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Admiring Celebrities: A Critique of the Celebrity Attitude Scale and the Absorption-addiction Model


Author: Lynn E. McCutcheon*
Published Date: 2025-03-12
Keywords: Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS), Absorption-Addiction Model, Celebrity Worship, Extremism Theory, Psychological Involvement, Stalking Behavior, Fan Pathology.
Abstract:
I described the 23-item Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) and cited several studies that attest to its reliability and validity. Research with the CAS has led to the Absorption -addiction model, which holds that the vast majority of celebrity admirers do so primarily for entertainment and social reasons (CAS-ES; level one). A minority become intensely involved with their favorite celebrities, closely identifying with their personal lives (CAS-IP; level two). An even smaller minority becomes so involved with their favorite celebrity that they would condone stalking and consider illegal behaviors directed toward their favorite celebrity (CAS-BP; level three). The Absorption-addiction model could be conceptualized as a part of the broader theory of Extremism. Extremism holds that attitudes and behaviors stem from a motivational imbalance whereby a particular need becomes so dominant that it overwhelms other basic needs (Aruguete et al., 2024). A small percentage of celebrity worshipers become so attached to their favorite celebrity that they tend to neglect other important needs. I present considerable empirical evidence to support the Absorption-addiction model and point out that there are indeed many “serious fans” who do not meet any criteria for pathology. I debunk the claim that those who obsess about celebrities become stalkers of celebrities, by presenting evidence that only a tiny minority of celebrity worshipers become celebrity stalkers. Finally, I propose a change to the Absorption-addiction model. Based on an accumulation of years of evidence and two recent studies, CAS-IP and CAS-BP are now merged into one level that should be labeled as unhealthy.

Journal: ISAR Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
ISSN(Online): 2583-9691
Publisher: ISAR Publisher
Frequency: Monthly
Language: English

Admiring Celebrities: A Critique of the Celebrity Attitude Scale and the Absorption-addiction Model
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