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Purpose & Subdimensions

MMPR Scale OVerview

Suggested Subscales (Balanced Across Affective, Cognitive, and Behavioral Dimensions)

Emotional Bonding

Measures perceived intimacy and emotional resonance.

Focus: Affective connection.

Emotional Dependence

Assesses reliance on the media figure for comfort, stress relief, and emotional regulation.

Focus: Psychological reliance and coping.

Cognitive Internalization

Captures how the media figure is mentally represented (e.g., imagined conversations, idealization).

Focus: Cognitive presence and internal modeling.

Behavioral Impact and Identity Fusion

Measures behavioral signs of attachment (e.g., compulsive checking, prioritizing idol-related activities) and identity alignment.

Focus: Real-life consequences and self-concept integration.

Parasocial Attachment Scale (Conceptual Model)

1. Casual Engagement

Purpose: Captures light, admiration-based PSRs.

Sample Items:

“I enjoy watching content from this media figure.”

“I follow this person because they are entertaining.”

Focus: Interest, admiration, and passive consumption.

2. Emotional Bonding

Purpose: Measures perceived intimacy and emotional resonance.

Sample Items:

“I feel emotionally connected to this media figure.”

“I often think about how they might be feeling.”

Focus: Feelings of closeness, empathy, and imagined familiarity.

3. Emotional Dependence

Purpose: Assesses reliance on the media figure for emotional regulation.

Sample Items:

“I turn to this media figure’s content when I feel stressed or lonely.”

“Their presence makes me feel emotionally safe.”

Focus: Use of the figure as a safe haven or coping mechanism.

4. Identity Fusion and Behavioral Impact

Purpose: Measures how deeply the figure is integrated into the fan’s identity and behavior.

Sample Items:

“I feel personally affected by what happens to this media figure.”

“I rearrange my schedule or priorities to engage with their content.”

Focus: Behavioral signs of attachment, identity merging, and obsessive tendencies.

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🧠 Why This Matters for Assessment Development

It allows researchers to distinguish between admiration and attachment

It provides insight into mental health risks, such as emotional dysregulation or obsessive behavior.

It aligns with Stever’s 2017 framework, which emphasizes the attachment-like nature of parasocial bonds.

Purpose

To what extent does an individual rely on a media figure for emotional regulation, identity support, and psychological security—beyond casual admiration?

Based on Stever 2017 Theory, a meaningful purpose for a new test would be to capture the depth and progression of parasocial relationships, especially as they evolve into parasocial attachment. This approach would reflect the continuum Stever implies—from casual engagement to emotional dependence.

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🎯 Test Purpose

To assess the stage and intensity of an individual's parasocial relationship with a media figure, identifying whether it remains casual or has progressed into emotionally dependent parasocial attachment.

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🧪 How Would It Work?

1. Stage-Based Subscale Design

Each subscale corresponds to a stage in the progression of PSRs:

Table 1

Table 1

Stage

Subscale

Focus

what it assess

Stage 1

Casual Engagement

Admiration, interest, entertainment value

Stage 2

Emotional Bonding (affective)

Perceived intimacy, empathy, imagined closeness

Stage 3

Emotional Dependence

Reliance for emotional regulation, comfort, safe haven

Stage 4

Identity Fusion & Behavioral Impact

Integration into self-concept, compulsive behaviors, prioritization of idol-related activities

There are no rows in this table

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Each subscale would contain items rated on a Likert scale (e.g., 1–5), allowing researchers to score and profile the respondent’s PSR stage.

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2. Scoring and Interpretation

Low scores in all subscales → Casual PSR

High scores in bonding and dependence → Emerging parasocial attachment

High scores across all subscales → Intense parasocial attachment with potential psychological implications

This structure allows for diagnostic insight, not just descriptive measurement.

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3. Applications

Academic research: Understanding fan psychology, media effects, and emotional development.

Clinical screening: Identifying individuals at risk of emotional dysregulation or obsessive behavior.

Media studies: Evaluating the impact of media design on emotional engagement.

Let’s break down the Multidimensional Measure of Parasocial Relationships (MMPR) vs Parasocial Attachment scale based on Stever’s 2017 theory.

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MMPR Scale OVerview⁠

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🎯 Purpose of the MMPR

The MMPR, developed by Garcia et al. (2022), is designed to measure how and to what extent individuals engage in parasocial relationships across four dimensions:

Affective – Emotional connection with the media figure

Behavioral – Actions taken to follow or support the figure

Cognitive – Thoughts and beliefs about the figure

Decisional – Influence of the figure on personal decisions

[1]⁠

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The MMPR aims to capture broad parasocial engagement, especially in the context of social media, and has been validated across different cultures. It is often used alongside the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) to explore links between parasociality, self-esteem, and social comparison

[1]⁠

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🧠 How It Differs from a Parasocial Attachment Scale (Based on Stever 2017)

Feature

MMPR

Parasocial Attachment Scale (Stever-based)

Core Focus

Multidimensional engagement with media figures

Emotional dependence and attachment-like bonds

Theoretical Basis

Social-cognitive and media psychology

Attachment theory and emotional regulation

Primary Use

Descriptive: measures breadth of parasocial involvement

Diagnostic: assesses depth and psychological function

Subscales

Affective, Behavioral, Cognitive, Decisional

Emotional Bonding, Emotional Dependence, Cognitive Internalization, Identity Fusion

Progression Insight

Captures engagement level, not progression

Captures stages of PSR development (from casual to dependent)

Emphasis

What fans do and feel

Why fans emotionally rely on media figures

There are no rows in this table

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Dmensions are grounded in the multidimensional model of attitudes, which posits that attitudes consist of affective, behavioral, and cognitive components. The Decisional dimension was added to reflect the influence of media figures on real-life choices.

