Parasocial Relationships
What is a Parasocial Relationship?
This is expanded with social media, as it is easier to know everything about a person.
This is usually with celebrities, bloggers or gamers.
One-sided attachment, where one person expends emotional energy, interest and time to another person who is unaware of their existance.
Are they useful?
Get used to failure - not meeting that person
Trial run of relationship
Practice of a relationship
Helps model someones behaviour
They are more likely if...
The object of affection is perceived as attractive
They are perceived as simular to us
We perceive them as real
The viewer is female
The viewer is lonely and shy
Absorption Addiction Model
Proposed by McCutcheon
Absorption is an attempt to establish personal identity
Explains how parasocial relationships become abnormal
Absorption has addictive qualities so individuals go to further and further lengths to maintain a sense of fulfilment via the parasocial relationship (Enduring Love)
This model predicts that there will be an association between poorer mental health and the strength of parasocial relationships
To test this, McCutcheon devised a Celebrity attitude scale:
Measures social aspect associated with the celebrity worship - 'My Friend and i like to discuss what X has done'
Measures the intensity of a person's feelings towards the celebrity along with obsessional tendencies - 'I consider Xto be my soul mate'
Measures the potentially harmful aspects of feelings towards the celebrity - 'If X asked me to do something illegal as a favour I would probably do it'
The three stages of a parasocial relationship
Intense-Personal
Borderline-Pathological
Entertainment-Social
They will watch, keep up with, read and learn about that celebrity for the purpose of entertainment and gossip
Fans are attracted to a favourite celebrity
A deeper level of involvement and reflects intensive and compulsive feelings about that celebrity
Akin to the obsessive tendencies of fans often referred to in the literature
This level is typified by empathy with the celebrity, as individuals at this level identify with the celebrities successes and failures
However, it is also characterised by over identification with the celebrity and uncontrollable behaviours and fantasies about their lives.
Evaluation:
similar in different cultures
Study has shown that loneliness or loss have been linked to parasocial relationships
A study has shown the entertainment-social level was associated with extroversion, whereas the intense-personal level was associated with introversion.
An Attachment Theory Explanation
Secure Base
Protest at Disruption
Proximity Seeking