Parasocial relationships Flashcards
(9 cards)
What is the absorption-addiction model?
Three levels of parasocial relationships.
Entertainment-social, Intense-Personal and Borderline-Pathological.
What is Entertainment-Social?
Least intense level, source of entertainment for social interaction. Healthy.
What is Intense-Personal?
Intermediate level, greater personal involvement, obsessive thoughts and intense feelings, consider them a ‘soulmate’, less group more personal.
What is intense-personal?
Strongest level, uncontrollable fantasies, extreme behaviours, spending money on celebrity-related objects, willing to perform illegal acts if celebrity asks.
Why do people form parasocial relationships?
Due to the dissatisfaction they feel with their own lives, relationship allows them to escape from reality.
What is the attachment theory for parasocial relationships?
Form parasocial relationships in adolescence cause of attachment issues. Bowlby’s theory suggests early difficulties may lead to emotional troubles in later life.
Discuss research support for the absorption-addiction model.
Maltby - female adolescents who reported parasocial relationships with a female celebrity whose body shape,they admired tended to have poor body image. Often leading to the development of anorexia.
Discuss the limitation of both as rely on self-report.
participants may want to appear socially desirable and not want to come across as obsessed with the celebrity. They may lie or ‘downplay’ their level of obsession.
Individuals may not admit to having had an insecure attachment or difficult upbringing.
Lack Validity.
Discuss a limitation of parasocial relationships as it poses a bi-directional model.
Rather than a parasocial relationship causing a mental health issue the MH issue may cause the PR. The person may seek out a celebrity as comfort.
Therefore cannot establish cause and effect.
