The Relationship between Celebrity Worship and Parasocial

Interaction on Emerging Adult

Rizki Widiastuti, Marty Mawarpury, Arum Sulistyani and Maya Khairani

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Indonesia

Keywords:

Emerging Adult, Idol worship, Parasocial Interaction

Abstract: The ease of interacting with idols all the time allows fans to develop idol worshiping behavior. When fans

have developed idol worship behavior, they tend to develop a parasocial interaction with their idols. This

study aimed to determine the relationship between celebrity worship and parasocial interaction on emerging

adults. This study employed the quantitative method with incidental sampling technique. A total of 401

emerging adults aged 18-25 years, having an idol and students at universities in banda aceh involved in this

study. The celebrity attitude scale (α = 0.918) and the celebrity appeal questionnaire (α = 0,828) were modified

for data collection tools. Product-moment correlation was used for data analysis. The results of this study

indicate that there was a relationship between idol worship and parasocial interaction in emerging adults (r =

0.347) with the significance value of (p = 0,000), meaning that the higher the level of idol worship developed

by individuals, the higher the possibility of individual to develop interaction parasocial with his idol.

1 INTRODUCTION

Technological development so to speak has enabled

humans to access various information through

electronic and print media. The media provides

numerous information; one of which is information

from the entertainment world. Celebrity, on the other

hand, is an essential element of entertainment hired as

a model to attract public interest alike. Celebrity

popularity has triggered the fans to take celebrities as

role models or behavioral references. This very act is

a form of idol worship (Sunarni, 2016). The media

play a significant role in promoting behaviors of idol

worship to the fans. The presence of social networks

further helps facilitate interaction between fans and

their idols. The ease of accessing the media allows

fans to intensely develop the behaviors of idol

worshiping in their lives because fans can access

various information and interact with their idols at

any time (Ninggalih, 2011).

The behavior of individuals who admire idols,

according to Raviv, Bar-Tal, and Ben-Horin (1996),

is called worship, a form of admiration with unusual

intensity toward certain persons. Worship can be

demonstrated through behaviors such as searching for

information and gathering various items related to the

idols. The fans may also imitate the way they dress

and talk and even follow their daily activities and

social behaviors. According to Maltby, Day,

McCutcheon, Houran, and Ashe (2006) idol worship

is fans' behavior that follows their idol styles or at

some point even considers themselves similar to their

idols, which if it continues to prevail may lead to

more extreme behavior and endanger themselves and

others.

In Indonesia, the phenomenon of idol worship can

be found in the behavior of JKT48 fans so-called

"wota." Most of these wota are not only active in

seeking information about JKT48 members through

social media but also negate other fans who post

negative comments toward their idols on social

media. In the most extreme form, some wota even

threaten JKT48 members because they take pictures

with other people who are not JKT48 members

(Widjaja & Ali, 2015). The viewers of Ayat-Ayat

Cinta 2 also exhibit similar worshipping behavior.

Fahri played by Fedi Nuril attract the attention of the

audience. He is portrayed as someone who willingly

helps anyone without exception. The image of Fahri

as a good and perfect man inspire the viewers to take

him as their idols (Shintia, 2017).

A simple survey conducted by the authors

contributes to the data about idol worshiping behavior

in Banda Aceh. The responses from 30 subjects show

that 70% of the respondents developed idol worship

Widiastuti, R., Mawarpury, M., Sulistyani, A. and Khairani, M.

The Relationship between Celebrity Worship and Parasocial Interaction on Emerging Adult.

DOI: 10.5220/0009438000900094

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Psychology (ICPsy 2019), pages 90-94

ISBN: 978-989-758-448-0

behavior. One of Zayn Malik's fans said that she likes

Zayn Malik because of his appearance and talents.

The fan also feels that she and Zayn Malik is like a

close friend because she regularly searched for

information about him. The subject also reported that

the idol held the criteria of an ideal husband and

believed that he is exceptionally perfect.

