Absorption addiction model

Question 1

Parasocial relationships

Answer 1

Parasocial relationships refer to one-sided relationships with a celebrity where a fan knows everything about the subject of their adoration and feels very close to them, but there is no chance of reciprocity.

Question 2

Levels of Parasocial Relationships

Answer 2

1. Entertainment-Social: Most people engage in parasocial relationships at some point in their lives, but most stay at this first level. Celebrities are seen as a source of entertainment and gossiping with friends.
2. Intense-Personal: This is a deeper level of parasocial relationships. At this level a person has a private obsession and feeling of personal connection with a celebrity. For example, they may see them as a
   soulmate and they have an intense interest in the celebrity’s personal life
3. Borderline-Pathological: This is the most intense level of parasocial relationships. At this level, a person takes celebrity worship to an extreme, has obsessive fantasies about the celebrity and spends large sums of money to obtain memorabilia. They may show extreme behaviours such as stalking.

Question 3

Absorption addiction model

Answer 3

The absorption-addiction model argues that parasocial relationships focused on a celebrity make up for
dissatisfactions in a person’s real life/relationships and provide them with a sense of identity.

People with an addictive nature will escalate through the levels of parasocial relationships until their parasocial relationship becomes a total pre-occupation with a celebrity’s life.

Question 4

Two levels of the absorption addiction model model

Answer 4

1. Absorption: People with weaker personal identity may become totally pre-occupied/consumed with the life of a celebrity and begin to identify with them.
2. Addiction: The person seeks even greater involvement so the parasocial relationship becomes all consuming.

Question 5

Absorption Addiction Model eval (+)

Answer 5

+ Research supports a link between 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.

+ 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.

Question 6

Absorption Addiction Model eval (-)

Answer 6

Correlational Evidence:
Most studies are correlational, meaning cause and effect cannot be established. For example, although a link has been found between poor body image and intense parasocial relationships in teenage girls, it’s unclear which causes which. Girls with poor body image might seek parasocial relationships to boost self-esteem, rather than the relationships causing the poor self-image. This lowers the scientific explanatory power of the research.

Criticism of the Absorption-Addiction Model:
The model describes different levels of parasocial relationships well but does not explain why individuals develop them in the first place. It assumes universal behavioural patterns but lacks insight into individual motivations. A more idiographic approach—focusing on individual cases—might provide deeper understanding of the personal reasons behind parasocial attachments.