Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38654306›Full record

ArticleBMC psychology2024

The absorption-addiction model of celebrity worship: in search of a broader theoretical foundation.

Mara S Aruguete, Frederick Grieve, Ágnes Zsila, Rita Horváth, Zsolt Demetrovics, Lynn E McCutcheon

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC psychology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Celebrity worship and empty self.BMC psychology · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Mara S ArugueteLincoln University, Missouri, MO, USA.
Frederick GrieveWestern Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, USA.
Ágnes ZsilaInstitute of Psychology, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary. zsila.agnes@btk.ppke.hu.
Rita HorváthInstitute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
Zsolt DemetrovicsInstitute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
Lynn E McCutcheonNorth American Journal of Psychology, Winter Garden, FL, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA large body of evidence suggests that some people have a strong, obsessive attachment to a favorite celebrity. The absorption-addiction model attempts to account for this extreme attachment, sometimes labeled "celebrity worship." According to the model, a small portion of celebrity admirers ("celebrity worshipers") become absorbed in the personal lives of celebrities to compensate for perceived personal or social deficiencies. The purpose of this study is to examine how the absorption-addiction model relates to broader psychological theories that include non-celebrity contexts. Specifically, we examine how the absorption-addiction model relates to three theories: empty-self theory, extremism theory, and the dualistic model of passion.

methodsParticipants (N = 399; 77.94% women, M

resultsSense of emptiness, obsessive passion, and extremism were positively associated with celebrity attraction. The strongest association was found with extremism, though the effect was moderate.

conclusionsThese findings suggest that extremism theory is the best fit of the three broader theories explaining celebrity worship, although its contribution to understanding celebrity worship is modest.

Indexed as

Famous PersonsAdolescentAdultBehavior, AddictiveFemaleHumansMaleModels, PsychologicalObject AttachmentPsychological TheoryYoung AdultCelebrity worshipEmpty selfExtremismPassion

Identifiers

PMID38654306
PMCPMC11041038

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.