PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS:

Question 1

What is it bruh

Answer 1

One sided relationships with celebrities, or a fictional character, often a ‘fan’ who feels v close to them.

Question 2

Giles and Maltby

Answer 2

suggest that one sided relationships increase in strength amongst 3 levels. He calls this the CELEBRITY ATTITUDE SCALE.

Question 3

WHAT ARE THE 3 STAGES CALLED

Answer 3

entertainment - social level
Intense - personal level
Borderline - Pathological level

Question 4

Personal level

Answer 4

Deeper level.
May see celebrity as their soulmate, and have an intense interest in the celebrity’s personal life, such as their dress sense, foods etc.

Question 4

Social level

Answer 4

Most people engage in par asocial relationships, but most stay at this level, seen as a topic for light hearted gossip with friends and a fuel for social interaction. Least intense

Question 5

Borderline pathalogical level

Answer 5

A person takes worship to an extreme, has obsessive fantasies, spends large sums of money to obtain MEMORABILIA and may engage in stalking.

Usual for people to think if they were given a chance, their feelings would be reciprocated.

Question 6

What are the 2 explanations of par asocial relationships

Answer 6

Absorption addiction model
attachment theory

Question 7

Absorption addiction model (McCutcheon)

Answer 7

People compensate for deficiencies in their life such as,
difficulty forming intimate relationships, weak sense of identity, lack of fulfilment in everyday relationships.

allows them to achieve the fulfilment they lack in everyday life, and adds PURPOSE AND EXCITEMENT, allowing them to ESCAPE FROM REALITY.

Question 8

Absorption:

Answer 8

focus intensively on them, achieves a sense of fufilment, which further motivates them to become even more intensely attached

Question 9

addiction

Answer 9

sense of fulfilment becomes addictive -> leads to riskier behaviour like stalking

Question 10

attachment theory (BOWLBY)

Answer 10

Substitution for not forming a strong bond with primary caregiver.

Question 11

Ainsworth attachment types and hazan and shaver

Answer 11

Individuals w insecure resistant attachment types will be more likely to form par asocial relationships, as they are too afraid of the criticism, and rejection that are a part of real - life relationships.

Hazan says that this behaviour translates into clingy and jealous behaviour, making it hard for relationships to last long. hence the delulu.

Question 12

McCutchen - attachment theory

Answer 12

299 students completed the CAS, and a questionnaire about celebrity stalking, and a questionnaire about attachment style.

Results: The researchers found no association between attachment style of the participants and their likelihood to become attached to celebrities by forming parasocial relationships. ​

However, it was noted that those individuals with an insecure attachment style were more likely to approve of stalking-type behaviours if expressed towards celebrities. ​

Conclusion: There is very limited evidence to support the attachment theory explanation of parasocial relationships.

Question 13

Attachment theory research: KIENLEN

Answer 13

he said disturbed attachment in childhood may lead to the development of borderline - pathological level of parasocial relationships.

63% of stalker pp;’s experienced a loss of a caregiver, and 50% experienced emotional and physical abuse,

Poor quality attachment is assoiciated w par asocial relationships.

Therefore an insecure resistant attachment may be a credible explanation.

Question 14

Social desirability?

Answer 14

Relies on self report - doesn’t reflect reality - answers in a way that reflects them in a better light - reasons for parasocial relationships may be diff than ones in research - lack of internal validity.

Question 15

REAL LIFE APPLICATION - maltby

Answer 15

Maltby linked types of personality to levels of par asocial relationships. He found that extraverts were ore likely to be at entertainment-social level, neurotics at intense personal, and psychotics at the borderline pathological level.

Young girls also at intense personal level havee poor body image.

Can help psychological disorders, and has a good predicted validity.

Question 16

correlation not causation

Answer 16

cause and effect can’t be established. Eg; celebrity worship was found to be a predictor of poor body image, but this doesn’t mean celebrity worship caused this. They may already have had this poor image and then engage in intense levels for self esteem.

Question 17

Universality

Answer 17

harry potter characters obsessions in germany and mexico (individualistic v collectivist)
Universally applicable, increases population validity.