Describe and Evaluate Research Into Parasocial Relationships PDF

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ESSAY ON PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS...

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Describe and Evaluate Research into Parasocial Relationships A parasocial relationship is when an individual is attracted to another, but the target individual is unaware of the existence of the person who has created the relationship. There are three levels which have been found: entertainment-social where a fan is attracted due to the entertainment and source of gossip with friends. The next stage is intense-personal which reflects a greater involvement, where the fan as intense and compulsive feelings. The finals stage is borderline pathological. This is the strongest level where there is uncontrollable behaviour and fantasies. These levels were proposed by McCutcheon who also introduced the absorptionaddiction model. Absorption is seeking fulfillment in celebrity worship which motivates the individual to focus their attention on them as much as possible. Addiction is the need to sustain the commitment and feeling a stronger and closer involvement. This can lead to extreme behaviours. There is research support for the actors involved in parasocial relationships. Schiappa carried out a metaanalysis of studies which had looked at the factors which affect PSRs and found support for people with higher levels of parasocial relationships wanting to watch more television. This provides evidence for the entertainment-social level of the absorption addiction model. Furthermore, they found a positive relationship between the degree to which a person perceives tv characters as real and their tendency to form PSRs, and that the likelihood of forming these relationships was linked to the characters’ perceived attractiveness and similarity to the viewer. This explains the intense feelings experienced by most who form parasocial relationships and provides evidence for the factors which affect their formation. Furthermore, the absorption addiction model has links with mental health. This is a strength as it allows further understanding. Maltby assessed the connection between parasocial relationship levels and personality they found the e.s. level was linked with extraversion, and the i.p. level was linked with neuroticism. As the latter is associated with anxiety and depression, this provides a clearer explanation as to why certain people are more likely to form parasocial relationships. Thus, it suggests there is a link between poor mental health and PSRs, and further research should explore this further in order to better understand PSRs. Parasocial relationships can also be explained using attachment style. Anxious resistant are most likely to from the relationship as they are concerned about others not reciprocating their desire for intimacy. Anxious avoidant are the least likely as they find it difficult to develop intimate relationships and are therefore less likely to seek them. There is support for attachment style linking with PSRs; a study supported the theory showing viewers would show the same negative response to a loss of parasocial relationships as they would to a loss of a real relationship. The ideas were tested using a questionnaire asking questions on favourite tv characters and how they would react if they left the air. The participants were also asked about attachment styles. Viewers who thought they may lose their favourite characters anticipated negative reaction similar to those experienced after the end of real relationships. these were related to both the intensity of the PSR and the attachment style, with anxious resistant having more negative responses. Thus, this provides evidence for the significance of attachment style in the development of parasocial relationships, giving it increased validity. Despite this, the ideas are deterministic as they say that parasocial relationships can be explained by attachment styles, and ignore the influence of other factors, such as the environment. Evidence suggests variations between and within cultures, in attachment types, and some research has shown there to be additional styles. This raises issues surrounding the ability of the theory to explain PSRs in real life, and suggests it may be too simplistic to attribute behaviour to the early stages of life....