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Idolization is the event of one person (an idolizer) developing a fixation on another (the idolized), often a celebrity or a person whom the idolizer knows and may consider a role model.
Idolization has been noted to be particularly prevalent among children and adolescents, who seek to establish a sense of identity by associating with persons who appear to have desirable qualities, and to have attained the admiration of others.[1]
The objects of idolization come from various domains of social life including sports, mass media, and music, and they can be quite powerful objects of devotion. Despite the apparent pervasiveness of idolization, researchers have not studied this aspect of adolescent development as much as one would have expected. Sometimes idolization is viewed as something that is insignificant, a transitional phase to be tolerated or ignored; at other times, it is viewed as something to worry about given the potentially powerful influence some idols can have on youth's values and behaviors.[1]
Engle & Kasser (2005) posit that Celebrity idolization is performed through acquisition and possession of merchandise adorned with the Celebrity's image, such as DVDs, CDs, clothes, key chains, and the like [Engle & Kasser, p. 268]. Those objects that were formerly owned by the Celebrity or are autographed by the Celebrity are often very valuable to fans and sell for extremely high prices [p. 268]. Many fan web sites link out to other sites which also sell the Celebrity's merchandise, concert tickets, and so on [p. 268]. Engle & Kasser directly correlate materialism and idolization.[2]
Whereas a certain amount of idolization is common during childhood, and especially during adolescence, as with any other behavior, when the idolization reaches extreme proportions it can approach being psychologically unhealthy and, certainly, troublesome for the parents and other family members. Of course, the process of idolization, in and of itself, is certainly not indicative of some major psychological crisis. However, in those cases in which the idolization is carried out to an extreme, this is usually indicative of some deeper psychological issue. Indeed, by looking at the type of person or the type of behavior the young person chooses to idolize, one can obtain some insight as to what is going on for the young person psychologically.[3]
It has been asserted that the idolization of celebrities can be damaging to the person engaged in this behavior, as they may treat the celebrities with such veneration that they become obsessed, and cease to be able to see the idolized figures as human beings.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b Roger J.R. Levesque, Encyclopedia of Adolescence (2014).
- ^ Christopher E. Bell, American Idolatry: Celebrity, Commodity and Reality Television (2010), p. 81.
- ^ Amy Beth Taublieb, A to Z Handbook of Child and Adolescent Issues (2000), p. 189-190.
- ^ Karla Jay, Allen Young, Lavender Culture (1994), p. 212.
- This open draft remains in progress as of July 5, 2023.