Parasocial relationships

What is a parasocail relationship?

a one-sided relationship in that one of the partners is unaware that the relationship exists

tends to be focused on someone famous or well-known

three levels of parasocial relationships: entertainment social

his is what might be termed the ‘fun’ level of PR in which a celebrity or a source of entertainment, such as a TV programme, provides diverting gossip and social bonding, e.g., Ken and Dierdre spend every coffee break at work having a good old chat about a TV soap series

three levels of parasocial relationships: intense personal

this entails a more serious and focused interest in a famous person involving frequent thoughts and daydreams about them, e.g., Ziggy thinks that if David Bowie were still alive, then the two of them would be best friends

three levels of parasocial relationships: bordaline pathological

this level spills over into deviant and abnormal behaviour, as it may involve extreme acts and delusional thoughts about the celebrity, e.g., ‘No wonder the King of England won’t reply to my letters; his manager is trying to split us up’

The absorption addiction model

• The absorption-addiction model (AAM) describes the unhealthy, possibly toxic level of obsession that some people may succumb to in their ‘star worship’

• The absorption aspect of the model refers to how an individual becomes consumed by their (imagined) relationship with the celebrity

• The addiction aspect of the model refers to the increasing dependence that the person has on the celebrity

  • The craving they experience for the celebrity possibly leading to the addicted person taking extreme measures to fuel their addiction

People who are likely to take a PR to a borderline pathological level tend to:

• lack a strong sense of self

• be prone to faulty, distorted thought processes

• lack a sense of fulfilment and achievement in other areas of their lives

• have difficulty forming or maintaining romantic and/or platonic relationships

Attachment theory explanation of parasocial relationships: insecure resistant

It is thought that those who can be needy and clingy in relationships may be more likely to develop PSRs.

This type of attachment style is known as insecure-resistant

Attachment theory explanation of parasocial relationships: three fundamental properties of adult attachment:

Proximity Seeking

Individuals attempt to reduce the distance between themself and their attachment figure. Fans can stay informed and can attempt to contact their favourite celebrity.

Secure Base

The presence of an attachment figure provides a sense of security to explore the world. With a PSR there is no chance of rejection and allows a safe base to explore other relationships.

Protest at disruption

The presence of prolonged distress following separation or loss. This can be seen when TV programmes are cancelled or characters die.

A03: Support from research

• People with higher levels of PSRs also watched more television

• Individuals may develop PSRs as a way of dealing with loneliness

=Predictive validity

A03: cross cultural support

Attachment theory can explain why people all over the world have a desire to form parasocial relationships

The drive for forming parasocial relationships is independent of cultural influences

A03: nurture

• The attachment theory explanation supports a nurture-based view, suggesting PRs develop from early attachment issues, especially insecure-resistant or avoidant styles

  • This suggests that childhood experience and relationship history shape our adult social behaviours, even towards fictional or distant figures

  • However, individual differences in personality (nature) may also play a role, highlighting the need for an interactionist approach