Celebrity worship phenomenon is increasingly prevalent among Chinese Adolescents, and it has impact on adolescents behaviourally and psychologically. This paper aims to clarify the role that peers play in the popularity of the celebrity worship phenomenon among teenager through discussing about the relationship between peer influence and teenagers’ involving in celebrity worship in four aspects: teenagers’ need for interpersonal relationships with peers, observational learning from peers, peer pressure and conformity, and accessibility of the Internet and the effect of media hype. By investigating the reasons behind, it helps us to better understand what teenagers are experiencing in peer fan groups, it can also be illuminating and meaningful to teachers and parents in adolescent education. This paper also gives possible suggestions to avoid negative effects of the teenagers’ celebrity worship.

Siqin Xie. The Relationship between Peer Influence and Teenagers’ Celebrity Worship Phenomenon. Frontiers in Educational Research (2021) Vol. 4, Issue 12: 88-96. https://doi.org/10.25236/FER.2021.041219.

[1] McCutcheon, L. E., Ashe, D. D., Houran, J., & Maltby, J. (2003). A cognitive profile of individuals who tend to worship celebrities. The Journal of Psychology, 137(4), 309-322.

[2] Ang, C. S., & Chan, N. N. (2018). Adolescents’ views on celebrity worship: A qualitative study. Current Psychology, 37(1), 139-148.

[3] Zhao, X. (2013). Investigation Report on Idolatry of Primary and Middle School Students in China. China Youth Study, 3, 74-79.

[4] Li, F., & Zhang, T. (2008). Survey on Present Conditions of Secondary School Student's Idol Worship. Journal of Shanghai Educational Research,10.

[5] Xia, Q. (2015). Study on the Change of Adolescents’ Idol Worship Culture in the Mobile Internet Era. China Youth Study, 12, 17-22.

[6] Sun, T. W., & Yang, Z. G. (2002). Psychological Analysis and Educational Strategies on the Phenomenon of Adolescent Star-chasing. Journal of Teaching and Management, 3, 22.

[7] Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis (No. 7). WW Norton & company.

[8] Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological review, 50(4), 370.

[9] Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.

[10] Li, G. (2016). Relationship between Adolescents’ Attachment, Personality and Idol Worship. Unpublished master degree dissertation, Harbin Normal University, Harbin.

[11] Xue, L. J. (2019). Adolescent Interpersonal Relationship and Idolatry: Mediating Role of Self-esteem. Unpublished master degree dissertation, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin.

[12] Liu, J. Q. (2020). The Influence of Peer Relationship on Junior High School Students’ idolatry and Sandplay intervention. Unpublished master degree dissertation, Mudanjiang Normal University, Mudanjiang.

[13] Cohen, J. (1999). Favorite characters of teenage viewers of Israeli serials. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 43(3), 327-345.

[14] Li, Q., & Han, D. (2004). The Character of Secondary School Students' Idolatry and The Relation between Their Idolatry and Ego-evaluation. Psychological Development and Education, 20(3), 23-26. 

[15] Maltby, J., Giles, D. C., Barber, L., & McCutcheon, L. E. (2005). Intense-personal celebrity worship and body image: Evidence of a link among female adolescents. British Journal of Health Psychology, 10(1), 17-32.

[16] Xiao, Z. H. (2005). Rational Consideration on the Phenomenon of Star Chasing among Teenagers in China. Journal of Party School Sichuan Provincial Committee of CPC, 4, 85-87.

[17] Giles, D. C., & Maltby, J. (2004). The role of media figures in adolescent development: Relations between autonomy, attachment, and interest in celebrities. Personality and individual differences, 36(4), 813-822.

[18] Bandura, A. (1971), Social Learning Theory, General Learning Press, Morristown, NJ.

[19] Raviv, A., Bar-Tal, D., Raviv, A., & Ben-Horin, A. (1996). Adolescent idolization of pop singers: 

Causes, expressions, and reliance. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 25(5), 631-650. 

[20] Wu, K. N. (2007). Educational Sociology. People’s Education Press, Beijing.

[21] Eagly, A. H., & Wood, W. (1982). Inferred sex differences in status as a determinant of gender stereotypes about social influence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43(5), 915-928. 

[22] Sopha, M. (2013). It's Not All About the Music: Digital Goods, Social Media, and the Pressure of Peers. Arizona State University.

