Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHistoryThe Absorption-Addiction ModelCelebrity Worship & Mental HealthCriticisms

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

History

The Absorption-Addiction Model

Celebrity Worship & Mental Health

Criticisms

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Celebrity worship is an extreme feeling of attachment to a celebrity. The most frequently used measure to identity celebrity worship is the Celebrity Attitude Scale,which suggests there are three levels of the phenomenon: entertainment-social, intense-personal, and borderline-pathological.

Celebrity worship has been criticized for pathologizing fans of celebrities.

Understanding the Concept of Celebrity Worship

In general, scholars agree that forming parasocial relationships with media figures is normal and psychologically healthy, however celebrity worship was conceived to explore the more problematic aspects of attachment to celebrities.

In 2002, in response to the growing interest and media coverage of celebrities and their private lives,  Lynn McCutcheon and colleaguesproposed the concept of celebrity worship and the Celebrity Attitude Scale to measure it. They suggested that while it was normal for children andadolescentsto become intensely interested in celebrities and to use them as role models, this “celebrity worship” should decrease with age.

Yet, the increase in information available about celebrities had caused some adults to engage in celebrity worship as well, which the researchers claimed could be dysfunctional and even, in the most extreme cases, pathological.

In the 20 years since it was initially proposed, celebrity worship has increasingly become the subject of research.Moreover, due to the introduction ofsocial mediasuch as Instagram and Twitter, people have more access to information about celebrities than ever, including posts and messages that appear to come directly from the celebrities themselves.

Celebrity Worship Has IncreasedIn accordance with this, Lynn McCutcheon and Mara Aruguetefound that celebrity worship greatly increased between 2001 and 2021, a trajectory they observed makes further research into this phenomenon essential.

Celebrity Worship Has Increased

In accordance with this, Lynn McCutcheon and Mara Aruguetefound that celebrity worship greatly increased between 2001 and 2021, a trajectory they observed makes further research into this phenomenon essential.

In their initial discussion of the concept, McCutcheon and colleaguesproposed the Absorption-Addiction Model of celebrity worship.

What Does This Model Claim?

While this will help them solidify their identities andfulfill their social needsin the short term, the model suggests that, much like anaddiction, these individuals will develop a tolerance for the absorption they feel, requiring them to go to greater extremes in pursuit of information about their favorite celebrity, sometimes leading to obsession and dysfunctional behaviors, such asstalking. Subsequent studies have found support for this model.

The Levels of Celebrity Worship

In keeping with the Absorption-Addiction Model, the Celebrity Attitude Scale includes three levels of celebrity worship:

These levels are considered progressive such that those who reach the borderline-pathological level must pass through the entertainment-social and then the intense-personal levels of celebrity worship first.

As a result, although most celebrity worshippers never move past the entertainment-social level, according to McCutcheon and colleagues’conceptualization, anyone who falls into even this lowest level is potentially at risk for unhealthy behavior and eventually pathology.

Celebrity Worship and Its Impact on Mental Health

Numerous studies have shown that celebrity worship is correlated with poor mental health and maladaptive behaviors, however it’s unclear ifmental healthissues precede celebrity worship or if celebrity worship somehow causes mental health issues.

Nonetheless, a review of the research on celebrity worship found a number of reasons to be concerned about celebrity worshippers.

People at the intense-personal level of celebrity worship score high for neuroticism and those at the borderline-pathological score high for psychoticism, reflecting a tendency toward poor mental health in both groups.

In support of this, celebrity worship is associated with poor psychological health, includinganxietyanddepression, as well as anxiety in intimate relationships. Meanwhile, the intense-personal and borderline-pathological levels of celebrity worship has been found to be related toobsessive-compulsivebehaviors.

Studies have also shown that celebrity worship is associated withproblematic eating behaviors and attitudesand that celebrity worshippers are more likely to feel positively about cosmetic surgery.

Criticisms of the Concept of Celebrity Worship

While celebrity worship has been widely studied, it’s also been widely criticized. In particular, celebrity worship researchers have tended to use the terms “celebrity worshipper” and “fan” interchangeably, even though celebrity worship has never been rigorously defined in the scholarly literature.

Using the terms synonymously has led to thepathologizationof fans, even though most people who are fans of celebrities don’t exhibit mental health issues or unhealthy behaviors.

Surprisingly, the scale had only been administered to general populations prior to this investigation. The study found that not all fans were celebrity worshippers. In fact, the closest the participants came to being considered celebrity worshippers was on the entertainment-social level of celebrity worship, and even in that case, many did not meet the necessary criteria to be considered a celebrity worshipper.

Thus, despite the way it’s been discussed in the research literature, this study indicates celebrity worshipper and fan should be considered different constructs, and that while being a celebrity worshipper can be psychologically problematic, in general, being a celebrity fan isn’t.

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7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

McCutcheon LE, Lange R, Houran J.Conceptualization and measurement of celebrity worship.British Journal of Psychology. 2002;93(1):67-87. doi:10.1348/000712602162454

Horton D, Wohl RR.Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction: Observations on Intimacy at a Distance.Psychiatry. 1956;19(3):215-229. doi:10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049

Brooks SK.FANatics: Systematic literature review of factors associated with celebrity worship, and suggested directions for future research.Current Psychology. 2018;40(2):864-886. doi:10.1007/s12144-018-9978-4

McCutcheon LE, Aruguete MS.Is Celebrity Worship Increasing Over Time?Journal of Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities. 2021;7(1):66-75.

Stever GS. Processes of Audience Involvement. In: Stever GS, Giles DC, Cohen JD, Myers ME.Understanding Media Psychology. 1st ed. New York: Routledge; 2021:183-204.

Stever GS.Celebrity Worship: Critiquing a Construct.J Appl Soc Psychol. 2011;41(6):1356-1370. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2011.00765.x

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