Parasocial:

• STRENGTH:

  • Attachment theory is that it can explain why people all over the world have a desire to form parasocial relationships
  • Dinkha et al compared two contrasting cultures - a collectivist one (Kuwait) and an individualist one (US)
  • Found that people with an insecure attachment type were the most likely to form intense parasocial relationships with TV personalities and characters
  • True in both types of culture

  This supports the view that attachment type may be a universal explanation for the need to form parasocial relationships.
• COUNTERPOINT:

  • However, other evidence is not supportive
  • For example, McCutcheon et al measured attachment types and celebrity-related attitudes in 299 American pp
  • The researchers found that attachment security did not affect the likelihood of forming a parasocial relationship with a celebrity
  • pp with insecure attachments were no more likely to form such relationships than pp with secure attachments.

  This shows that parasocial relationships are not necessarily a way of compensating for attachment issues
• STRENGTH:

  • Levels 'model' is that its predictions are supported by research (predictive validity)
  • IE McCutcheon et al used the CAS to measure level of parasocial relationships
  • They also assessed pp' problems in their intimate relationships
  • pp who scored as borderline-pathological or intense-personal tended to experience a high degree of anxiety in their intimate relationships. People at the entertainment-social level generally did not

  This suggests that 'celebrity-worshippers' can usefully be classified into three categories and that these are predictive of actual behaviour.