My mind is a contradicting fellow who enjoys social relationships but also……. doesn’t. It’s constantly craving for social contact but also……… not. So how does one fulfill that constant needy and picky beast? With parasocial relationships. Parasocial relationships are when people form one sided relationships with say, a celebrity.

For the past year or so I have been obsessed with everything Korean: Korean drama, Korean music, Korean culture, Korean make up, etc.. So naturally I formed an ‘intimate’ and ‘close’ parasocial relationship with my favourite band, EXO. EXO is a Korean boy band comprised for 9 members (formerly 12) and needless to say, they are all masters in the art of seduction in their own way, leaving me, as a person that’s Susceptible to celebrity worshipping, weak in the palm of their hands.

So what is it that makes me so susceptible to celebrity worshipping? How much a person is susceptible is dependent on these factors:

1. Personality type: people who are egocentric/narcissist/easily irritated/moody are easily susceptible
2. Religion: devoted people are less susceptible
3. Psychological state: people who are lonely or people experiencing identity adjustments eg. People who are still developing their identities (therefore young people are more susceptible) or people who just experienced something, say divorce or losing their job.

Also as human beings it is in our nature to pay attention to those on ‘top’. Some may pay attention to them so that they may learn from them and emulate them, others may do so to better navigate their social scene.

I, for one, identify myself with the characteristics above. As I said, my mind is one that’s craves social contact but also……not. Which leaves me in a really awkward position of wanting to form meaningful and strong bonds with people but also wanting to stay home alone. Which often leaves me lonely and hungry for social contact and therefore the fantasy relationship formed in my mind with Baekhyun (the sunshine of the group) comforts me. As well as the fact that watching them shine so brightly up there gives me a sense of accomplishment as well.

So the question I will leave you all with is:

1. Do you ‘worship’ celebrities?
2. After reading my article, which category do you think you fit in that causes you to be susceptible to celebrity worshipping?

Ps. I personally don’t like the term ‘worshipping’ cause I am somewhat religious but that’s the technical term and it is the accurate term. Researching about this topic did also expose me in someway as I am not as ‘religious’ as I want to be.

RESOURCES.

• Why We Are Obsessed with Celebrities

• Oscar Psychology: Why Celebrities Fascinate Us
• As Elvis Turns 75, Celebrity Worship Alive and Well