Relationships- Parasocial relationships Flashcards
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, on which the
‘fan’ expends a lot of emotional energy, commitment and time.
Levels of parasocial relationships -
A three-step description of one-sided relationships in terms of increasing strength from entertainment-social to intense-personal to borderline pathological.
Absorption-addiction model -
Explains parasocial relationships as total pre-occupation in a celebrity’s life, plus an addictive striving after a stronger involvement.
Attachment theory -
An explanation of how an enduring emotional bond forms between two people that persists over time. Leads to certain behaviours such as clinging and proximity- seeking.
What are parasocial relationships?
Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships where individuals form attachments to celebrities or fictional characters, often feeling a sense of intimacy or connection despite the lack of reciprocal interaction.
What are the three levels of parasocial relationships identified by Maltby et al. (2006)?
The three levels are entertainment-social, intense-personal, and borderline pathological.
What characterizes the intense-personal level of parasocial relationships?
This intermediate level involves greater personal involvement, with fans having obsessive thoughts, intense feelings, and sometimes considering the celebrity a “soul mate.”
What characterizes the borderline pathological level of parasocial relationships?
This is the most extreme level, featuring uncontrollable fantasies and extreme behaviors, such as spending large sums on celebrity-related objects or being willing to perform illegal acts for the celebrity.
What characterizes the entertainment-social level of parasocial relationships?
This is the least intense level, where celebrities are viewed as sources of entertainment and topics for social interaction, such as discussing soap opera actors in magazines.
What is the absorption-addiction model?
The absorption-addiction model, proposed by McCutcheon (2002), explains parasocial relationships as a way for individuals to escape reality and find fulfillment due to deficiencies in their own lives, such as weak self-identity or unfulfilling relationships.
What are the two components of the absorption-addiction model?
The two components are absorption (focusing attention on the celebrity to find fulfillment) and addiction (needing stronger involvement, leading to extreme behaviors and delusional thinking).
How does the absorption-addiction model explain the progression of parasocial relationships?
The model suggests that individuals may start with an entertainment-social orientation but can progress to more intense levels due to personal crises or stressful life events, leading to absorption and addiction.
What is the attachment theory explanation for parasocial relationships?
Attachment theory suggests that parasocial relationships in adolescence and adulthood may stem from attachment difficulties in early childhood, particularly insecure-resistant attachment types, which seek unfulfilled needs in a non-threatening relationship.
What did Maltby et al. (2003) find about celebrity worship and personality traits?
They linked entertainment-social celebrity worship with extraverted traits, intense-personal with neurotic traits, and borderline pathological with psychotic traits, supporting the absorption-addiction model.
What did Maltby et al. (2005) find about celebrity worship and body image?
They found that females with intense-personal parasocial relationships with female celebrities they admired tended to have poor body image, potentially leading to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa.
What did McCutcheon et al. (2006) find about attachment types and parasocial relationships?
They found no significant difference in the likelihood of forming parasocial relationships between individuals with insecure and secure attachments, challenging the attachment theory explanation.
What are the methodological issues in parasocial relationship research?
Most studies rely on self-report methods, which are prone to social desirability bias, and correlational analyses, which cannot establish causation. Longitudinal research is lacking in this field.
What is a limitation of the absorption-addiction model?
The model is criticized for being more descriptive than explanatory, as it does not explain how characteristics like absorption and addiction develop, unlike attachment theory.
What did Schmid and Klimmt (2011) find about cultural influences on parasocial relationships?
They found similar levels of parasocial attachment to Harry Potter in both individualist (Germany) and collectivist (Mexico) cultures, suggesting that parasocial relationships are not culturally specific.
Does the finding about Harry Potter support any explanations of parasocial relationships?
The finding supports the idea that parasocial relationships can form with fictional characters and may not be limited by cultural differences, but it does not directly support specific explanations like the absorption-addiction model or attachment theory.
