Parasocial relationships

Question 1

Para-social relationships:

Answer 1

• one-sided relationships
• one person extends emotional energy, interest and time
• the other person is completely unaware of the others existence

Question 2

Measuring parasocial relationships:

Answer 2

• McCutcheon
• Developed the celebrity attitude scale
• 3 different levels of parasocial relationships
• entertainment-social
• intense-personal
• borderline pathological

Question 3

Entertainment-social

Answer 3

• first level
• least intense
• celebrities are viewed as entertainment and fuel for social interaction
• e.g. gossip

Question 4

Intense-personal

Answer 4

• 2nd level
• intermediate level
• greater personal involvement
• compulsive thoughts about the celebrity
• obsessions

Question 5

Borderline pathological

Answer 5

• 3rd level
• strongest intensity
• uncontrollable fantasies and extreme behaviour
• empathy/ over-identification
• e.g. stalking

Question 6

The absorption-addiction model:

Answer 6

• parasocial relationships are due to personal inadequacies
• e.g. low self-esteem, weak identity
• parasocial relationships are an ‘escape from reality’
• Absorption: become totally pre-occupied with the life of a celebrity and begin to identify with them
• Addiction: the individual needs to sustain commitment to the relationship. Addiction can lead to extreme or delusional behaviours

Question 7

Attachment Theory explanation:

Answer 7

• using Bowlby + Ainsworth attachment theories
• Fans exhibit proximity seeking as part of their parasocial relationship
• Celebrities are unlikely to reject parasocial fans which means that they provide a secure base
• The individual protest following separation or loss showing separation anxiety

Question 8

Insecure resistant and parasocial relationships:

Answer 8

• most likely to form a parasocial relationship
• fills their unmet needs
• no rejection as the celebrity didn’t know that they existed

Question 9

Secure and parasocial relationships

Answer 9

• don’t form them
• instead they form long-term relationships

Question 10

Insecure avoidant and parasocial relationships:

Answer 10

• avoid all relationships and they don’t want to feel rejected

Answer 11

Strength of the CAS: Research support
- McCutcheon
- Used the CAS to measure parasocial relationships
- Assessed problems in participants intimacy problems
- Borderline-pathologicals or intense-personals experienced high anxiety
- Entertainment social did not feel anxiety in their relationships
- Shows that celebrity worshipping can be broken down into 3 different predictive categories

Answer 12

Limitation of the absorption/addiction: Descriptive
- This theory just describes the different reactions
- Doesn’t explain why parasocial relationships are found
- The process is therefore not explained which means it is not a complete theory

Answer 13

Limitation of the attachment theory: Bowlby’s theory
- His original theory lacked objectivity
- This means that by using it as a base to explain parasocial relationships it may invalidate parasocial research

Answer 14

Strength of attachment theory: Not culturally relative
- Explains why people all over the world have parasocial relationships
- Dinkha = compared collectivist and individualistic cultures
- Found that both cultures IR are most likely to form parasocial relationships
- Therefore using attachment theory provides a universal explanation