[23] Zhao, L., & Zhang, J. (2013). Research on the Characteristics and Influence of Microblog Users' Conformity Behavior. China Educational Technology, 9, 60-64.

[24] Huang, Y. A., Lin, C., Su, H. J., & Tung, M. L. (2015). I worship, so I download? Idol worship, music purchase and piracy by young consumers in Taiwan. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 27(1), 99-126.

[25] Chan, K., & Zhang, C. (2007). Living in a celebrity-mediated social world: The chinese experience. Young Consumers, 8(2), 139-152. 

[26] Chan, K. (2008). Social comparison of material possessions among adolescents. Qualitative Market Research, 11(3), 316-330.

[27] Lin, Y. C., & Lin, C. H. (2007). Impetus for worship: an exploratory study of adolescents’ idol 

adoration behaviors. Adolescence, 42(167), 575-588.

[28] Chia, S. C., & Poo, Y. L. (2009). Media, celebrities, and fans: An examination of adolescents' media usage and involvement with entertainment celebrities. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 86(1), 23-44.

[29] Ma, Z. H., & Lin, Z. X. (2018). Collective Action Logic of Fan Community and Its Formation of Hierarchy — Taking SNH48 Group Fan Support Club as an Example. China Youth Study, 2018(06), 13-19+45.

[30] Wang, Y. X. (2017). The Formation Mechanism of Online Fan Community in the Internet Era — Taking Luhan’s Fan Groups for Example. Academics, 2017(3), 91-103, 324-325.

[31] Maltby, J., McCutcheon, L. E., Ashe, D. D., & Houran, J. (2001). The self-reported psychological well-being of celebrity worshippers. North American Journal of Psychology, 3(3), 441-451.

[32] Yang, C., De Wang, Y., & Niu, H. J. (2008). The effects of idolatry and personality traits on impulse buying: An empirical study. International Journal of Management, 25(4), 633.

[33] Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L. A. (2014). “I’m your number one fan”—A clinical look at celebrity worship. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, 11(1-2), 39-43. 

[34] Yi, H., Hwang, J., Bae, H. J., & Kim, N. (2019). Age and sex subgroups vulnerable to copycat suicide: evaluation of nationwide data in South Korea. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-9.

[35] Yue, X. D., & Cheung, C. K. (2021). The Difference between the Role of Aura and Role Model in Idol Worship. Moral Education China, 2021(01):13-21.

[36] Deng, S. J. (2020). The Relationship between Parent-child Relationship, Peer Relationship and Academic Self of Junior Middle School Students: A Study on the Differences with and without Idol Worship. Unpublished master degree dissertation, GuangXi University for Nationalities, Nanning.

[37] McCutcheon, L. E., Lange, R., & Houran, J. (2002). Conceptualization and measurement of celebrity worship. British Journal of Psychology, 93, 67-87.

[38] Guo, X. L. (2015). Blind Spots of Adolescent Starchasers’ Behavior: Personality Cult on Stars. Contemporary Youth Research, 2015(1), 57-61.

[39] Adams-Price, C., & Greene, A. L. (1990). Secondary attachments and adolescent self concept. Sex roles, 22(3-4), 187-198.

[40] Yue, X. D., Cheung, C. K., & Wong, D. S. W. (2010). From glamour‐oriented idolatry to achievement‐oriented idolatry: A framing experiment among adolescents in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 13(1), 1-8.

[41] Cheung, C. K., & Yue, X. D. (2019). Idols as sunshine or road signs: Comparing absorption-addiction idolatry with identification-emulation idolatry. Psychological reports, 122(2), 411-432.

[42] Wang, P., & Liu, D. Z. (2010). Psychological Exploration of Idol Worship among Teenagers. Journal of Soochow University (Philosophy & Social Science Edition), 5, 179-181. 

[43] Xie, W. J. (2020). A study on the relationship among parenting style, self-identity and idol worship of junior middle school students. Unpublished master degree dissertation, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming.

[44] China Youth & Children Research Center (2012, March 1). The report on teenagers’ idolatry and model education. Retrieved April 14, 2021, from http://baby.sina.com.cn/z/byjyyj/.

[45] Beijing Normal University (2018, September 27). The survey report on national family education. Chinese Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment for Basic Education Quality. Retrieved April 14, 2021, from http://cicabeq.bnu.edu.cn/shtml/3/news/201809/961.shtml.