A study conducted by Sukmana and Mardiawan

(2015) about parasocial interaction to female fans of

EXO Bandung in their early adulthood found that 106

respondents have developed idol worshiping

behavior. Such behavior should have been eroded

when people get older. Emerging adult fans who

worship idols and do not have a partner tend to look

for partners who are similar to their idols. Fans who

do not have a partner will eventually create

imagination or fantasize themselves as if they have

special relationships with their idols. The feelings,

which fans feel that they have special relationships

with the idol, are defined as parasocial interaction

(Sukmana & Mardiawan, 2015). According to Stever

(2009), parasocial interaction occurs when

individuals develop a one-way relationship with

someone or a figure, usually with a higher status, in

which they believe that they know the figure well but

not otherwise. Individuals also often feel that the

distance between themselves and their idols is

something good so they do not need to experience or

feel a failure in a romantic relationship.

Observing the adverse effect of idol worshiping

has on the developmental task of the emerging adults

especially in developing social interaction with others

and it may become a concern that individuals will

develop extreme parasocial interaction behaviors and

will affect individual functions in their social

environment, therefore the author expects that this

study may facilitate this group of adults to be aware

of the importance of communication and social

relations in real life. Thus, emerging adult can

function properly according to their developmental

tasks. The study hypothesizes that there is a

relationship between idol worship and parasocial

interaction on emerging adults.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Idol Worship

According to Maltby et al. (2006) idol worship is an

identity structure contained in individuals that

facilitates psychological absorption with celebrities

in an effort to build an identity and a sense of

fulfillment in individuals. Like the behavior of a fan

who follows the various styles of his idol or considers

himself to be similar to his idol. Furthermore, this

form of psychological absorption will then encourage

fans to carry out more extreme and possibly

delusional behavior.

According to Maltby et al. (2006) idol worship is

divided into three dimensions which can be described

as dimensions namely:

a. Entertainment-social

It is a dimension that is described by fans interest

in their talents, attitudes, behaviors, and things

they have done. This dimension describes the

pleasure of fans in discussing or discussing their

idols with friends.

b. Intense-personal

Intense-personal is a dimension that describes

feelings that are intensive and compulsive

towards idols. This dimension shows behavior

like fans who keep thinking about their idols even

when they don't want to.

c. Borderline-pathological

Borderline-pathological is the highest or extreme

dimension of idol worship. This is illustrated in an

attitude such as the willingness to do anything for

the sake of the celebrity even though it violates the

law.

There are three factors that influence idol worship

(McCutcheon, Lange, & Houran, 2002), namely:

a. Age. Idol worship reaches its peak in adolescence,

and will decline slowly with age.

b. Social skills. Individuals with poor social skills

consider idol worship as compensation for not

occurring real social relations.

c. Gender. Men are more likely to idolize female

celebrities, while women tend to choose male

celebrities as their idols.

2.2 Parasocial Interaction

Stever (2009) defines that parasocial interaction is

a one-way relationship with a person or figure who

usually has a higher status, where individuals know

the figure well but not vice versa. Stever (2013)

explains that there are three highest categories that

motivate fans to develop parasocial interactions,

namely:

a. Task attraction, is the interest based on the talents

and abilities possessed by the idol.

b. Identification attraction, is an interest in being like

an idol. It can also be the thought that the idol is

like him.

c. Romantic attraction, is an interest of fans to want

to have more relationships with idols. This refers

to the desire to establish relationships with idols.

The Relationship between Celebrity Worship and Parasocial Interaction on Emerging Adult

There are several other factors that can influence

the formation of parasocial behavior according to

Hoffner (2002), namely motivational factors,

similarity, identification, and communication

between fans.

3 RESEARCH METHOD

This study used the quantitative method with the

correlational approach. The correlation was examined

by looking at the relationship between idol worship

variable and parasocial interaction variable.

Correlation study is a study conducted to determine

the relationship and dimensions of the relationship

between two or more variables without any attempt to

influence these variables or variable manipulation

(Sugiyono, 2013). The population in this study were

all emerging adults in Banda Aceh aged 18-25 years

and had an idol. Incidental sampling technique was

used to draw the samples.

The author used The Celebrity Attitude Scale

developed by Maltby et al. (2006) to measure idol

worship behavior. The scale consists of 26 favorable

main items which were designed based on the three

dimensions of idol worship, Entertainment-social,

Intense-personal, and Borderline-pathological. Eight

filler items were inserted to obscure the purpose of

the questionnaire. The Celebrity Attitude Scale has

been proven valid because it has been used in several

studies. One of them was in a previous study

conducted by Maltby, Houran, Lange, Ashe, and

McCutcheon (2002). In previous studies, the validity

of The Celebrity Attitude Scale was tested using

content validity test by looking at the estimates of

several single item measurements.

