what is the thesis statement of the psychology of fame

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Fame Is the Name of the Game

Why so many people dream of being (or even just meeting) celebrities..

Posted October 16, 2020 | Reviewed by Devon Frye

Most people will never be famous, not even for fifteen minutes. Nevertheless, thanks largely to social media , the possibility of fame seems tantalizingly within reach to more folks today than ever before. What is largely taken for granted, however, is the fact that so many people find this daydream tantalizing. What exactly is the appeal of being well known?

Wanting to be a celebrity is not the same thing as wanting to be good at something—having a pleasing singing voice, reliably hitting a small white ball with a large tapered stick, or even acquiring expertise in a field outside of entertainment. To many people, the point isn't really being proficient; it's the acclaim one receives (from vast numbers of strangers) for that proficiency. It's not the home run or the high C in itself; these are just means to the end of being cheered by crowds and recognized on the street. That's why so many people, including children, scramble for visibility on YouTube regardless of whether they've done anything particularly notable. 1

Starting in the early 1990s, Tim Kasser, now professor emeritus at Knox College, conducted a series of studies about people's values and life goals . He and his colleagues—and, later, other social scientists all over the world—have consistently found that anyone whose priority is to be rich, famous, or attractive is disproportionately likely to be anxious or depressed ; to have unsatisfying relationships; to smoke, drink, and watch TV a lot; and in general to report a lower level of well-being. Interestingly, what predicts this diminished quality of life isn't how rich, famous, or attractive one is ; it's how much one desires these things.

Most of the research has addressed the effect of these desires, but Kasser and his crew have also investigated their cause. For example, one study found that 18-year-olds with a very strong desire to be wealthy were likely to have parents who were not very nurturing. When parents are “cold and controlling,” the researchers wrote, “their children apparently focus on attaining security and a sense of worth through external sources.”

The trouble is that even in the unlikely event one attains great wealth or celebrity status, it's unlikely to provide meaningful satisfaction. Being valued for these distinctions just accentuates the emptiness, insecurity, or self-doubt that pushed one to achieve them. Yet judging by what they are willing to sacrifice in time, effort, and dignity to get on a reality TV show, rack up YouTube views, or become an Instagram influencer, some people want to be famous (whether or not it makes them rich) with an intensity that is both poignant and psychologically fascinating.

Fame, more than wealth, is about social validation, and that fact underscores the sad irony that people who crave it are likely to feel isolated and alienated from others. Like a performer's hunger for applause, the self-worth of a fame-seeker depends on how he or she is seen by others. The difference is that, with fame, there's a need to be seen by millions of others. The point isn't just to be well-liked but well-known—and, Andy Warhol's ironic prediction notwithstanding, to achieve a level of celebrity known to very few. Indeed, the scarcity of that status is part of the point.

Self-image and social image are closely related. Someone who feels inadequate may nurture a defiant fantasy of triumphant validation: "I'll show 'em all when I become a household name." And it's true that becoming famous might well show 'em all—in the sense that others who value fame will be impressed. But that just sets the question back a step: Why do so many people find that status impressive if not irresistible? If you're rich, you can buy things in the (probably false) hope that doing so will make you happy and lead others to envy you (which, even if true, will poison your relationships). If you're good-looking, you'll be desired (albeit mostly just because of your appearance). But what exactly is the appeal of being recognized by people you don't know?

One possible explanation emerges from a branch of psychology called terror management theory (TMT), which holds that much of our behavior can be understood as a reaction to our mortality. Hundreds of studies have shown that when we are reminded of death, we feel a more pressing need to bolster our self-esteem and also to cling to cultural "institutions and rituals to buttress our view of human life as uniquely significant and eternal." 2 Thus, the idea of being famous may provide a kind of existential reassurance—the promise of symbolic immortality that offers consolation as we watch our actual lives TikTok away. "Remember my name," Irene Cara commanded in the song " Fame ," a top-40 hit from the 1980 movie of the same name. If enough people do that, she sang, "I'm gonna live forever."

Not everyone wants—or at least badly wants—to be famous. But there is a vicarious version of fame that also attests to its powerful pull: the kind of celebrity worship that consists of worshiping celebrity itself. This helps to explain why we regale friends with breathless accounts of a movie star we saw in a restaurant or proudly mention a distant relative whose name everyone recognizes. Famous people occupy a rarefied realm, and if we can't be one of them, we yearn for a little of their glitter to rub off on us and enliven our comparatively dreary lives. Again, though, what needs to be explained is why that excitement is generated merely because the person in question is known by so many others.

