Worshiping at the altar of the stars

Constant bombardment by news of the trials and tribulations of the stars is part and parcel of our celebrity culture. But what type of person becomes obsessed to the point of stalking their hero or heroine?

In the February 2006 issue of The Psychologist, Dr David Giles and Dr John Maltby outline the three dimensions of celebrity worship: celebrities as source of entertainment (entertainment-social), obsessional feelings towards celebrities (intense-personal), and uncontrollable behaviours in relation to celebrities (borderline-pathological). People were split into one of three groups by answering positively towards statements such as:

• ‘My friends and I like to discuss what my favourite celebrity has done’ (entertainment-social)
• ‘I consider my favourite celebrity to be my soul mate’ (Intense-personal)
• ‘If I walked through the door of my favourite celebrity’s house she or he would be pleased to see me’ (Borderline-pathological)
  

Applying these findings to adolescents, Maltby and Giles say that celebrity attachment in an entertainment-social sense may be a way for adolescents to extend their social network during a time when they are increasingly separate from their parents and forming stronger bonds with their peers. However, intense-personal relations with a celebrity may actually cause difficulties in this process.

Also featured in this issue, Professor Sonia Jackson and Dr Peter McParlin argue that educational failure is at the heart of many social problems affecting adults who spent time in care as children. The main difference between these individuals and other cared-for children who had gone on to have well-adjusted lives was the value and importance given to education - such as through practical help with homework and liasing with teachers - by their carers.

Jackson and McParlin claim that many children in care are treated as having low intelligence when in fact their ‘special educational needs’ are more to do with the emotional and behavioural problems they face as a result of past experiences. As such, they should be fast-tracked through the mental health services to give them the best chances of success.

Elsewhere in the February edition, Paula Jean Manners explores the psychoanalytic aspects of Frodo in J R R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and P Alex Linley and Susan Harrington discuss the positive psychology of playing to your strengths.

Ref: PR938