The Celebrity Appeal Questionnaires developed

by Stever (1991) were modified to measure parasocial

interactions. The researcher modified this

measurement to adjust to the conditions and

objectives of the current study because The Celebrity

Appeal Questionnaire developed by Stever only

aimed to measure parasocial interactions toward

Michael Jackson fans. The Celebrity Appeal

Questionnaire consists of 26 favorable and

unfavorable items which were developed based on the

three categories of parasocial interactions, task

attraction, identification attraction, and romantic

attraction. The Celebrity Appeal Questionnaire

measuring instrument is proven to be valid because it

has been used in several studies, such as in previous

research conducted by Stever (1991) who tested the

validity of the Celebrity Appeal Questionnaire

measurement tool using the construct validity test

using the factor analysis method. Factor analysis is

done by analyzing 4 factors on the scale, namely, sex

appeal factor, hero / role model factor, entertainer

factor, and mystique factor, but only 3 factors

represent the construct except mystique factor. In

addition to the validity test that has been carried out

in previous studies, in this study the researchers

conducted a validity test on a measuring instrument

using a content validity test, this validity was

estimated through testing the feasibility or relevance

of the test content through rational analysis by a

competent panel or through expert judgment (Azwar,

2013).

4 RESULTS

Normality and linearity tests were carried out to

check if the test prerequisite was met before testing

the hypothesis. The values of the normality test are

normally distributed at K-SZ=1.142 (p>0.05) for idol

worship and K-SZ=1,162 (p>0.05) for parasocial

interaction. Linearity test indicated test for linearity

= 0,000 (p<0,05), meaning that there was a linear

relationship between idol worship and parasocial

interaction.

Since the data were normally and linearly

distributed, Pearson correlation test was used to test

the hypothesis. The correlation test between idol

worship and parasocial interaction shows that there

was a strong and significant correlation value at (r) =

0,347 and p = 0,000 (p<0.05) respectively. It means

that there was a significant correlation between idol

worship and parasocial interaction in emerging

adults. This correlation suggests that the higher the

idol worship, the higher the parasocial interaction in

the emerging adults. On the other hand, the lower the

idol worship, the lower the parasocial interaction in

the emerging adults.

5 DISCUSSION

The results show that 37 (9. 22%) out of 401 subjects

in this study developed a higher level of idol worship

with the highest incidence occurred in the teenagers

aged 22 years old. 278 subjects (69.32%), mostly 21

years old, were in the medium category while only 86

subjects (21.44%) aged 20 years old were in the lower

category. It can be concluded that most subjects

practicing idol worship were in the medium category.

The fans will continue to think about the idols even

ICPsy 2019 - International Conference on Psychology

though they do not want to. One of Troye Sivan’s

idol reported that the subject often thinks of the idol

during the school hours and the subject often check

Sivan’s social network profile during the study time

(Maltby et al., 2006).

Similar results reported by Darfiyanti dan Putra

(2012) in their study regarding pop idol worship as

the bases for an intimate relationship in emerging

adults. They found that three out of four subjects

studied were in the medium category or intense-

personal feeling while the other one was in the lower

category or entertainment social. The three subjects

in the low category of idol worship or intense

personal feeling believe that having a relationship

with their ideal type idols is a reward for them since

they have little chance of being rejected.

In term of parasocial interaction, 286 (71.32) out

of 401 subjects were in the lower category. While 114

(28.42) subjects were in the medium category, only

one subject (0.2) was in the lower category. It can be

concluded that most subjects were in the high

category. At this stage, the subjects are prone to

develop parasocial interaction with their idols, and

they also tend to designate their idols as their partner

criteria (Stever, 2009).

Regarding the marital status, 4.23% of the

subjects were married, and 95.76% of the subjects

were unmarried. 12 (70.6%) of the married subjects

experienced a high level of parasocial interaction,

while only 5 (29.4) participants in the medium

category and no participants were in the lower

category. These results were in contrast to the result

found by Stever (2011) that an individual tends to

develop a linear relationship with their idol if they do

not have a partner. It seems that not only unmarried

experienced parasocial interaction with their idol.

Married subjects also have possibilities to develop a

similar struggle.

