Lily Glenn

Adam Padgett
English 102
15 November 2016
An Analysis of the Negative Effects of Celebrity Worship
Celebrities are a common theme in every day life. They can be seen on magazines when
checking out at the grocery store, to appearing on television commercials, or billboards along the
road. Some allow their fans to watch their everyday lives through their snapchat stories. Others
use Instagram and twitter to keep their fans aware of their day to day lifestyle. All in all, celebrity presence is prominent and will only increase as more forms of social media are developed.
Why is this a problem you may ask? Well according to research done by _________ at
_________ it has been shown that _______ have some form of Celebrity Worship Syndrome
(CWS) (citation). Celebrity Worship Syndrome is defined as _______ (citation). It is an issue because it affects the mental stability of individuals. This can be seen by the correlation between
the increase in celebrity presents compared to the increasing number of individuals with celebrity
related mental instabilities. In this research paper I argue that celebrity worship can have a negative effect on an individuals mental health, relationships, and society as a whole due to its slip-

Comment [1]: I would generally avoid first person pronouns

in a research essay. I think goes along more with style, the
reader already knows that this is YOUR research paper.
Theres no need to reaffirm this fact.

pery slope and engulfing nature. There is no one finite explanation for celebrity worship syndrome but rather a variety of influences that make up its origin. These consist of evolutionary
psychology, psychopathology, and __________.
Psychologist have developed a theory that worshipping celebrities is an unstable path to
go down. Kate Douglas, the author of the article When You Wish Upon a Star, explains that
paying special attention to successful individuals is among the cleverest thing ora big-brained

Comment [2]: Im not sure which one exactly is your Thesis. I think your thesis would be more clear if you ended your
expository paragraph with your Thesis.

species does (1 citation). Evolutionary Psychologists have come to this conclusion from examining the social patterns of humans that lived in the ice age and compared them to social patterns
of individuals today. During the ice age, around 21,000 years ago, homo sapiens would copy

Comment [3]: Im not sure if this citation is related to the

next sentence that talks about the discoveries of Evolutionary
Psychologists, if not, make sure to elaborate on this citation
and how it relates to your thesis. *Also since you already
mentioned the author, you dont have to include a parenthetical citation.

those who were successful hunters and elders. This technique was vital for staying alive in such
harsh conditions. The best hunters were able to stay nourished because of their keen hunting
skills, yet, the not so talented men were unable to rely on their dexterity alone. They would
makeup for this by watching and mimicking the seasoned hunters movements so they too could
have a meal to eat. In todays world, this is not applicable since we no longer have a need to hunt,
and longevity does not necessarily mean healthy, however, that psychological mechanism is still
embedded in us, and it informs us that people who are popular are worth copying. In todays society, what is considered a necessity of life consists of possessing good genes, being socially admirable, and being well-known. Similarly, Gil-white, an evolutionary psychologist, states that the
internet has made it possible for Americans to act on impulses of admiration of the famous. He

Comment [4]: Great statement! However, I dont necessarily how this relates to the theory that celebrity worship is
an unstable path. I believe you could explore more on this...

explains, only humans have the ability to observe and then mimic complex behaviors. This creates prestige hierarchies, where those with the most valuable skills to be imitated are placed at
the top of this hierarchy (195 Choi, Ron). This is comparable to Douglas's argument, therefore
others seek to each this hierarchy, and if not attainable, then at least be close to such individuals
who are at the top of the hierarchy, i.e. celebrities. These two psychologists find the causation of
celebrity worship to be derived form our ancestors innate psychological mechanism.
Lynn McCutcheon developed a model, the Celebrity Attitudes Scale, in 2002 that is considered the baseline standard test for identifying the severity of celebrity worship in an individual. This test is based on two different characteristics; psychological absorption and addiction.

Comment [5]: What is this? Are you talking about the Internet or the prestige heirarchies.? I think that you should
be a bit more specific, and avoid the naked this

Psychological absorption is defined as leading to delusions of actual relationships with celebrities, and addiction is defined as fostering the need for progressively stronger involvement to fell
connected with the celebrity (1 McCutcheon). There are three levels on this scale, the first being
low worship. The behaviors are centered around an entertainment-social value, which include
watching and reading about a celebrity (20 Maltby et al). The second level encompasses the issues that arise as celebrity worship takes on intense-personal feelings, which interferes with
their daily lives (20 Maltby et al). Common behaviors associated with the state are obsessive
tendencies and compulsive uncontrollable feelings toward a celebrity. The most extreme level is
where a combination of over-identification with the celebrity, empathy with the celebritys successes and failures, compulsive behaviors, and obsessions with details about the celebrities life
occur (1 McCutcheon). Overall, this expression of worship is thought to reflect an individuals
social-pathological attitudes and behaviors that are held as a result of worshiping a celebrity (20
Maltby et al).
There have been many scales developed to try and assess celebrity idolization, however,
McCutcheons Celebrity Attitudes Scale is the standard for diagnostic testing. With the use of
this scale, it has been discovered that individuals who score high on this test tend to have problems in various other areas in their life. These can range from personality characteristics to psychopathology. Studies show that individuals with high levels of celebrity worship present symptoms of anxiety, social dysfunction, depression, and overall have poorer mental health. Similarly,
these individuals may harbor concerns about body image, be more prone to cosmetic surgery,
and have a personality style characterized by sensation-seeking, cognitive rigidity, identity diffusion, and poor interpersonal boundaries (1 PMCID). Lastly, research has found that celebrity

