Celebrity worship syndrome, a psychiatric condition identified by researchers:

Research in the field of media studies indicates that celebrities have a powerful influence on mass audiences (Fraser & Brown, 2002). Indeed, there is growing evidence that famous media figures can shape the attitudes and behaviors of those individuals who perceive them as role models and identify closely with their characteristics (Dix, Phau, & Pougnet, 2010; Fraser & Brown, 2002; McCormick, 2016). Findings also suggest that there are considerable individual differences in the level of engagement with a celebrity: while some people get inspired by the work of their favorite celebrity or benefit from the social connections established upon a shared interest, others (termed “celebrity worshippers”) may develop an excessive admiration towards a celebrity (McCutcheon, Lange, & Houran, 2002). In the past two decades, a considerable body of research has accumulated on the association between psychological well-being and celebrity worship (see Brooks, 2018 for a review). However, only a limited number of studies have investigated the underlying mechanisms of this association (Chia & Poo, 2009 in the context of media consumption and materialistic values, Maltby et al., 2004 in the context of coping styles). The present study endeavors to fill this gap by using a path analytic approach in the exploration of the association between psychological distress and celebrity worship.

In research practice, McCutcheon, Aruguete, Scott, and VonWaldner (2004) and McCutcheon, Maltby, Houran, and Ashe (2004) define “celebrity” as a famous living person or a broadly appreciated individual who died during the fan's lifetime. Celebrity worship, conceptualized as an obsessive preoccupation with a famous media figure, has been extensively researched in the past two decades (Brooks, 2018). McCutcheon et al. (2002) proposed a three-dimensional model that reflects different levels of absorption with a celebrity: (1) the entertainment-social dimension refers to a healthy enthusiasm and appreciation towards a famous person, (2) the intense-personal dimension represents compulsive feelings towards a celebrity, (3) and the borderline-pathological dimension reflects extreme attitudes and behaviors that are considered to be maladaptive forms of attraction to a celebrity. According to Sansone and Sansone (2014), celebrity worship should be considered as a continuum, ranging from benign forms of enthusiasm to an obsessive fascination with a celebrity. Previous studies have revealed that females are more prone to become obsessed with a famous person (Huh, 2012; Swami et al., 2011); however, some studies reported no gender differences in celebrity worship (e.g., Ashe, Maltby, & McCutcheon, 2005; Maltby & Day, 2011). A few studies found that younger individuals are more likely to become fascinated with a celebrity than older individuals (Houran, Navik, & Zerrusen, 2005; Maltby, Giles, Barber, & McCutcheon, 2005).

McCutcheon et al. (2002) proposed a theoretical model that provides an explanation for the association between celebrity worship and psychological well-being. The Absorption-Addiction Model suggests that individuals with a less stable identity structure are more prone to become obsessed with celebrities in an attempt to establish a solid, integrated identity though the process of psychological absorption. However, some individuals may develop a tolerance for behaviors that serve to satisfy their need for absorption, and hence, they engage in more extreme behaviors that lead to a more intimate involvement with the admired celebrity. Therefore, these behaviors serve to sustain the sense of fulfillment with this one-sided emotional bond between the celebrity and the fan, and maintain the addiction process.

The Absorption-Addiction Model suggests that individuals with a vulnerable identity are more prone to worship celebrities. Maltby, McCutcheon, Ashe, and Houran (2001) state that “celebrity worship is a behavioral expression of poor global psychological well-being” (p. 450). Although the causation of this association cannot be established upon correlational data (Brooks, 2018), these theoretical assumptions offer a preliminary conceptual approach to construct a structural model that portrays the complexity of the association between celebrity worship and mental health. Following this approach suggested by Maltby et al. (2001) and McCutcheon et al. (2002), psychological distress is considered as an antecedent of celebrity worship in the mediation model of the present study.

Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between psychological difficulties and celebrity worship, reporting a positive association between celebrity worship and symptoms of depression and anxiety (Maltby et al., 2001), lower life satisfaction (Maltby et al., 2004; Reeves, Baker, & Truluck, 2012), and lower self-esteem (Reeves et al., 2012). Psychoticism (Maltby, Houran, & McCutcheon, 2003), impulsiveness, and sensation seeking were also found to be predictors of pathological celebrity worship (McCutcheon et al., 2014), which were also positively associated with physical aggression (Hatfield & Dula, 2014). Based on these findings, the following psychiatric symptoms were considered as a basis of investigation in the present study: depression, anxiety, hostility, and paranoid ideation.

