That leaves 2% of young people with a 'borderline-pathological' interest. They might say, for
example, they would spend several thousand pounds on a paper plate the celebrity had used, or
that they would do something illegal if the celebrity asked them to. These people are in most
danger of being seriously disturbed.
What about the celebrities themselves? A study in the USA tried to measure narcissism or
extreme self-centredness, when feelings of worthlessness and invisibility are compensated for by
turning into the opposite: excessive showing off. Researchers looked at 200 celebrities, 200
young adults with Masters in Business Administration (a group known for being narcissistic) and a
nationally representative sample using the same questionnaire. As was expected, the celebrities
were significantly more narcissistic than the MBAS and both groups were a lot more narcissistic
than the general population.
Four kinds of celebrity were included in the sample. The most narcissistic were the ones who had
become famous through reality TV shows - they scored highest on vanity and willingness to
exploit other people. Next came comedians, who scored highest on exhibitionism and feelings of
superiority. Then came actors, and the least narcissistic were musicians. One interesting result
was that there was no connection between narcissism and the length of time the celebrity had
been famous. This means that becoming famous probably did not make the celebrities
narcissistic - they already were beforehand.
So, what can we learn from this? People who are very successful or famous tend to be narcissists
and are liable to be ruthless, self-seeking workaholics. As we can see from celebrity magazines,
they are also often desperate and lonely. They make disastrous role models.
1
1. The article is about whether celebrity culture is harmful, for either the public
or the celebrities themselves. T/F
2. Fifteen per cent of teenagers have an interest in celebrities that probably isn't a cause for
concern. T/F
3. Young people who feel they have an 'intense-personal' relationship with a celebrity do not
experience any negative consequences related to it. T/F nedw
4. A study found that celebrities were more self-centred than business administration masters
students. T/F
DWIGA3
5. Celebrities from reality TV were found to be the most vain and exploitative. T/F
6. Actors were the least self-obsessed group of celebrities. T/F
7. The research concluded that the experience of being a celebrity made people more narcissist
than they were previously. T/F
Brit
8. The author says that celebrities tend to exhibit negative qualities and are therefore not good
role models. T/F