Comment [6]: I would avoid ending a paragraph with a

quote / citation. Also this paragraph has some good citations,
however, there doesnt seem to be a whole lot of expansion
on these citations. It seemed more like an overall synopsis
between two sources.

worshippers are more likely to exhibit dissociation, stalking tendencies, addictive behavior, compulsive being habits, and may even be narcissistic.
One specific instance where the negative effects of celebrity worship syndrome can be

Comment [7]: This paragraph has some good points and usage of research materials.However, I still think you can expand on how this relates to your these.For example, discus
how these behaviors exhibited celebrity worshippers affect
their daily lives.

seen is in adolescent females. A study done by The British Psychological Society examined the
relationship between celebrity worship and body image within the theoretical perspective of intense para-social relationships with celebrities (17 Maltby et al). With the use of the Celebrity
Attitudes Scale and other lesser-known tests, the results concluded that there is indeed a significant relationship between adolescent females and celebrity worship, especially pertaining to
body image. This can be seen the most in female adolescents in the second level of celebrity

Comment [8]: Great citation and follow up! But once again
needs some more expansion.

worship and tend to tapper off in ages 17-20 years old. The study stresses the problems associated with forming a para-social relationship with media figures who are perceived as having a
good body shape may lead to a poor body image in female adolescents (17 Maltby et al).
A study was done by _______ to determine the the correlation between celebrity worship,
addiction, and criminality. The results concluded that different levels of celebrity worshippers
prefer different types of celebrities. For example, individuals scoring in level one favored musicians, models, and actors. It can be assumed that they are engaging with populist light entertainers and perhaps also their fans (569 name). Individuals who displayed symptoms of level two
preferred celebrities related to notable world events; new reporters, religious figureheads, and
royalty. People in this category tend to seek identification with leaders and heroes (569 name).
Lastly, level three is similar to level one but its notable that high-profile celebrity suicides are
followed by increased numbers of suicides among the general population, and it would seem celebrity worship, addiction, and criminality (569 name). The increase in suicide rate can presumably be related to people in level three because of their mental instability and dependence on the

Comment [9]: Expand more on this citation. That way you

can avoid ending paragraphs with citations.

now dead celebrity. People in this category have also been known to imitate their beloved celebrity, however this can result in negative repercussions for the worshipper. Lastly, it is sensible to
conclude that fans of more rebellious public figures may seek to emulate them with personally
negative consequences (569 name). Therefore the majority of the poor role models are located
within the acting, modeling, and musician sub-categories due to their reign to act as they wish
while the media obsesses over their every move (570 name). Furthermore, the study hypothesizes that explicit rap and heavy metal are considered problematic music styles and relate to
criminality and addiction. When these individuals emulate their favorite rapper they take part in
illegal and destructive behaviors in their search for a personal identity (570 name).
Another odd phenomena related to celebrity worship is that the obsession over a certain
celebrity can be transformed into an fixation to become a celebrity. The issue with this is that the
majority of people who aspire to become famous will not succeed, therefore they will be disappointed and potentially depressed. The number of individuals who become globally famous are
minute compared to those who attempt to become prominent in their field, leaving those undistinguished individuals to face unemployment and in low income situations.

Hey Lilly,
Overall, this essay is coming along together nicely. I think youre using some very good sources
for your parenthetical citations. Howwever, I do think that you could expand a bit more on your
citations. I know that this is still a rough draft, but just keep in mind whenever you write your essay that you may or may not need all of these sources. Theyre good source but make sure you
sift through them and find the ones that will best accent your thesis /argument. Also just a couple of stylistic things. Make sure you avoid the naked this. The naked this is basically starting

a sentence with this and continuing one without stating this. This act makes some of your
statements somewhat confusing and ambiguous. Make sure you restate the topic you are addressing whenever you have a sentence that starts with This.

Once again, very nice job on this rough draft. Very interesting topic.

Works Cited

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED477547.pdf#page=78
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00223980309600616#aHR0cDovL3d3dy50YW5k
Zm9ubGluZS5jb20vZG9pL3BkZi8xMC4xMDgwLzAwMjIzOTgwMzA5NjAwNjE2P25lZWRBY2Nlc3M9dHJ1ZUBAQDA=
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1348/0007126042369794/epdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3960781/
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bd14/78dcca71ad38ab7ccbfac2d279e9d60e81cf.pdf
https://www2.le.ac.uk/Members/rtg/pdf/CelebrityWorshipSheridan2007.pdf
Choi, Chong Ju, and Berger Ron. "Ethics of Global Internet, Community and Fame Addiction."
Journal of Business Ethics 85.2 (2009): 193-200. Web.
Douglas, Kate. "When You Wish Upon a Star." New Scientist 179.2408 (2003): 26-31. EBSCO.
Web. 5 Oct. 2016.
McCutcheon, Lynn. "Conceptualization and Measurement of Celebrity Worship." British Journal
of Psychology 93.1 (2002): 67-89. EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2016.