Para social relationships Flashcards
Why may we form a parasocial relationship with an celebrity?
As we can learn alot about a celebrity through the media, which is ever preset. This means we feel a strong sense of famililarity
What is a parasocial relationship?
One person feels affection towards a celebrity and knows alot about them, however the celebrity is unaware then fan even exists. Is very one sided.
Who can we from para social relationships with?
Real life people in the media, fictional characters and fictional non-human characters
What is a factor that makes para social relationships more likely?
Transportation
What is transportation?
Getting immersed in a story line and feeling strong emotions towards the characters
What are the 3 main evaluation points for para social relationships?
Meyoritz, Eyal and Cohen, individual differences
What did Meyrowitz find?
There were very extreme reactions to the death of celebrities like Elvis Presley
Why does Meyrowitz support the thoery?
Shows evidence for a similarity in para social and real life relationships. The ending of real life relationships can often lead to depression and counselling, just like what wad found in the break up of para social relationships.
Eyal and Cohen: Procedure
- Gave pps questionnaires on the ending of the Friends series
- Assessed their strength of PSR with fave Friends character and strength of feeling after break up
What did Eyal and Cohen find?
Intensity of para social relationship was the best predictor of the amount of break up distress experiences
What is a weakness of the explanation?
Cannot explain individual differences. Is poor at explaining why some people develop para social relationships and why others do not, although we are all exposed to the media.
Why does Eyal and Cohen support the theory?
As we would expect the more intense and strong a real relationships, the greater distress on breakdown. Shows a similarity between real life relationships and para social ones.
