Relationships- Para-social Relationships Flashcards
One sided relationships:
Para-social relationships are those in which one member is heavy invested, while the other has limited or no awareness of their existence.
This is common with the relationship between celebrities and their fans, but can happen in any situation in which the interaction is one sided such as brands and customers, fictional characters and their readers, or even teachers and their students if meaningful communication is only one way.
Levels of Para-social relationships
Name of scale
Celebrity attitudes scale CAS developed by McCutchen and Maltby to classify extent of attitudes and behaviours
What are the three levels of PS rs
Entertainment social
Intense-personal
Borderline pathological
• Entertainment Social -
Celebrities are discussed with friends for entertainment.
Intense Personal -
Characterised by obsessive thoughts and emotions. Feelings that the relationship is in some way real
•Borderline Pathological -
Extreme uncontrollable behaviours for celebrity
The Absorption addiction model
(McCutcheon 2002)
PSR’s are an escape from deficiencies like:
-Poor sense of identity
-Poor psychological adjustment (eg stressed)
-Lack of fulfilment in life
(PSR’s allow an ‘escape from reality’ to seek fulfilment a bit behavioural)
The Absorption-addiction Model
McCutheon: Para-social relationships are
an attempt to escape the reality of their own lives and relationships.
• Absorption -
• Addiction -
The Absorption-addiction Model
• Absorption -
Intense involvement in finding information about the personal life and career of the celebrity, this is an attempt to feel closer to them.
The Absorption-addiction Model
• Addiction -
Behaviours escalate similar to a drug addiction, becoming more extreme, may result in an attempt to contact the celebrity or stalk them.
The Absorption addiction model
(McCutheon 2002)
Moving from absorption to addiction
A personal crisis in someone’s life may lead them to need to escape so they move from intense personal to Borderline pathological where addiction can occur
A03
Schmid and Klimmt 2011
Research studies have identified a tendency for some people to form a parasocial relationship with Harry Potter, an entirely fictional character. Developing this, Schmid and Klimmt (2011) report that this tendency is not culturally specific.
Using an online questionnaire methodology, they found similar levels of parasocial attachment to Harry Potter in an individualist culture (Germany) and a collectivist culture (Mexico).
A03
Real world application
Maltby 2005
Maltby (2005) looked 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
A03
Maltby et al- links to mental health
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, ego centric)