Robert Cialdini, a social psychologist, and his colleagues coined the acronym BIRG, for "basking in reflected glory." They couldn't help noticing, for example, that sports fans, despite having never "caught a ball or thrown a block in support of their team's success...claim for themselves part of the team's glory" as they chant, "'We're number one' rather than 'They're number one.'" (One of their studies found that "we" is more commonly used after the team in question has been victorious.)

BIRG also might be applied to parents who derive vicarious vindication from the success of their children. Now, obviously, there’s nothing wrong with being proud of one's offspring. But sometimes the bragging suggests that the parent’s identity is a little too wrapped up in the child’s accomplishments. Apart from the damage this BIRG dynamic is likely to do to the child (partly because of its message of conditional acceptance ), research suggests that it doesn't bode well for the parent's mental health either.

Cialdini and his associates also saw the relevance of BIRG to "people who delight in recounting the time they were in the same theater, airplane, or restroom with a famous movie star." And they discovered that a focus on fame may be more intense after one has failed at a task. This supports the idea that a need for validation (presumably intensified by failure) may drive not only a desire to be well-known, as I argued earlier, but a quest for reflected glory.

Something else that people are particularly drawn to do when they're not feeling great about themselves is spend time on Facebook . Social media may not just be a potential route to becoming famous but a parallel way of seeking emotional validation and reassurance. Consider a version of BIRG that earlier social scientists dubbed "parasocial interaction." This refers to developing a kind of unilateral intimacy with famous people. They don't know you, but you come to see them as your friends. Of course, this phenomenon increased exponentially with the creation of social media, as the possibility of being followed, or having a post liked or retweeted, by a celebrity creates the promise (or illusion) of a connection with someone who is well known. The more you're thrilled by fame, the more exciting that's likely to be. And preliminary evidence suggests that people with a strong need for social acceptance (and anxiety about real-life intimacy) are particularly inclined to create these parasocial relationships as well as to rely on social media .

It appears, then, that the quest for actual fame and for the secondhand BIRG variety are both heightened by insecurity. Perhaps they also share roots in our mortality. TMT researchers discovered that when people were led to think about death, they were more likely to prefer works of art created by celebrities rather than by unknown artists. And, in another experiment, subjects actually believed that a plane was less likely to crash if a famous person was on board.

In the end, I'm still puzzling over why so many people attribute extraordinary capabilities to (and swoon at the prospect of meeting) someone who is well known—or dream of achieving that status themselves. After all, we are just who we are—whether or not strangers recognize us.

Facebook image: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

1. Fame, like wealth, is described by psychologists as an “extrinsic” goal because it stands outside of the activity that’s used to produce it. This mirrors the broader distinction between extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation (valuing an activity in its own right). A substantial body of research, as I’ve explained elsewhere, shows that extrinsic motivators such as receiving a reward or winning a contest aren’t just different from intrinsic motivation; they tend to deplete it.

2. Sheldon Solomon et al., The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life (Random House, 2015), p. 9. Moreover, “subtle, and even subliminal, reminders of death” -- much more than reminders of other unpleasant things -- “amplify our disdain toward people who do not share our beliefs...[and] drive us to compulsively smoke, drink, eat, and shop...[while magnifying] our phobias, obsessions, and social anxieties” (pp. 211-12).

Alfie Kohn writes about behavior and education. His books include Feel-Bad Education , The Homework Myth , and What Does It Mean To Be Well Educated?

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Home > ETD > Psychology > ETDM_PSYCH > 45

Psychology Master's Theses

The desire for fame across generations: the effects of self-esteem, social media usage, consumption of reality television, peer comparison and family support.

Arvin Carlo M. Gomez , De La Salle University, Manila Follow

Date of Publication

Document type.

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Psychology Major in Human Development

Subject Categories

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Thesis advisor.

