Parasocial Relationships
PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
‘Para’ – means resembling, or abnormal.
Parasocial relationships are missing a key element normally present in relationships.
Parasocial relationships are generally where an individual will believe they are in a relationship with
someone of a higher status (typically a celebrity).
It is usually without the celebrity’s knowledge and is known as ‘hero/celebrity worship’.
The individual tends to come across the media personality in TV/film and comes to think of seeing
these people on TV as an actual physical experience with them. They feel they understand the TV
personality more than everyone else.
They start off on a basis of friendship (albeit, a very one-sided friendship) but very often proceed in
physical attraction and sexual desire
MCCUTHEON ET AL
Found a negative correlation of -0.4 between the amount of education and celebrity worship. This
suggests that the lower the education, the more intense the worship of the personality.
LEVELS OF PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Maltby et al (2006) used the Celebrity Attitude Scale (developed by McCutcheon 2002) to identify
three levels within parasocial relationships:
● Entertainment-Social - Features uncontrollable and extreme behaviours. These might include
spending or planning to spend a large sum of money on a celebrity related topic, or being
willing to perform some illegal act on the celebrities say so.
● Intense-Personal - Celebrities are viewed as fuel for social interaction like gossiping in a
workplace or school. Can help social interaction.
● Borderline Pathological - Intense thoughts and feelings are felt about the celebrity, individuals
like to share these thoughts with others who feel in a similar way.
THE ABSORPTION ADDICTION MODEL - MCCUTHEON
parasocial relationships are formed in terms of deficiencies people have. For example, a weak sense
of self-identity and/or a lack of fulfilment in their everyday relationships. They could also be poorly
adjusted psychologically..
A parasocial relationship allows them to ‘escape from reality’, or a way of finding fulfilment that they
can’t achieve in their actual relationships.
Someone who initially has an entertainment-social orientation to a certain celebrity may be triggered
into more intense involvement by some personal crisis or stressful life event.
Hence, absorbed becomes ADDICTION
As the name implies – the Absorption-Addiction Model has two components:
● Absorption - seeking fulfilment in celebrity motivates individuals to become preoccupied and
identify with them. Gives a ‘feel good’ factor.
● Personal crisis = Addiction - Individual needs a more intense involvement to sustain
commitment to a relationship. Could lead to extreme behaviours like delusional thinking – eg
stalking them (lost touch with reality).
MALTBY
Maltby (2003) found that individuals in the entertainment-social category were mentally healthy. This
makes sense as the majority of teenagers who experience this go on to be healthy. However, those in
higher categories had poor mental and physical health.
Looked in particularly at females aged 14-16 who had a parasocial relationship
with a female whose body shape they admired. They found these females had a poor body
Image. They speculated this could be a precursor to the development of anorexia.
PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
‘Para’ – means resembling, or abnormal.
Parasocial relationships are missing a key element normally present in relationships.
Parasocial relationships are generally where an individual will believe they are in a relationship with
someone of a higher status (typically a celebrity).
It is usually without the celebrity’s knowledge and is known as ‘hero/celebrity worship’.
The individual tends to come across the media personality in TV/film and comes to think of seeing
these people on TV as an actual physical experience with them. They feel they understand the TV
personality more than everyone else.
They start off on a basis of friendship (albeit, a very one-sided friendship) but very often proceed in
physical attraction and sexual desire
MCCUTHEON ET AL
Found a negative correlation of -0.4 between the amount of education and celebrity worship. This
suggests that the lower the education, the more intense the worship of the personality.
LEVELS OF PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Maltby et al (2006) used the Celebrity Attitude Scale (developed by McCutcheon 2002) to identify
three levels within parasocial relationships:
● Entertainment-Social - Features uncontrollable and extreme behaviours. These might include
spending or planning to spend a large sum of money on a celebrity related topic, or being
willing to perform some illegal act on the celebrities say so.
● Intense-Personal - Celebrities are viewed as fuel for social interaction like gossiping in a
workplace or school. Can help social interaction.
● Borderline Pathological - Intense thoughts and feelings are felt about the celebrity, individuals
like to share these thoughts with others who feel in a similar way.
THE ABSORPTION ADDICTION MODEL - MCCUTHEON
parasocial relationships are formed in terms of deficiencies people have. For example, a weak sense
of self-identity and/or a lack of fulfilment in their everyday relationships. They could also be poorly
adjusted psychologically..
A parasocial relationship allows them to ‘escape from reality’, or a way of finding fulfilment that they
can’t achieve in their actual relationships.
Someone who initially has an entertainment-social orientation to a certain celebrity may be triggered
into more intense involvement by some personal crisis or stressful life event.
Hence, absorbed becomes ADDICTION
As the name implies – the Absorption-Addiction Model has two components:
● Absorption - seeking fulfilment in celebrity motivates individuals to become preoccupied and
identify with them. Gives a ‘feel good’ factor.
● Personal crisis = Addiction - Individual needs a more intense involvement to sustain
commitment to a relationship. Could lead to extreme behaviours like delusional thinking – eg
stalking them (lost touch with reality).
MALTBY
Maltby (2003) found that individuals in the entertainment-social category were mentally healthy. This
makes sense as the majority of teenagers who experience this go on to be healthy. However, those in
higher categories had poor mental and physical health.
Looked in particularly at females aged 14-16 who had a parasocial relationship
with a female whose body shape they admired. They found these females had a poor body
Image. They speculated this could be a precursor to the development of anorexia.
