Most research into celebrity worship has used the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS), a 17 item scale, with lower scores indicating more individualistic behaviour e.g. reading about celebrities and higher scores indicating over-identification and obsession with celebrities. Maltby et al used this scale to produce 3 levels of parasocial relationships; entertainment social, intense-personal and borderline-pathological.
Within the entertainment social stage fans are attracted to a favourite celebrity because of their entertainment and social value. The intense-personal stage reflects intensive and compulsive feelings for the celebrity. The borderline-pathological stage is define by uncontrollable behaviour and fantasies about the celebrity.
Celebrity worship may be more common than people think. Maltby found one third of a student sample scored above the midpoints in the three subscales of the CAS. In a later study a sample of 372 people aged 18-47, 15% were at the entertainment-social level, 5% the intense personal level and less than 2% were considered borderline-pathological.
Maltby concluded celebrity worshippers have lower psychological well-being than non-worshippers. It is suggested celebrity worshipper may not have rewarding social relationships therefore make parasocial relationships with celebrities to satisfy their need for interaction. Further studies have suggested that while the entertainment-social subscale predicts social dysfunction in individuals, scores on the intense-personal scale predict both depression and anxiety disorders. Linking celebrity worship to poor mental well-being. However, CAS has been criticised for being reductionist as it does not take into consideration other factors such as biological predisposition or attachment type in forming celebrity worshipping. Also this assumes that everyone with poor mental health will stalk celebrities however this is not the case highlighting other factors must be present.
Yue et al found that idol worship was associated with lower levels of work and self-esteem as well as less successful identity achievement. Teenagers worshipping TV idols showed the lowest identity achievement suggesting celebrity worship could be associated with developmental problems. Methodological issues occur as the study used telephone surveys therefore participants may have not answered truthfully. They may have used celebrity worship as an excuse for lower levels of work. Demand characteristics may have been shown, answering in ways which they thought was expected of them. However, this study also found that children who worshipped family members or real people within their social circle tended to have higher levels of self-esteem and educational achievement. This is likely because such admiration in those that have an impact on the teenagers life will likely produce a greater positive outcome than celebrities where only a one-way parasocial relationship exists.
Philips study revealed high profile celebrity suicides were often followed by an increased number of suicides among the general population. Highlight the negative and dangerous consequences of celebrity worship. However, such studies are correlational therefore cause and effect are difficult to determine. It may be other confounding variables that affected subsequent suicide rates. For example the amount of media coverage the celebrity suicide received and also the way in which it was reported likely will have an effect.
Sheridan et al suggested pathological worshippers often were drawn to rebellious, entertaining and anti-social celebrities and therefore may then emulate similar behaviour with negative consequences for the worshipper such as suicide. Therefore research has real world applications in how celebrity deaths should be reported in the media. The media should not glamorise the death and detract information away from other mental health or drug related problems that the individual may have been dealing with, which led to their death. Hopefully reducing the negative behaviours shown by celebrity worshippers.
Issues with most research studies are they ignore evolutionary explanations of celebrity worship. Such explanations suggest it is natural for humans to look up to those who receive attention because this is an indication of them succeeding in life. Therefore we look at those who have achieved fame and fortune and attempt to emulate them in hope of becoming successful.
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