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Young women's attachment style and interpersonal engagement with female TV stars

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, dgreenwd{at}umich.edu

Paula R. Pietromonaco

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Christopher R. Long

Ouachita Baptist University

The present study builds on an emerging body of research that finds adult attachment style predictive of interpersonal engagement with fictional media personas in ways that are congruent to patterns that emerge in real life relationships. Results of a questionnaire study indicate that a preoccupied attachment style among college women is associated with increased idealization of a favorite female character's behavior and physical appearance. Additionally, the desire to look like a favorite female character was greatest for women selecting thin characters, while perceived similarity to a character's appearance was greatest for those selecting average weight characters. The psychological motivation behind such media involvement and its potential impact on the emotional well being of anxiously attached young women are discussed.

Key Words: attachment style • idealization • identification • parasocial relationships • thin ideal • TV characters • women

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 25, No. 3, 387-407 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0265407507087964


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