Parasocial relationships

Question 1

What did McCutcheon develop?

Answer 1

Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) - large scale survey identifying 3 levels of parasocial relationships
Each level describes the attitudes and behaviors linked to even more extreme forms of celebrity worship

Question 2

What are the 3 levels of parasocial relationships?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Describe the level ‘entertainment-social’

Answer 3

This is the least intense level of celebrity worship
Celebrities are viewed as sources of entertainment and fuel for social interaction
EG: friends with an interest in the same soap might enjoy discussing articles online discussing a character
David Giles (2002) found that parasocial relationships were “a fruitful source of gossip in offices”

Question 4

Describe the level ‘intense-personal’

Answer 4

An intermediate level where someone becomes personally involved in a parasocial relationship with a celebrity
In this stage you may have frequent obsessive thoughts and intense feelings about them - maybe even considering them to be your soulmate

Question 5

Describe the level ‘borderline pathological’

Answer 5

The strongest level of celebrity worship
Here there are uncontrollable fantasies and extreme behaviours
This might include spending lots of money on something celebrity related or be willing to perform some illegal act on the celebrity’s say so

Question 6

What does the absorption addiction model suggest?

Answer 6

Suggests that parasocial relationships can make up for personal deficiencies (eg: lack of fulfilment)
People may be triggered towards a higher level by stressful life events such as bereavement
The parasocial relationship allows them to “escape from reality” and their mundane lives

Question 7

What does the absorption part of the absorption addiction model refer to?

Answer 7

Seeking fulfillment in celebrity worship motivates an individual to focus their attention on the celebrity - they become preoccupied with the celebrity and identify with them

Question 8

What does the addiction part of the absorption addiction model refer to?

Answer 8

Like a physiological addiction, the individual needs to increase their ‘dose’ of involvement to gain satisfaction. This may lead to more extreme behaviours and delusional thinking
EG: stalking a celebrity because they believe the celebrity will reciprocate their feelings and that they are currently being held back by someone (like their manager)

Question 9

What is a strength of the absorption addiction model?

Answer 9

Research support - The addiction-absorption model states that a deficiency in a person’s life (eg: poor body image) would predispose them to forming parasocial relationships
Maltby et al. focused on adolescent girls who reported an intense-personal parasocial relationship with a female celebrity whose body shape they admired
These girls were found to have a poor body image (often a precursor to developing an eating disorder)
Maltby linked:
* The entertainment-social level = extrovert personalities
* The intense-personal level = neurotic traits
* The borderline-patholigcal level = psychotic personality types
These studies support the model’s prediction of a correlation between poor psychological functioning and the level (type and intensity) of celebrity worship

Question 10

What is a limitation of the absorption addiction model?

Answer 10

It lacks explanatory power - The model describes the characteristics of people at different levels of intensity but it does not explain why the different forms develop
This does not help us to prevent the more dangerous and disturbing forms of parasocial relationships

Question 11

Describe the attachment theory explanation of parasocial relationships

Answer 11

Bowlby’s attachment theory suggests that early difficulties in attachment may lead to emotional troubles and difficulties forming successful relationships later in life
Such difficulties may lead to a preference for parasocial relationships to replace those within their own social circle
This may be because parasocial relationships do not require the same social skills
Ainsworth (1979) identified two attachment types associated with unhealthy emotional development: insecure-resistant and insecure-avoidant

Question 12

Describe insecure-resistant types regarding parasocial relationships

Answer 12

Most likely to form parasocial relationships as adults
They seek to have unfulfilled needs met
A parasocial relationship is free from the threat of rejection, break-up and dissappointment which is present in real life relationships

Question 13

Describe insecure-avoidant types regarding parasocial relationships

Answer 13

Prefer to avoid the pain and rejection of relationships altogether in both social and parasocial relationships

Question 14

What is a strength of the attachment theory explanation for parasocial relationships?

Answer 14

Cross cultural support
Study 1:
Dinka et al (2015) compared contrasting cultures - a collectivist one (Kuwait) and an individualist one (USA)
The researchers found that people with an insecure attachment type were most likely to form an intense parasocial relationship with TV personalities and characters

Study 2:
Scmid and Klimmt (2011) found similar levels of parasocial attachment to Harry Potter in an individualist culture (Germany) and a collectivist culture (Mexico)
This suggests the need to form a parasocial relationship may be universal and innate
It could also be an adaptive behaviour

Question 15

What is a limitation of the attachment theory explanation for parasocial relationships?

Answer 15

Lack of support - McCutcheon et al (2006) found that participants with insecure attachments were no more likely to form such relationships that participants with secure attachments
This is the key assumption of this explanation and this research failing to support it decreases the validity of the model
It shows that parasocial relationships are not necessarily a way of compensating for attachment issues