Marie Madelene A. Sta. Maria

Defense Panel Chair

Melissa Lucia Reyes

Defense Panel Member

Ma Angeles Lapeña Paul Angelo S. Arcega

Abstract/Summary

The Desire for Fame - meaning the desire to be well-known and leave a mark on people and society as a whole - has existed for centuries now. Studying it and the factors that lead up to it is more important than ever due to the recent advent of things such as Reality Television and Social Media, which allows people to gain a wide audience easier than before, and studied which indicated that a desire for fame may be unhealthy fir the people who seek it. This study explored the desire for fame phenomenon through quantitative and qualitative means and data across three generations - Gen X, Millenials, and Gen Z - was gathered using Convergent Parallel mixed-methods design via both surveys (quantitative) and interviews (qualitative) conducted at the same time period. Quantitative analysis from the research indicated that Self-Esteem, Peer Comparison, and Family Support had no significant effect on one’s Desire for Fame. However, Social Media Usage and Reality TV Consumption did have a significant effect. Generations were also found to have no moderating effects on all the independent variables. The qualitative study indicated eleven themes present - Fame Consequences, Privacy Concerns, Finance/Stability, Social Media Attention, Family Support, Stage Fright, Celebrity Attraction, Positive Acknowledgement, Recognition, Meaningful Fame, Fame as a Last Resort - for what people considered important in their possible Desire for Fame, though the most commonly occurring one present across all generations was the theme of Finance/Stability wherein people either desired fame if it meant gaining financial stability or didn’t desire it because they considered it a poor alternative to a stable education or career.

Abstract Format

Running title: Desire for fame

Fame; Desire; Generations

Recommended Citation

Gomez, A. M. (2023). The desire for fame across generations: The effects of self-esteem, social media usage, consumption of reality television, peer comparison and family support. Retrieved from https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_psych/45

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Reading Sample Theses

As you prepare for your thesis, you might want to get a sense of what you can accomplish in your finished product. Reading past theses can show you the scope and nature of well-done undergraduate projects. Because theses in different areas of psychology often look quite different, it will help you to examine several in the same general area you plan to conduct your research in.

The Psychology Undergraduate Office has hard copies of several prize-winning theses from the past five years that you may sign out to see what the best undergraduate work looks like. Above, you can browse the titles of past undergraduate theses to give you an idea of the topics of theses students typically write.

Only hard copies of recent prize-winning theses are currently available.

Please note: Recent theses stored in the Social Relations Library (which recently closed) are unavailable. Inquirers needing a thesis that is not listed in HOLLIS should contact the authors of theses directly to attempt to obtain a copy.  

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How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement: 4 Steps + Examples

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What is the purpose of a thesis statement, writing a good thesis statement: 4 steps, common pitfalls to avoid, where to get your essay edited for free.

When you set out to write an essay, there has to be some kind of point to it, right? Otherwise, your essay would just be a big jumble of word salad that makes absolutely no sense. An essay needs a central point that ties into everything else. That main point is called a thesis statement, and it’s the core of any essay or research paper.

You may hear about Master degree candidates writing a thesis, and that is an entire paper–not to be confused with the thesis statement, which is typically one sentence that contains your paper’s focus. 

Read on to learn more about thesis statements and how to write them. We’ve also included some solid examples for you to reference.

Typically the last sentence of your introductory paragraph, the thesis statement serves as the roadmap for your essay. When your reader gets to the thesis statement, they should have a clear outline of your main point, as well as the information you’ll be presenting in order to either prove or support your point. 

The thesis statement should not be confused for a topic sentence , which is the first sentence of every paragraph in your essay. If you need help writing topic sentences, numerous resources are available. Topic sentences should go along with your thesis statement, though.

Since the thesis statement is the most important sentence of your entire essay or paper, it’s imperative that you get this part right. Otherwise, your paper will not have a good flow and will seem disjointed. That’s why it’s vital not to rush through developing one. It’s a methodical process with steps that you need to follow in order to create the best thesis statement possible.

Step 1: Decide what kind of paper you’re writing

When you’re assigned an essay, there are several different types you may get. Argumentative essays are designed to get the reader to agree with you on a topic. Informative or expository essays present information to the reader. Analytical essays offer up a point and then expand on it by analyzing relevant information. Thesis statements can look and sound different based on the type of paper you’re writing. For example:

• Argumentative: The United States needs a viable third political party to decrease bipartisanship, increase options, and help reduce corruption in government.
• Informative: The Libertarian party has thrown off elections before by gaining enough support in states to get on the ballot and by taking away crucial votes from candidates.
• Analytical: An analysis of past presidential elections shows that while third party votes may have been the minority, they did affect the outcome of the elections in 2020, 2016, and beyond.

Step 2: Figure out what point you want to make

Once you know what type of paper you’re writing, you then need to figure out the point you want to make with your thesis statement, and subsequently, your paper. In other words, you need to decide to answer a question about something, such as:

• What impact did reality TV have on American society?
• How has the musical Hamilton affected perception of American history?
• Why do I want to major in [chosen major here]?

If you have an argumentative essay, then you will be writing about an opinion. To make it easier, you may want to choose an opinion that you feel passionate about so that you’re writing about something that interests you. For example, if you have an interest in preserving the environment, you may want to choose a topic that relates to that. 