The MMPR was validated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, showing support for a four-factor structure. However, some studies suggest that while the total scale shows good internal consistency, the subscales may have lower reliability, raising questions about whether the scale is truly multidimensional or essentially unidimensional

🧪 Implications for Assessment Development

MMPR is excellent for capturing how people engage with media figures across different domains.

A parasocial attachment scale would be better suited for identifying emotional vulnerability, psychological reliance, and potential risks (e.g., obsessive behavior, identity fusion).

Your test could complement the MMPR by offering a depth-focused, stage-sensitive tool grounded in attachment theory—something MMPR does not explicitly address.

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References

[1]

Purpose of the Current Study - ResearchGate⁠

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[2]

Adaptation and validation of the Multidimensional Measure of Parasocial ...⁠

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Parasocial Attachment Scale (Stever 2017-Based) vs Other Old Scales

1. Parasocial Interaction Scale (PSI; Rubin et al., 1985)

Purpose: Measures viewers’ perceived interaction with media figures during media exposure.

Focus: Originally designed for newscasters; captures momentary engagement.

Limitations: Unidimensional; developed before the distinction between PSR and PSI was clarified

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🧪 2. Audience-Persona Interaction Scale (API; Auter & Palmgreen, 2000)

Purpose: Measures identification and interest in media characters.

Focus: Includes dimensions like problem-solving and group identification.

Strength: Multidimensional (4 factors); more nuanced than PSI

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🧪 3. Celebrity-Persona Parasocial Interaction Scale (CPPI; Bocarnea & Brown, 2007)

Purpose: Measures parasocial interaction with celebrity personas.

Focus: Includes admiration, learning, and personal relevance.

Limitation: Less adaptable to social media contexts

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🧪 4. Parasocial Relationships in Social Media (PRISM; Boyd et al., 2022)

Purpose: Specifically designed to measure PSRs with social media celebrities.

Dimensions: Interest, Knowledge, Identification, Interaction.

Strength: Validated for modern media contexts; addresses limitations of older scales

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🧪 5. Parasocial Processing Short Scale (PP-SS; Schramm & Hartmann, 2024)

Purpose: Measures parasocial processing—cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses during media exposure.

Structure: 9 items (3 per domain); simplified version of PSI-Process Scales.

Strength: Efficient and validated across diverse samples

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🔍 How These Differ from a Parasocial Attachment Scale (Stever 2017-Based)

Table 2

Table 2

Feature

Existing PSR Scales

Parasocial Attachment Scale

Focus

Engagement, admiration, interaction

Emotional dependence, psychological security

Theoretical Basis

Media psychology, social cognition

Attachment theory, emotional regulation

Measurement Goal

Describe parasocial involvement

Diagnose depth and progression of emotional reliance

Context Sensitivity

Some adapted for social media

Designed to capture emotional intensity across contexts

Progression Insight

Limited or absent

Central to scale design (e.g., stages from casual to dependent)

There are no rows in this table

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🧠 Insight for Your Test Development

Your proposed scale would fill a gap by:

Capturing emotional depth and progression of PSRs.

Differentiating between casual admiration and attachment-like dependence.

Offering a diagnostic tool for researchers and clinicians interested in emotional vulnerability and identity fusion in fan cultures.

Scholar Support

peer-reviewed sources that support the claim that existing PSR scales lack focus on negative outcomes and progression toward emotional dependence, highlighting the need for more nuanced and stage-sensitive instruments:

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✅ 1. Tukachinsky et al. (2020) – Meta-Analysis of PSR Research

“While PSRs are strongly correlated with factors that facilitate interpersonal bonds (e.g., homophily, identification), existing measures rarely capture the potential for emotional overdependence or psychological distress. The conceptualization of PSRs as an extension of interpersonal relationships has overshadowed the need to assess their progression into more intense or dysfunctional forms.”
Source link⁠

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✅ 2. Bizjak Zabukovec & Faganel (2024) – Review of PSR Scales in Influencer Marketing

“We found a significant heterogeneity in the measurement of PSI and PSR, identifying 26 scales for PSI and 29 scales for PSR… scales were found to measure constructs other than PSI or PSR and often lacked construct validity. These tools fail to reflect the theoretical refinements of PSR, pManyarticularly its progression and emotional depth.”
Source link⁠

[2]⁠
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✅ 3. Boyd et al. (2024) – PRISM Scale Validation

“Although various surveys exist for assessing parasocial relationships, none were specifically designed to capture the emotional intensity or psychological risks associated with parasocial engagement in social media contexts. Most instruments were developed for traditional media and lack the sensitivity to measure progression toward emotional dependence.”
Source link⁠

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These excerpts strongly support your rationale for developing a parasocial attachment scale that captures depth, progression, and emotional vulnerability—a gap in current PSR measurement tools.

Would you like help integrating these into a literature review or justification section for your scale development project?

References

[1]

Antecedents and effects of parasocial relationships: A meta-analysis.⁠

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[2]

The Issue of Scales for Measuring Parasocial Interaction and Parasocial ...⁠

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[3]

Construct validation and measurement invariance of the ... - PLOS⁠

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