Parasocial Relationships

• What is a parasocial relationship

  • One sided and unreciprocated relationship
  • One member is heavily invested and other isn't aware
  • Common between fans and celebrities
  • Can also include fictional characters
• What did McCutcheon et al make?


  Celebrity Attitude Scale from his study
• Who developed the 3 levels of PRS

  Maltby
• What is the 1st level of PRS?

  
  

  Entertainment social

  • Celebrities are discussed with friends for entertainment. Gossip
  • Least intense level
• What is the 2nd level of PRS?


  Intense personal

  • Obsessive and emotional thoughts.
  • Individuals think they're soulmates with celebrity
  • Mid intense level
• What is the 3rd level of PRS?

  Borderline pathological

  • Extreme behaviours
  • Spending large sum of money, illegal activities
  • Most intense level
• What model did McCutchen propose

  Absorption - Addiction model

  • Suggests people engage in celebrity to compensate for deficiencies in their life e.g. lack of identity

  Absorption - intense involvement in finding information about their personal life as an attempt to feel closer to them

  Addiction - behaviours may escalate similarly to drug addiction; becoming more extreme which may result in attempts to contact or stalk celebrity
• Attachment Theory

  Ainsworth - attachment type C (insecure resistant) are most at risk of forming PRS as there afraid of criticism

  Bowlby- predicts those who didn't form a strong bond with primary caregiver will most likely to form PRS. This allows them to find an attachment substitute as adults
• Study to support

  Maltby - measured relation between celebrity worship and body image in teens

  • Teen girls who were at intense personal had poor body image, especially if they admired celebrities physical appearance

  Links PRS and potentially harmful psychological outcomes
• Study to support

  Cole and Leets- investigated PRS that adults developed with TV personalities

  • Adults with insecure resistant attachment type = most likely to develop this

  Supports Ainsworth's type for the attachment theory
• Study to support

  Schiappa

  • Positive correlation between amount of TV pps watched, the degree to which they perceived character as 'real' and level of PSR

  Supports 3 levels of PSR, media exposure can result in PSR forming
• Limitation of PSR

  Low quality of evidence

  Reliance on self report method ---> bias?

  • May provide socially desirable answers
  • Could lack self awareness ---> inaccuracy = decreases validity

  Additionally, difficult to test, relies on correlation as it doesnt cause & effect
• Limitation of PSR

  Absorption - addiction model is vague

  Only a description not explanation as to why.

  Views PSR as psychopathological - making PSR an abnormality and not making attempts on how to help the individual
• Limitation of PSR

  Lack of support for attachment explanation

  • McCutcheon et al - found no link between insecure resistant attachment and more intense levels of PSR

  Contradicts claims by attachment & suggests no link between PSR and attachment
• Strength of PSR


  Real world application

  Can be applied to marketing, media, social media.

  • Celebs often develop PSR with fans which can be used as business strategy

  Increases external validity -can be applied across cultures

  Increases internal validity - consistent findings showing connection between PSR and behavioural outcomes