The Shaping of the Parasocial Self
On the Psychology of Relationships and Intimacy in the Digital Era
Versandkostenfrei!
Erscheint vorauss. 3. Januar 2026
35,99 €
inkl. MwSt.
PAYBACK Punkte
18 °P sammeln!
This book offers innovative and integrative psychological theorizing on the meaning of parasocial relationships, drawing on cutting-edge empirical insights and clinical observations. It advances current understandings and operationalizations of parasociality, emphasizing both potential benefits and inherent challenges. Uniquely, the book explores various digital spheres, ranging from online dating and social media to subscription platforms like OnlyFans and AI-driven chatbots, including ChatGPT, AI-companions, and therapy bots. It highlights their specific characteristics, overarching similari...
This book offers innovative and integrative psychological theorizing on the meaning of parasocial relationships, drawing on cutting-edge empirical insights and clinical observations. It advances current understandings and operationalizations of parasociality, emphasizing both potential benefits and inherent challenges. Uniquely, the book explores various digital spheres, ranging from online dating and social media to subscription platforms like OnlyFans and AI-driven chatbots, including ChatGPT, AI-companions, and therapy bots. It highlights their specific characteristics, overarching similarities, dynamic entanglements, and finally, their meaning for the social self. Through this lens, the book examines how individuals initiate and sustain relationships, how intimacy is experienced online, and how these digital practices extend beyond the internet, materializing in everyday life, and impacting meaning-making and broader societal organizing. Finally, the book provides both conceptual ideas on media and AI literacy and psychological implications, relevant for professionals in social work and education, counselling and psychotherapeutic contexts, policymakers, and everyone who is online.