Putting Fame and Celebrity in a Psychosocial Framework: A Scientific Analysis

Abstract

In many cultures, reaching fame and celebrity is the most desirable goal and/or fantasy for the majority of society; and this is primarily fueled by the media. Consequently, a multitude of psychological studies have been performed in this field, although a comprehensive psychological theory has yet to be formulated. This article provides an extensive analysis of the bibliography of all psychology articles published in the Scopus database from 1928 to 2022. For accomplishing this, the VOSviewer software tool was used.  A total of 1,987 psychology articles were found in the Scopus database, revealing an increasing trend of research in recent years. The fact that most of these articles belong to the field of neuropsychology shows the gap between important research and theory in theoretical psychology. While the number of psychological studies in the field has increased, there have been no bibliometric studies on the state of research and its process. This survey, drawing on the scientific map in the field, will attempt to identify areas that remain neglected.

Author Biographies

Mostafa Ahadi, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Mostafa Ahadi is a Clinical Psychology PhD researcher based in Iran. His primary areas of interest revolve around psychopathology, emotion, and fame.

Shahriar Shahidi, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Shahriar Shahidi, Professor, is a leading positive psychotherapist in Iran, having been lecturing for over 30 years in British and Iranian universities.  His main interests revolve around existential positive psychotherapy.

References


  • Aabo, T., Jacobsen, M. L., & Stendys, K. (2022). Pay me with fame, not mammon: CEO narcissism, compensation, and media coverage. Finance Research Letters, 46(Pt. B), Article 102495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2021.102495

  • Abidin, C. (2016). Visibility labour: Engaging with influencers’ fashion brands and #OOTD advertorial campaigns on Instagram. Media International Australia, 161(1), 86–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878x16665177

  • Allwinn, M., Tultschinetski, S., & Görgen, T. (2022). Blazing hate into the world: Psychological case study of a fame-seeking rampage shooter. Violence and Gender, 9(1), 42–56. https://doi.org/10.1089/vio.2021.0037

  • Anglada-Tort, M., & Sanfilippo, K. R. M. (2019). Visualizing music psychology: A bibliometric analysis of Psychology of Music, Music Perception, and Musicae Scientiae from 1973 to 2017. Music & Science, 2. https://doi.org/10.1177/2059204318811786

  • Boyce, C., & Dove, M. D. (2022). Introduction: Death, nineteenth-century celebrity, and material culture. Victoriographies, 12(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3366/vic.2022.0444

  • Braudy, L. (1997). The frenzy of renown: Fame and its history. Vintage Books. (Originally published 1986)

  • Brewis, K. (2008, January 27). Suicide: A teen’s way to instant fame. The Sunday Times. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/suicide-a-teens-way-to-instant-fame-bs5c2znrjqw

  • Brockington, D. (2015). Celebrity advocacy: International and comparative perspectives [Editorial]. Celebrity Studies, 6(4), 393–398. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2015.1087205

  • Brown, Z., & Tiggemann, M. (2022). Celebrity influence on body image and eating disorders: A review. Journal of Health Psychology, 27(5), 1233–1251. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105320988312

  • Bushman, B. J. (2018). Narcissism, fame seeking, and mass shootings. American Behavioral Scientist, 62(2), 229–241. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764217739660

  • Cashmore, E. (2014). Celebrity culture (2nd ed.). Routledge.

  • Choi, C. J., & Berger, R. (2009). Ethics of global Internet, community and fame addiction. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(2), 193–200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9764-6

  • Cobo, M. J., López-Herrera, A. G., Herrera-Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2011). Science mapping software tools: Review, analysis, and cooperative study among tools. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62(7), 1382–1402. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.21525

  • Cooper, A. F., & Frechette, L. (2008). Celebrity diplomacy. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315635668

  • Driessens, O. (2013). The celebritization of society and culture: Understanding the structural dynamics of celebrity culture. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 16(6), 641–657. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877912459140

  • Duwe, G. (2004). The patterns and prevalence of mass murder in twentieth-century America. Justice Quarterly, 21(4), 729–761. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418820400095971

  • Falagas, M. E., Pitsouni, E. I., Malietzis, G. A., & Pappas, G. (2007). Comparison of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar: Strengths and weaknesses. The FASEB Journal, 22(2), 338–342. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.07-9492lsf

  • Ferguson, C. J., Salmond, K., & Modi, K. (2013). Reality television predicts both positive and negative outcomes for adolescent girls. The Journal of Pediatrics, 162(6), 1175–1180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.11.067

  • Flis, I., & van Eck, N. J. (2018). Framing psychology as a discipline (1950–1999): A large-scale term co-occurrence analysis of scientific literature in psychology. History of Psychology, 21(4), 334–362. https://doi.org/10.1037/hop0000067

  • Franssen, G. (2020). Introduction: Transformations of celebrity studies: The inaugural issue, ten years on. Celebrity Studies, 11(4), 493–495. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2020.1834221

