parasocial relationships

• ao1


  one sided unreciprocated relationship usually with celeb, fan expresses lots of energy commitment and time

  McCutcheon developed celebrity attitude scale CAS used by Maltby to identify. 3 levels of parasocial relationship

  entertsinment social, least intense, celeb source of entertainment and fuel for social interaction, fruitful source of gossip in office Giles

  intense personal , intermediate,greater personal invilvemnet, frequent obsessive thoughts and intense feeling

  borderkine pathological strongest level, uncontrollable fantasies and extreme behaviours eg crime
• ao1


  absorption addiction model, Mccutcheon, link levels of deficiency people have in own life eg low self esteem, someone in entertainment social may be triggered into deeper levels by stress in life as find escape in PR

  absorption, seek fulfillment in celeb worship motivating individual to focus their attention to celeb and become preoccupied and identify with them

  addiction, need to increase dose to gain satisfaction leads to extreme delusional thinking
• ao1 


  attachment theory

  tending to firm PR based on attachment difficulties, Bowlby said early difficulties lead to emotional trouble and Ainsworth IA IR associated with unhealthy development

  IR most likely PR as adults, seek to have unfulfilled needs met but relationship accompanied with rejection or break up

  IA prefer to avoid rejection altogether so neither social or parasocial
• strength

  predictive validity

  levels model predictions supported by Mccutcheon using CAS to measure PR and assessed problems with intimate relationships

  BP or IP had high anxiety in intimate relationship and ES did not

  PR can be usefully classified to 3 categories to predict behaviour
• strength 


  support for absorption addiction

  model says deficiencies in life predispose to PR

  maltby, 14-16y girls with intense personal to female celebs who’s body they admired usually had body image problems (deficiency in own life)
• strength


  attachment theory universal so supported

  Dinkha , collectivist kuwait and indiciduak US for both insecurely attacged most likely to form PR
• limitation 


  counter evidence

  Mccutcheon attachment types and CAS in 300 US ppt

  attachment security didn’t affect likelihood of PR, insecure no more likely