Empirical evidence suggests that celebrity worshippers are prone to fantasies, which can lead to severe difficulties in the integration of everyday experiences in various life domains (Maltby, Day, McCutcheon, Houran, & Ashe, 2006; Zsila, McCutcheon, & Demetrovics, 2018). Maltby et al. (2006) found a positive relationship between excessive celebrity worship, fantasy proneness and dissociation. Furthermore, Zsila et al. (2018) identified maladaptive daydreaming as a predictor of celebrity worship. Maladaptive daydreaming is defined as an “extensive fantasy activity that replaces human interaction and/or interferes with academic, interpersonal or vocational functioning” (Somer, 2002, p. 199). Previous studies have also found a positive relationship between maladaptive daydreaming and psychiatric symptoms (Bigelsen, Lehrfeld, Jopp, & Somer, 2016; Somer, Soffer-Dudek, & Ross, 2017). Therefore, maladaptive daydreaming is considered as a possible mediator of the association between psychiatric symptoms and celebrity worship in the present study.

Another possible mediator could be desire for fame, which was conceptualized as an extrinsic need that can inhibit personal growth and result in a reduced psychological well-being (Gountas, Gountas, Reeves, & Moran, 2012; Greenwood, McCutcheon, Collisson, & Wong, 2018). Recent studies have found a positive relationship between celebrity worship and desire for fame (Reeves, Lemons, Clements, Gountas, & Gountas, 2013; Zsila et al., 2018).

Findings suggest that celebrity worshippers have weak interpersonal skills (Houran et al., 2005; McCutcheon, Ashe, Houran, & Maltby, 2003). However, McCutcheon, Aruguete, et al. (2004) and McCutcheon, Maltby, et al. (2004) demonstrated that celebrity worshippers are less likely to prefer solitude, which suggests that individuals who tend to admire celebrities wish to socialize but “feel disconnected from the social milieu to which they belong or have access” (Houran et al., 2005, p. 246). In a similar vein, Greenwood and Long (2011) found a positive association between need to belong and imagined intimacy with an opposite gender celebrity for single individuals, which may suggest that an intense emotional bond with a celebrity can function as a compensatory behavior for deteriorated social relationships (Brooks, 2018). This study also points out that “imagined intimacies for opposite gender media figures fulfill a distinct psychological role” (Greenwood & Long, 2011, p. 292), highlighting the importance of investigation into the differential roles of opposite and same gender celebrities in the psychological well-being of different audiences.

Based on the literature, the present study explores the complexity of associations between psychiatric symptoms and celebrity worship in the context of maladaptive daydreaming, desire for fame, need to belong, and demographic characteristics. Differences across gender and same/opposite celebrity worship are also investigated. The exploration of these associations could enable a more detailed picture of the underlying mechanisms of the psychological distress–celebrity worship association.

Participants and procedure

Participants were invited to complete an online questionnaire focusing on media use and attitudes towards a favorite celebrity. The call for participation was advertised in a large online community comprising video game enthusiasts (GameStar.hu), and smaller online groups dedicated to the discussion of various media products (e.g., movies, cartoons) and social networking sites use. Participation in the survey was voluntary; respondents were asked to provide informed consent by ticking a box if

Descriptive statistics

With regard to the field of expertise of favorite celebrities, almost one-third of the participants were enthusiasts of a singer or a musician (31.8%), whereas one-quarter reported being fascinated by an actor/actress (25.9%), and 13.5% reported being fans of a vlogger or a YouTuber. Other fields of expertise (e.g., science, sports) were selected only by a small proportion of participants (<10%). Favorite celebrities indicated by participants showed no consistency in the responses, which means

Discussion

The present study endeavored to contribute to the growing body of literature on celebrity worship by clarifying the links among psychiatric symptoms, celebrity worship, desire for fame, maladaptive daydreaming, and need to belong. A path model revealed desire for fame and maladaptive daydreaming to be influential mechanisms through which psychiatric symptoms can exacerbate celebrity worship tendencies. The overall model explained a considerable proportion of variance of celebrity worship (31%)

Declaration of Competing Interest

None.

Acknowledgements

This work was completed in the ELTE Institutional Excellence Program (783-3/2018/FEKUTSRAT) supported by the Hungarian Ministry of Human Capacities.

Author contributions

ÁZ: conceptualization, writing, data curation, formal analysis.

RU: methodology, investigation, review & editing.

MLE: conceptualization, validation, review & editing.

ZD: project administration, funding acquisition, supervision.

Recommended articles (6)