Relationships - Parasocial Relationships Flashcards
What is the definition of parasocial relationships?
Parasocial relationship: The prefix ‘para’ means ‘resembling’ so parasocial relationships are those which are similar to ‘normal’ relationships but lack a key element. They are a one-sided, unreciprocated relationship, usually with a celebrity, in which the ‘fan’ expends a lot of emotional energy, commitment and time.
What are the levels of parasocial relationships?
Lynn McCutcheon and colleagues developed the Celebrity Attitude Scale, which was used in a large-scale survey by John Maltby et al. (2006). They identified three levels of parasocial relationships, each describing attitudes and behaviours linked to ever more extreme forms of celebrity worship:
Entertainment-social: Least intense level of celebrity worship. Celebrities are viewed as sources of entertainment and a topic for light-hearted gossip, for example, friends enjoying discussing stories in OK magazine about an A-list celebrity. Giles (2002) found that parasocial relationships are a fruitful source of gossip in offices.
Intense-personal: This is an intermediate level which reflects a greater personal involvement in a parasocial relationship with a celebrity. A fan of Kim Kardashian might have frequent obsessive thoughts and intense feelings about her, perhaps even considering her to be a ‘soulmate’.
Borderline-pathological: Strongest level of celebrity worship, featuring uncontrollable fantasies and extreme behaviours. These might include spending a large sum of money on a celebrity-related object or being willing to perform some illegal act on the celebrity’s say-so.
What is the absorption-addiction model?
McCutcheon (2002) explained the tendency to form parasocial relationships in terms of deficiencies people have in their own lives.
For example, they may have a weak sense of self-identity and lack fulfilment in their everyday relationships. A parasocial relationship allows them an ‘escape from reality’ or a way of finding fulfilment that they can’t achieve in their actual relationships.
Absorption: Seeking fulfilment in celebrity worship motivates the individual to focus their attention as far as possible on the celebrity, to become pre-occupied with their existence and identify with them.
Addiction: Like a physiological addiction, the individual needs to sustain their commitment to the relationship by feeling a stronger and closer involvement with the celebrity. This may lead to more extreme behaviours and delusional thinking.
What is the attachment theory explanation for parasocial relationships?
Various psychologists have suggested that there is a tendency to form parasocial relationships in adolescence and adulthood because of attachment difficulties in early childhood. Bowlby’s (1969) attachment theory suggests such early difficulties may lead to emotional troubles later in life. Ainsworth (1979) identified two attachment types associated with unhealthy emotional development:
Insecure-resistant types are most likely to form parasocial relationships as adults. This is because they need to have unfulfilled needs met, but in a relationship that is not accompanied by the threat of rejection, break-up and disappointment that real-life relationships bring.
Insecure-avoidant types are more likely to avoid the pain and rejection of relationships altogether, whether they be social or parasocial.
What is one evaluation point for the absorption-addiction model?
Support for the absorption-addiction model: John Maltby and his colleague (2005) investigated the link between celebrity worship and body image in males and females aged 14 to 16 years.
They found that particularly intense-personal parasocial relationships with a female celebrity whose body shape they admired were linked to poor body image, and speculated that this link may be a precursor to the development of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. This supports the correlation between the prediction of a correlation between the level (type and intensity) of celebrity worship and different levels of psychological functioning.
What is one evaluation point for attachment theory?
Problems with attachment theory: Lynn McCutcheon et al. (2006) measured attachment types and celebrity-related attitudes in 299 participants. The researchers found that the participants with insecure attachments were no more likely to form parasocial relationships with celebrities than participants with secure attachments. This finding fails to support a central prediction of the attachment theory, raising serious doubts about its validity
What is one methodological issue with research on parasocial relationships?
Methodological issues: There are two major issues. Most research studies on parasocial relationships use self-report methods to collect data, for example, online questionnaires. These are subject to a number of effects that can bias the findings. For instance, participants may respond to quite personal items in a way that they think enhances their social desirability (social desirability bias).
The second issue arises because most studies use correlational analysis. Strong correlations are found between celebrity worship and body image. It could be that young women who already have a poor body image are drawn to an intense-personal worship of an admired celebrity. The issue of cause-and-effect could be addressed by longitudinal research, but this is currently lacking in this field.
What is one evaluation point about cultural influences?
Cultural influences: Research studies have identified a tendency for some people to form a parasocial relationship with Harry Potter, an entirely fictional character. This tendency is not culturally specific. Schmid and Klimmt (2011) found similar levels of parasocial attachment to Harry Potter in an individualistic culture (Germany) and a collectivist culture (Mexico).
