As I scrolled through my Facebook news feed yesterday evening I saw an impressive picture of Justin Bieber shirtless, posted by none other than himself. I decided to click on the photograph to get a closer look, and instead of looking at his abs my attention drifted toward the intense comments. I was in complete awe as I read through two girls literally arguing with each other about who is more in love with Justin. In light of my fascination, I conducted some research on why it is that people are feeling “Bieber Fever.” More generally why people become obsessed with celebrities, I reference Bieber because he is a great example. In my studies I instantly came across the topic of celebrity worship syndrome. Celebrity worship syndrome is described as an obsessive and addictive disorder that involves intense involvement and fascination with a stranger celebrities life. Yes, this is a real disorder that is causing a lot of distress in adolescence and adults alike. Often times the symptoms are due to underlying psychological problems. 

Why do we care so much about celebrity lives, and when does it become a danger to ourselves? Stuart Fischoff, an emeritus professor of media psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, says that following an alpha is wired in our DNA. We are programmed to “follow the leader”, as he said, so it is natural for us to feel influenced by those who are standing out. It is important to recognizing that all of us have an ability to be influenced by others, but not all of us are obsessed to the point that it becomes distressful to our lives. What this shows is that the issue in itself is not just our DNA, but rather how people react to it. In 2002 three researchers introduced the celebrity worship scale, which has since been modified to the celebrity attitudes scale. This scale can detect at which stage and dimension an individual is in, regarding their interest level in a famous person. The scale is widely used in differentiating a healthy interest from a psychotic obsession. The three dimensions are:

1. The entertainment-social dimension- the celebrity captures the persons attention and is entertaining
2. The intense-personal dimension- “He is my soulmate” The respondent begins to demonstrate obsessive and compulsive behaviors toward the celebrity. Their thoughts are consumed.
3. The borderline-pathological dimension- the person shows pathological behaviors such as worshipping the celebrity. When asked if they would complete something illegal at the celebrities request they answer yes without hesitation. An example of this is #cutsforbieber. While it was allegedly a hoax, some people who were already vulnerable to self harm took the act seriously.

There are different aspects that play a role into ones susceptibility to CWS. One of which is personality. Irritability, impulsivity, and moodiness are often characteristics that increase ones chance of being affected by an obsession. Young teenagers are more likely to be affected because they are in a developmental period of their identity. The celebrity may help them identify with themselves in an easier way. They are being influenced by that persons views, and lifestyle, and acknowledging them as their own. Recognizing that pathology can be a cause of the syndrome and not just a response is critical. Those who poses the genetics for a pathological mental illness are often triggered by their celebrity of interest. It becomes an outlet for their problems and the underlying disorder is clouded.

Dr. John Maltby of the University of Leicester, generated numerous studies on a wide sample of people and found that there is a strong correlation between CWS and poor mental health on UK participants such as: high anxiety, high stress, and more depression. He also found a correlation specifically with poor body image through studies conducted on adolescence. This does not come as a surprise to me. The media promotes thin and unhealthy eating habits like crazy. In my opinion, and quite obviously, if someone wants to be thin they are going to identify with a celebrity who resembles that. It also relates back to the fact that adolescence are in their developing stages. Celebrities are projecting their eating habits and body types onto adolescence and they are embracing those behaviors in order to look like them. Or projecting their desire into becoming obsessed with someone they want to look like. In summarizing his research Maltby found that in data from about 3,000 people only about one percent showed obsessional tendencies. Overall CW shows comorbidity with certain personality and mood disorders. While it often does not reach a concerning level, when it does it can be frightening. It is at this level that stalkers and impersonators arise. 

I would have been much more content with the studies I cited if I was provided more of a background with them. But because they are not making shocking claims, I am confident in their findings. Although all of the studies and articles I researched gave a plethora of information about the “disorder”, I would be interested to find out what proven treatment methods are useful. In my opinion, if CW is so comorbid with mood and personality disorders, anti depressants and SSRIs would be worth trying. If someone is exhibiting symptoms of the three divisions, it would be helpful to take them to a specialist rather than overlooking it as just a crush. Their behaviors pose threats to their development and lives. If someone is putting so much attention and effort into another’s life rather than their own, they will begin to deteriorate emotionally. They will show higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. I also wonder if someone is at the borderline-pathological stage if they would be at risk for narcissistic personality disorder or dissociative identity disorder. If they are so consumed by another’s life can they reach a point where they believe they are that person? These are all questions I invite you to explore in comments. There is a boundary between healthy love and pathological obsession toward celebrities. If it becomes serious it can cause many depressive  and dangerous symptoms.

Sources:

http://www.livescience.com/18649-oscar-psychology-celebrity-worship.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3960781/

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/03/04/when-celebrity-worship-leads-to-mental-problems.html

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-excess/201307/celebrity-worship-syndrome

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/cutting-for-bieber-twitter-hoax-4chan_n_2426802.html