Parasocial Relationships (Relationships Flashcards
Parasocial Relationships
Horton and Wohl (1956)
• para, meaning close to/besides
• parasocial relationships are missing a key element normally present in relationships
• they are one sided, unreciprocated relationships, usually with a celebrity on which the ‘fan’ expends a lot of emotional energy, commitment and time byt the celebrity doesn’t know the fan exists
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
Maltby et al (2006)
used the Celebrity Attitude Scale (developed by McCutcheon 2002) to identify three levels within parasocial relationships
• entertainment social: celebrity is a source of gossip/interaction- perhaps reading magazines
• intense personal: intensive, compulsive feelings towards celebrity- trying to find them
• borderline pathological: uncontrollable behaviours/fantasies- stalking
McCutcheon (2003)
• 600 participants
• 20% fell into the first category of ‘Entertainment-Social’
• 10% the second ‘Intense-Personal
• 1% ’Borderline-Pathological’
Absorption Addiction Model (General and Absorption)
• McCutcheon et al. (2002) proposed the Absorption Addiction Model to explain how parasocial relationships become abnormal
• Absorption: they have deficits in their own sense of personal identity, absorption is an attempt to establish personal identity
• Absorption has addictive qualities so individuals go to further and further lengths to maintain a sense of fulfilment via the parasocial relationship (Enduring Love)
• This model therefore predicts that there will be an association between poorer mental health and the strength of parasocial relationships
• someone who initially has an entertainment-social orientation may be triggered into a more intense involvement by a stressful life event
Absorption Addiction Model (Addiction)
• Addiction: the individual needs to sustain their commitment to the relationship by feeling a stronger and closer involvement with the celebrity
• at the extreme, the person seeks ever greater involvement so the parasocial relationship becomes all consuming
• leads to extreme behaviours and delusional thoughts
Attachment and Parasocial Relationships
• theory proposes insecure attachment leads to an increased interest in celebrities
• PSRs make no demands, and do not involve criticism or the risk of rejection
• need to have unfulfilled needs met but in a relationship that is not accompanied by threat of rejection, break up and disappointment (insecure resistant)
Anxious Ambivalent (resistant) and parasocial relationships
• most likely to form PSRs
• they have concern that others will not reciprocate their desire for intimacy. They turn to TV characters to satisfy their “unrealistic and often unmet relational needs”
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
Roberts (2007)
• 200 students (100 male, 100 female) answered questions similar to
the CAS and found a positive correlation between insecurely attached
individuals and frequently contacting celebrities.
• McCutcheon et al. (2006) – 250 university students completed
questionnaires examining personality types and their views on
celebrities.
• They did not find a relationship between having an insecure
attachment and parasocial relationships
Real world application of research into Parasocial relationships- Eating Disorders
Maltby (2005) looked in particularly at females aged 14-16 who had a parasocial relationship with a female whose body shape they admired.
They found these females had a poor body image.
They speculated this could be a precursor to the development of anorexia.
Understanding the development of anorexia, could lead to education on parasocial relationships in school i.e. preventive measures implemented to prevent anorexia.
Correlational research method has issues with determining cause and effect, could just be speculative.
(Evaluation of parasocial relationships research) Links to Mental Health
Maltby et al (2003) used the Eysenck personality questionnaire to
assess the relationships between parasocial relationship level and
personality.
Entertainment Social = Extraversion (sociable, lively)
Intense Personal = Neuroticism (tense, emotional, moody)
(Neuroticism is also linked to depression and anxiety)
Borderline Pathological = Psychoticism (anti social, egocentric)
Certain personalities are potentially vulnerable to addiction to PSRs
Problems with the attachment theory McCutcheon et al. (2006)
-there was no relationship between insecure attachment and the tendency to form PSR with celebrities- calls into question the validity of the theory
-however, those with insecure attachment tupes were more likely to think that stalking was acceptable and there was a relationship between pathological attachment and the tendency to stalking
