Levels Of Parasocial Relationships Flashcards
What are parasocial relationships
one-sided relationships with a celebrity, a
prominent person in the community, or a fictional character, when a fan knows
everything about the subject of their adoration and feels very close to them,
but there is no chance of reciprocity
How many levels of parasocial relationships are there
3
How did Giles and Maltby identify the three levels of parasocial relationships
Using the celebrity attitude scale in a large scale survey
What are the three levels of parasocial relationships
- Entertainment-social
- Intense-Personal
- Borderline pathological
What is ‘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 as a topic for light-hearted
gossiping with friends. This is the least intense level of celebrity worship
What is ‘intense personal’
This is a deeper level of parasocial relationships. At
this level a person has a more intense relationship with a celebrity. For example, they may see them as a soulmate and they have an intense
interest in the celebrity’s personal life, such as their dress sense, food they like and entertainment in which they take part
What is meant by 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, spends large sums
of money to obtain memorabilia and may engage in illegal activities such as
stalking. At this level, it is also usual for people to believe that if only
they were given a chance to meet their favourite celebrity in person,
their feelings would be reciprocated.
Evaluation of Levels of Paras
(+) correlation found between level of parasocial relationships and other variables
Schiappa et al. (2007) found a significant positive correlation between the
amount of television participants watched, the degree to which they perceived a
TV character as ‘real’ and the level of their parasocial relationship.
What other research shows the link between attractiveness and the likelihood of parasocial stuff
There is research support for the claim that attractiveness increases the
likelihood of a parasocial relationship; the attractiveness of a celebrity
influenced the development of the three levels of parasocial relationships from
members of the public
(-) why must we take educational levels of individuals into account
Highly educated individuals may perceive the majority of celebrities as less educated
than themselves, therefore, are less likely to engage in parasocial
relationships.
(-) research into the levels of parasocial relationships were conducted via…? Therefore….
Questionnaires
These can be affected by socially desirable and idealised answers, thus lacking validity
