby support parasocial relationships

Answer 25

Shows a correlation between the level of celebrity worship and different or disordered psychological functioning

Question 26

Name a limitation of parasocial relationships

Answer 26

Link to the attachment theory is lack of support - McCutcheon et al

Question 27

What did McCutcheon et al find

Answer 27

Participants with insecure attachments were no more likely to form parasocial relationships with celebrities than participants with secure attachment styles

Question 28

Why does McCutcheon et al’s research act as a limitation

Answer 28

Raises crucial questions about the explanations validity - has little predictive strength