The analysis results indicate that there is a

correlation between idol worship and parasocial

interaction in the emerging adults. Slightly more than

half of the subjects, at around 51% developed

medium idol worship and high parasocial interaction

behavior. The more intense the fans develop the idol

worshiping toward their idols, the higher the chance

that they develop parasocial interaction with their

idols. The parasocial interaction may ignite the

emergence of pseudo-friendship and sense of

companionship in the fans. The sense of

companionship and pseudo-friendship is a long-term

effect of parasocial behavior that makes individuals

feel satisfied for the needs of their social interaction

and creates a pseudo-sense of friendship between

individuals and their idols (Hoffner, 2002).

6 CONCLUSIONS

The results of the study show that there was a

correlation between idol worship and parasocial

interaction which means that the hypothesis is

accepted. The majority of the emerging adults in the

current study developed a medium level of idol

worship and high level of parasocial interaction.

Emerging adults (18-25 years old) who have

developed idol worship behavior are suggested to

limit their idol worshipping activities by reducing the

time they spend looking for information (video or

news) about their idols from social and print media.

Only then can they avoid developing extreme

behavior such as leaving their duties to see their idols

and prevent themselves from the possibilities of

engaging in parasocial interaction.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author gratefully acknowledges the contributions

of Marty Mawarpury, Arum Sulistyani and Maya

Khairani for helping author to improve this paper

research to be better and for always give warm advice

to the author during the process of writing this

research paper.

REFERENCES

Darfiyanti, D., & Putra, M. G. (2012). Pemujaan terhadap

idola pop sebagai dasar intimate relationship pada

dewasa awal: sebuah studi kasus. Jurnal psikologi

kepribadian dan Sosial, 1(2), 53-60.

Hoffner, C. A. (2002). Attachment to media characters.

New York: Macmillan Reference.

Maltby, J., Day, L., McCutcheon, L.E., Houran, J., & Ashe,

D. (2006). Extreme celebrity worship, fantasy

proneness and dissociation: Developing the

measurement and understanding of celebrity worship

within a clinical personality context. Personality and

Individual Differences, 40(2), 273–283.

Ninggalih, R. (2011). Waspadai demam idola. Download

on March 18, 2018 and retrieved from

http://majalah1000guru.net/2011/10/waspadai-demam-

idola/.

Raviv, A., Bar-Tal, D., Raviv, A.,& Ben-Horin, A. (1996).

Adolescent Idolization of Pop Singers: Causes,

Expressions, and Reliance. Journal of Youth and

Adolescence. 25, 631-650.

Shintia, D. (2017). Terbius pesona Fahri, ayat-ayat cinta 2

bisa kalahkan film pertama. Download on Mach 15,

2018, and retrieved from

https://www.jawapos.com/read/2017/12/27/177757/ter

The Relationship between Celebrity Worship and Parasocial Interaction on Emerging Adult

bius-pesona-fahri-ayat-ayat-cinta-2-bisa-kalahkan-

film-pertama.

Sukmana, P. D, & Mardiawan, O. (2015). Studi deskriptif

mengenai interaksi parasosial pada perempuan dewasa

awal di komunitas penggemar exo bandung. Prosiding

Psikologi, 417-423.

Stever, G. S. (2009). Parasocial and social interaction with

celebrities: Classification of media fans. Journal of

Media Psychology, 14(3), 1-39.

Stever, G. S. (2011). Fan behavior and lifespan

development theory: explaining para-social and social

attachment to celebrities. Journal of Adult

Development, 18, 1-7. DOI 10.1007/s10804-010-9100-

Stever, G. S. (2013). Mediated vs. parasocial relationships:

an attachment perspective. Journal of Media

Psychology, 17(3).

Sunarni (2016). Pengaruh celebrity worship terhadap

identitas diri remaja usia SMA di kota Yogyakarta. E-

Journal Bimbingan dan Konseling Edisi 1 Tahun ke-5,

5(1), 1-11. Download on January 21, 2018, and

retrieved from

http://journal.student.uny.ac.id/ojs/index.php/fipbk/arti

cle/view/359.

Widjaja, A. K., & Ali, M. M. (2015). Gambaran celebrity

worship pada dewasa awal di Jakarta. HUMANIORA,

6(1), 21-28.