ABSTRACT

The primary developmental task of adolescence (12–18 years old) is identity development. During this time, adolescents individuate from their parents and may instead use media models for social guidance. Previous research has analyzed the impact of media figures on adolescents’ socialization but few have explored the influence of non-fiction media figures on their self-concept. As such, the present study examined of the role of fanship and identification on adolescent self-concept clarity. From a survey of 251 adolescents (ages 13–18), results showed that adolescents’ fanship intensity was negatively associated with their self-concept clarity. Further, identification did not moderate this association, but identification demonstrated a negative association with self-concept clarity.

IMPACT SUMMARY

a. Prior State of Knowledge: Previous research shows that media fandom may impact peoples’ ideological beliefs and behaviors (e.g., gender roles, prosocial behavior, overcoming adversity). Moreover, research finds that fandom engagement may benefit marginalized communities.

b. Novel Contributions: The current project contributes to the media entertainment and fan studies literatures with a novel exploration of fandom and fan identification in relation to adolescents’ self-concept clarity. Specifically, fanship intensity and identification were negatively associated with self-concept clarity.

c. Practical Implications: Parents should be aware of their child’s fanship intensity surrounding their favorite non-fiction media figure because such engagement may negatively influence their self-concept, which might contribute to difficulties in establishing a cohesive identity.

摘要

青春期（12-18 岁）的主要发展任务是身份发展。在此期间，青少年从他们的父母中独立出来，并可能转而使用媒体模型进行社会指导。以往的研究分析了媒体人物对青少年社会化的影响，但很少有人探讨非小说媒体人物对其自我概念的影响。因此，本研究考察了狂热和认同对青少年自我概念清晰度的作用。一项对 251 名青少年（13-18 岁）的调查显示，青少年的狂热程度与其自我概念的清晰度呈负相关。此外，认同并没有缓和这种关联，但认同与自我概念清晰度呈负相关。

影响总结

一种。先前的知识状况：先前的研究表明，媒体狂热可能会影响人们的意识形态信仰和行为（例如，性别角色、亲社会行为、克服逆境）。此外，研究发现，粉丝参与可能会使边缘化社区受益。

湾。新贡献：当前项目通过对与青少年自我概念清晰度相关的粉丝群和粉丝识别的新颖探索，为媒体娱乐和粉丝研究文献做出贡献。具体来说，狂热强度和认同与自我概念清晰度呈负相关。

C。实际意义：父母应该意识到他们的孩子对他们最喜欢的非小说媒体人物的狂热程度，因为这种参与可能会对他们的自我概念产生负面影响，这可能会导致难以建立有凝聚力的身份。