  • Gamson, J. (2011). The unwatched life is not worth living: The elevation of the ordinary in celebrity culture. Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 126(4), 1061–1069. https://doi.org/10.1632/pmla.2011.126.4.1061

  • Gentile, B. (2011). Celebrity and narcissism. In W. K. Campbell & J. D. Miller (Eds.), The handbook of narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder: Theoretical approaches, empirical findings, and treatments (pp. 403–409). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118093108.ch36

  • Grabe, S., Ward, L. M., & Hyde, J. S. (2008). The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies. Psychological Bulletin, 134(3), 460–476. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.3.460

  • Greenberg, J. L., Markowitz, S., Petronko, M. R., Taylor, C. E., Wilhelm, S., & Wilson, G. T. (2010). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for adolescent body dysmorphic disorder. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 17(3), 248–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2010.02.002

  • Greenwood, D. N., Long, C. R., & Dal Cin, S. (2013). Fame and the social self: The need to belong, narcissism, and relatedness predict the appeal of fame. Personality and Individual Differences, 55(5), 490–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.04.020

  • Groesz, L. M., Levine, M. P., & Murnen, S. K. (2002). The effect of experimental presentation of thin media images on body satisfaction: A meta-analytic review. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.10005

  • Hammond, B. (2014). Introduction. Celebrity Studies, 5(3), 340–341. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2014.935628

  • Holmes, S., Redmond, S., & Meyers, E. A. (2019). Editorial. Celebrity Studies, 10(1), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2019.1565699

  • Holmes, S., & Redmond, S. (2010). A journal in Celebrity Studies [Editorial]. Celebrity Studies, 1(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392390903519016

  • Jabeen, F., Gerritsen, C., & Treur, J. (2020). Narcissism and fame: A complex network model for the adaptive interaction of digital narcissism and online popularity. Applied Network Science, 5(1), Article 84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41109-020-00319-6

  • Johnson, A. M., & McSmith, A. (2006, December 18). Children say being famous is best thing in world. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/thisbritain/children-say-being-famous-is-best-thing-in-world-5331661.html

  • Johnson, S. L., Carver, C. S., & Gotlib, I. H. (2012). Elevated ambitions for fame among persons diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 121(3), 602–609. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026370

  • Krauskopf, E. (2018). A bibiliometric analysis of the Journal of Infection and Public Health: 2008–2016. Journal of Infection and Public Health, 11(2), 224–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2017.12.011

  • Lange, P. G. (2007). Publicly private and privately public: social networking on YouTube. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 361–380. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00400.x

  • Langman, P. (2018). Different types of role model influence and fame seeking among mass killers and copycat offenders. American Behavioral Scientist, 62(2), 210–228. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764217739663

  • Lankford, A. (2016). Fame-seeking rampage shooters: Initial findings and empirical predictions. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 27, 122–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2016.02.002

  • Lankford, A. (2018). Identifying potential mass shooters and suicide terrorists with warning signs of suicide, perceived victimization, and desires for attention or fame. Journal of Personality Assessment, 100(5), 471–482. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2018.1436063

  • Li, J., Goerlandt, F., & Reniers, G. (2021). An overview of scientometric mapping for the safety science community: Methods, tools, and framework. Safety Science, 134, Article 105093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2020.105093

  • Maltby, J., Day, L., Giles, D., Gillett, R., Quick, M., Langcaster-James, H., & Linley, P. A. (2008). Implicit theories of a desire for fame. British Journal of Psychology, 99(2), 279–292. https://doi.org/10.1348/000712607x226935

  • Marshall, P. D. (2010). The promotion and presentation of the self: Celebrity as marker of presentational media. Celebrity Studies, 1(1), 35–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392390903519057

  • Marwick, A. E. (2013). Status update: celebrity, publicity, and branding in the social media age. Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.51-5062

  • Meindl, J. N., & Ivy, J. W. (2017). Mass shootings: The role of the media in promoting generalized imitation. American Journal of Public Health, 107(3), 368–370. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303611

  • Mercer, J. (2013). Introduction: Sex and the celebrity. Celebrity Studies, 4(1), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2013.750086

  • Moscoso, P., Peck, M., & Eldridge, A. (2018). Systematic literature review on the association between soundscape and ecological/human wellbeing. PeerJ Preprints, 6, Article e6570v1. https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.6570v1

  • Petersen, K., Feldt, R., Mujtaba, S., & Mattsson, M. (2008). Systematic mapping studies in software engineering. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering, University of Bari, Italy, June 26–27, 2008. https://doi.org/10.14236/ewic/ease2008.8

  • Petersen, K., Vakkalanka, S., & Kuźniarz, L. (2015). Guidelines for conducting systematic mapping studies in software engineering: An update. Information and Software Technology, 64, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2015.03.007

  • Pew, A., Goldbeck, L., Halsted, C., Castro, J., & Zuckerman, D. (2019). Does media coverage inspire copycat mass shootings. National Center for Health Research. https://www.center4research.org/copy-cats-kill/

  • Rockwell, D., & Giles, D. (2009). Being a celebrity: A phenomenology of fame. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 40(2), 178–210. https://doi.org/10.1163/004726609x12482630041889

  • Rojek, C. (2001). Celebrity. Reaktion Books.

