Absorption Addiction Model Flashcards
What does the absorption addicted model attempt to explain
Why people develop parasocial relationships
Who came up with the absorption addiction model?
McCutcheon et al. 2002
What does this model argue
That pursuing parasocial relationships makes up for deficits in an individual’s real life relationships
Relationships with celebrities are seen as an attempt to cope with or escape from reality
And that parasocial relationships also enable individuals to develop a sense of personal identity and achieve a sense of fulfilment
People with an addicted nature escalate through what stages until what
Absorption & addiction
Until their parasocial relationship becomes a total pre-occupation with a celebrity’s life
What’s absorption
Seeking fulfilment in celebrity worship motivates one to
focus all their attention on the celebrity, to become pre-occupied in their
existence and identify with them.
What’s addiction
The individual sustains their commitment to the relationship by feeling a stronger and close involvement with the celebrity. This leads to more extreme behaviours and delusional thinking (e.g. stalking a
celebrity because there is a belief they share mutual feelings)
(-) most research into this is correlational therefore…
Most research into parasocial relationships is correlational. This means that
cause and effect cannot be clearly established, lowering the scientific
explanatory power. For example, while a significant correlation was found
between poor body image and intensive parasocial relationships in teenage girls,
this does not mean that intense parasocial relationships causes poor body
image. It may as well be that girls who already have a poor body image tend to
engage in a more intensive level of parasocial relationships to enhance their
self-esteem
(-) it’s good at describing but can the model really explain?
The absorption-addiction model is better suited to describing levels of
parasocial relationships than explaining how people develop these attitudes.
This model attempts to establish universal principles of behaviour and as such
misses out on deep insight into the reasons for behaviour. Looking into
particular instances of parasocial relationships, may be better suited to
uncovering the reasons for why people develop them
(+) maltby 2005 study - relationship between body image + parasocial relationships
Maltby et al. (2005) measured the relationship between parasocial
relationships and body image in teenagers. They found that teenage girls who
engaged in parasocial relationships tended to have a poor body image, especially
if they particularly admired a celebrity’s physical appearance
What was found linking loneliness and engaging in parasocial relationships?
Greenwood and Long (2009) found some evidence that people may develop parasocial relationships as a way of dealing with a
recent loss or loneliness.
+
Stalkers often have a history of failed sexual relationships at the time of the
stalking. Stalking in such cases is a reaction to social incompetence, isolation and
loneliness.
