Washing the bones of celebrities is a frivolous and even shameful occupation. But little by little everyone does it. What is it — a sign of an infantile psyche or a manifestation of deep needs?
They broke up because of his drinking and drug use. And he’s also a bastard!
— Yes, she finished him off! Either he will cut off his chest, then he will adopt another child — anyone will run away from such quirks.
— Well, nothing, but we have the Queen with Tarzan. And Pugacheva with Galkin. Guys, hold on! All hope is in you.
Over the past three days, we have managed to discuss everything related to the upcoming divorce of Brad Pitt and Angelina: who is the main victim, who is the culprit, what will happen to the children. Whole working groups gathered in smoking rooms and social networks dedicated to the analysis of the relationship between the two actors. The fan community split into “pittists” and “jolists”, and some couples managed to quarrel to the nines due to the fact that one of the partners supported Pitt and the other supported Jolie. Why so many emotions?
Strangers but relatives
From a psychological point of view, the emotions we feel about people we don’t know speak of a parasocial relationship. The prefix «couple» here means deviation: this is not a relationship in the usual sense, but their surrogate. Back in the 1950s, psychologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl noticed that we don’t just empathize with our favorite characters on screen—we make them a part of our lives. But the connection turns out to be one-sided: we treat our pets in the same way that small children treat dolls. With the exception that the child has complete power over the doll, unlike the hero of the film.
Fantasy worlds allow us to explore our own identities, our understanding of relationships
How healthy are these relationships? It can be assumed that those who make imaginary friends and lovers are not completely satisfied with their relationships in real life. Indeed, parasocial relationships are often entered by those who are not confident enough in themselves and have difficulty communicating with real people. Firstly, it is safer: a friend from TV will not leave us, and if this happens, we have old records and our imagination at our disposal. Secondly, the actions of the hero are always more spectacular: he does not go into his pocket for a word, does not do routine work, and always looks good.
Angelina the Beautiful and Brad Almighty
Not everyone agrees that the presence of signs of a parasocial relationship in us is a reason to turn to a specialist. Even if the relationship isn’t literally real, the emotions behind it can be helpful. “Fantasy worlds allow us to explore our own identities, our understanding of relationships, our values, and how we understand the meaning of life,” explains media psychologist Karen Dill-Shackleford.
Here it is appropriate to recall that the word «idol» originally referred to pagan deities. Indeed, for most of us, celebrities are at such an unattainable height that they acquire an almost divine status. Therefore, many so zealously protect their pets from attacks. We need examples to follow. We want to have before our eyes the embodiment of Success, Kindness, Creativity and Nobility. It can be not only pop stars, but also politicians, social activists or spiritual teachers. Everyone needs a messiah to whom they are ready to go, to whom they can mentally turn for support and inspiration.
For Jenny or for Angie?
Finally, there is a social aspect to our love for celebrities. We like to be part of a single close-knit group, a «tribe» where everyone speaks the same language, recognize each other by signs known only to them, have their own secret greetings, holidays, jokes. The English word fandom (fan base) has already entered our language along with the phenomenon itself: fan communities number millions of people. They regularly exchange news, write stories about their idols, draw pictures and comics, copy their appearance. You can even make quite an impressive “career” in them, becoming an expert on the biography or style of your favorite actor.
We like to be part of a single close-knit group, a “tribe”, where everyone speaks the same language, recognizes each other by signs known only to them
Fan communities are similar to sports fan clubs in many ways: they perceive the victories and defeats of their «champions» as their own. In this sense, Angelina Jolie’s divorce can be a real blow to her fans, but at the same time give cause for gloating to fans of Jennifer Aniston. After all, it was Angelina who once “offended” their favorite, having beaten off Brad Pitt from her. Psychologist Rick Grieve notes that group emotions are experienced more acutely and bring us more satisfaction. “When everyone around you is chanting the same thing, it gives strength and self-confidence,” he explains.
There are positives in imaginary relationships with the stars, and negative sides. We are inspired by their values, lifestyle and approach to different life issues. It is only necessary to ensure that attachment does not develop into dependence, and imaginary interlocutors do not replace real ones.
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