- PARIS (AFP) -- One-third
of people suffer from "Celebrity Worship Syndrome", a fascination
in the lives of the rich and famous that for some becomes a potentially
dangerous addiction, according to research reported in Saturday's issue
of New Scientist.
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- Psychologists Lynn McCutcheon of DeVry University in
Florida and James Houran of the Southern Illinois University School of
Medicine interviewed more than 600 people about their personality and interest
in celebrities.
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- They were asked to rate statements such as "I am
obsessed by details of my favourite celebrity's life", "I consider
my favourite celebrity to be my soul mate" and "If he/she asked
me to do something illegal as a favour, I would probably do it".
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- The responses cast doubt on the conventional view that
celebrity worship is categorised into pathological and non-pathological
cases - in other words, harmless fun and obsession.
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- Instead, the replies pointed to a "sliding scale"
in which the celebrity devotee becomes progressively more fascinated with
his or her idol.
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- In addition, celebrity fans are significantly likelier
to suffer from anxiety, depression and social dysfunction than non-worshippers.
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- About 20 per cent of respondents closely followed celebs
in the media for "entertainment-social" reasons, according to
the report. They tend to be extroverts: social, lively, active and adventurous.
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- The next stage, affecting about 10 per cent, is when
the devotee develops an "intense-personal" attitude towards an
idol, such as the belief that he or she had a special bond with the star.
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- At this point, celebrity worship is becoming an addiction.
Those in this category are often neurotic, tense, emotional and moody.
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- At its most intense, celebrity worship is "borderline-pathological",
a condition found in one per cent of interviewees.
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- These include celebrity stalkers and people who are willing
to hurt themselves or others in the name of their idol. They correlate
with symptoms of psychosis, such as impulsive, antisocial and egocentric
behaviour.
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- "Just worshipping a celebrity does not make you
dysfunctional," New Scientist quoted Houran as saying. "But it
does put you at risk of being so.
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- "There is this progression of behaviours, and if
you start, we don't know what's going to stop you."
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- People tend to get interested in celebrities at times
when they are looking for direction in life, as in their teenage years.
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- The interest can develop into addiction at a time of
crisis, such as the loss of a loved one, according to the research.
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- Copyright 2003 News Limited.
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- http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6949664%255E1702,00.html
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