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9781442243125

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Clinical psychologist Michael Levy provides a psychological perspective of celebrity and entertainment obsession. In the first section, he details personality factors that may contribute to celebrity obsession: e.g., need to be entertained, admiration of physical attractiveness, need to belong, vulnerability to addiction, need for idols, and lack of self-esteem. In the second section, he highlights aspects of the cultural environment that promote and afford celebrity obsession, including greater isolation and decline of close-knit communities, a shift in life-fulfillment activities from work to leisure, and expansion of technology and mass media. And in the third section, Levy weaves these various components together, further expounding on connections-e.g., formation of para-social relationships to fill a growing isolation, idolization as a means of reflecting ideal selves, and downward social comparisons to enhance self-esteem. The work is unique and written for a broad audience; psychologists will find useful ideas for future research and application. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. CHOICE Sounds like a very interesting read and a lot of people could probably do well by reading it. Urban Update: 7News Boston WHDH-TV It's a fantastic topic! Interesting topic to discuss. The Morning Blend: Today's TMJ4 Highly recommended book for those interested in understanding the effects of celebrities on human behavior. Celebrities may feed narcissistic tendencies that have been increasing over the past few decades. -- Brad J. Bushman, professor of Communication and Psychology, The Ohio State University, USA; professor of Communication Science, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands Michael Levy addresses an extremely important topic that affects everyone and especially our children. While the desire for fame is not a new phenomenon, in the 21st century, the celebrity culture is inescapable. Read this book if you want to understand why these people fascinate us, even when they accomplish very little. -- Yalda T. Uhls, PhD, author of Media Moms and Digital Dads; researcher with UCLA; director of Creative Partnerships at Common Sense Media

Highly recommended book for those interested in understand the effects of celebrities on human behavior. Celebrities may feed narcissistic tendencies that have been increasing over the past few decades. -- Brad J. Bushman, professor of Communication and Psychology, The Ohio State University, USA; professor of Communication Science, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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Michael S. Levy, PhD, is a psychologist who has worked in the substance use disorder treatment field for over 20 years.  He is the director of substance use services at North Shore Medical Center in Salem, Massachusetts, and is a lecturer in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.  He lives in Andover, Massachusetts.

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