  • Rowlands, M. (2014). Fame. Routledge.

  • Rui, J. R., & Stefanone, M. A. (2016). The desire for fame: An extension of uses and gratifications theory. Communication Studies, 67(4), 399–418. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2016.1156006

  • Sanford, S. D. (2014). Media fame for shooters: Does mass media encourage copycat crimes? (Publication No. 1564239) [Doctoral dissertation, State University of New York Empire State College]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. https://www.proquest.com/openview/84e53c8a2c9708ac9726e334a0d4df07/1?pqorigsite=gscholar&cbl=18750

  • Schuengel, C., van Rest, M., Stanford, C. E., & Hastings, R. P. (2019). Impact of research about the early development of children with intellectual disability: A science mapping analysis. Frontiers in Education, 4, Article 41. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00041

  • Senft, T. M. (2008). Camgirls: Celebrity and community in the age of social networks. Peter Lang.

  • Shabahang, R., Aruguete, M. S., Shim, H., Koushali, F. G., & Zsila, Á. (2022). Desire to be a social media influencer: Desire for fame, materialism, perceived deprivation and preference for immediate gratification as potential determinants.
    Media Watch, 13(3), 246–263. https://doi.org/10.1177/09760911221113449

  • Silva, J. R., & Greene-Colozzi, E. A. (2019). Fame-seeking mass shooters in America: Severity, characteristics, and media coverage. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 48, 24–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2019.07.005

  • Snickars, P., & Vonderau, P. (Eds.). (2009). The YouTube reader. National Library of Sweden.

  • Stopar, K., & Bartol, T. (2018). Digital competences, computer skills and information literacy in secondary education: Mapping and visualization of trends and concepts. Scientometrics, 118(2), 479–498. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-018-2990-5

  • Sweileh, W. M., Al-Jabi, S. W., Sawalha, A. F., & Zyoud, S. H. (2016). Bibliometric profile of the global scientific research on autism spectrum disorders. SpringerPlus, 5(1), Article 1480. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-016-3165-6

  • Tanz, J. (2008, July 15). Internet famous: Julia Allison and the secrets of selfpromotion. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2008/07/howto-allison/

  • Tiggemann, M. (2011). Sociocultural perspectives on human appearance and body image. In T. F. Cash & L. Smolak (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of science, practice, and prevention (pp. 12–19). The Guilford Press.

  • Turner, G. (2010). Approaching celebrity studies. Celebrity Studies, 1(1), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392390903519024

  • Uhls, Y. T., & Greenfield, P. M. (2011). The rise of fame: A historical content analysis. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 5(1), Article 1. https://cyberpsychology.eu/article/view/4243/3289

  • van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2010). Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics, 84(2), 523–538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3

  • van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2011). Text mining and visualization using VOSviewer. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1109.2058

  • Wheeler, M. (2016). Celebrity diplomacy. In C. M. Constantinou, P. Kerr, & P. Sharp (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Diplomacy (pp. 530–539). SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473957930

  • Wills, A. (2019). Characteristics of fame-seeking individuals who completed or attempted mass murder in the United States (Publication No. 7097) [Doctoral dissertation, Walden University]. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7097

  • Wills, A., & Lankford, A. (2019). Indicators of unhealthy fame-seeking and attention-seeking among public mass shooters and active shooters. Journal of Campus Behavioral Intervention, 7, 34–45.

  • Xu, J., Donnar, G., & Kishore, V. (2021). Internationalising Celebrity Studies: turning towards Asia. Celebrity Studies, 12(2), 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2021.1912069

  • Yalom, I. D. (2020). Existential psychotherapy. Basic Books. (Originally published 1980)

  • Young, S. M., & Pinsky, D. (2006). Narcissism and celebrity. Journal of Research in Personality, 40(5), 463–471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2006.05.005

  • Yu, D., Wang, W., Zhang, W., & Zhang, S. (2018). A bibliometric analysis of research on multiple criteria decision making. Current Science, 114(4), 747–758. https://doi.org/10.18520/cs/v114/i04/747-758

  • Župič, I., & Čater, T. (2014). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629

  • Zyoud, S. H., Sweileh, W. M., Awang, R., & Al-Jabi, S. W. (2018). Global trends in research related to social media in psychology: Mapping and bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 12, Article 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-018-0182-6

Published
2023-12-27
How to Cite
Ahadi, M., & Shahidi, S. (2023). Putting Fame and Celebrity in a Psychosocial Framework: A Scientific Analysis. Changing Societies & Personalities, 7(4), 140–157. doi:10.15826/csp.2023.7.4.255
Section
Articles