If you’re writing your college essay and they ask why you want to attend that school, you may want to have a main point and back it up with information, something along the lines of:

“Attending Harvard University would benefit me both academically and professionally, as it would give me a strong knowledge base upon which to build my career, develop my network, and hopefully give me an advantage in my chosen field.”

Step 3: Determine what information you’ll use to back up your point

Once you have the point you want to make, you need to figure out how you plan to back it up throughout the rest of your essay. Without this information, it will be hard to either prove or argue the main point of your thesis statement. If you decide to write about the Hamilton example, you may decide to address any falsehoods that the writer put into the musical, such as:

“The musical Hamilton, while accurate in many ways, leaves out key parts of American history, presents a nationalist view of founding fathers, and downplays the racism of the times.”

Once you’ve written your initial working thesis statement, you’ll then need to get information to back that up. For example, the musical completely leaves out Benjamin Franklin, portrays the founding fathers in a nationalist way that is too complimentary, and shows Hamilton as a staunch abolitionist despite the fact that his family likely did own slaves. 

Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing

Read through your thesis statement several times before you begin to compose your full essay. You need to make sure the statement is ironclad, since it is the foundation of the entire paper. Edit it or have a peer review it for you to make sure everything makes sense and that you feel like you can truly write a paper on the topic. Once you’ve done that, you can then begin writing your paper.

When writing a thesis statement, there are some common pitfalls you should avoid so that your paper can be as solid as possible. Make sure you always edit the thesis statement before you do anything else. You also want to ensure that the thesis statement is clear and concise. Don’t make your reader hunt for your point. Finally, put your thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph and have your introduction flow toward that statement. Your reader will expect to find your statement in its traditional spot.

If you’re having trouble getting started, or need some guidance on your essay, there are tools available that can help you. CollegeVine offers a free peer essay review tool where one of your peers can read through your essay and provide you with valuable feedback. Getting essay feedback from a peer can help you wow your instructor or college admissions officer with an impactful essay that effectively illustrates your point.

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Writing Your Research Paper

Writing Tips

• Decide on the research paper's main thesis (focus) and main points first
• Write the body of the research paper first and then write the introduction and conclusion
• Everything in your research paper should point back to the thesis

Research Paper Structure

Research papers should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion:

1. Introduction : summarizes what you will write and puts it into context

• Start the introduction with background that contextualizes the paper's main thesis
• End the introduction with a thesis statement, which outlines the main points of the paper and how you will address them

2. Body : presents the main points of the paper, with each paragraph representing one aspect of the paper's main focus. Each paragraph should include a topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and a transition sentence:

• The topic sentence summarizes the paragraph's main idea
• Use evidence from your research sources to support or make the argument for your main ideas
• Analyse your evidence to show how it links to your broader thesis
• Include a transition sentence at the end of each paragraph to connect what you discussed in that paragraph with the main idea of the next paragraph

3. Conclusion : summarizes what you wrote and what you learned

• Restate your thesis from the introduction in different words
• Briefly summarize your main points or arguments and pull them together into the paper's main thesis
• End with a strong, final statement that ties the whole paper together and makes it clear the paper has come to an end
• No new ideas should be introduced in the conclusion, it should only review and analyze the main points from the body of the paper (with the exception of suggestions for further research)

4.  References list : a list of the sources you cited 

• Cite your sources in APA Style
• Format your References list in APA Style

For more writing help, contact  the Writing Center   and  make an online appointment  to meet with one of their consultants.

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• Psychology Thesis Statement
• Samples List

An thesis examples on psychology statement is a prosaic composition of a small volume and free composition, expressing individual impressions and thoughts on a specific occasion or issue and obviously not claiming a definitive or exhaustive interpretation of the subject.

Some signs of psychology statement thesis:

• the presence of a specific topic or question. A work devoted to the analysis of a wide range of problems in biology, by definition, cannot be performed in the genre of psychology statement thesis topic.
• The thesis expresses individual impressions and thoughts on a specific occasion or issue, in this case, on psychology statement and does not knowingly pretend to a definitive or exhaustive interpretation of the subject.
• As a rule, an essay suggests a new, subjectively colored word about something, such a work may have a philosophical, historical, biographical, journalistic, literary, critical, popular scientific or purely fiction character.
• in the content of an thesis samples on psychology statement, first of all, the author’s personality is assessed - his worldview, thoughts and feelings.

The goal of an thesis in psychology statement is to develop such skills as independent creative thinking and writing out your own thoughts.

Writing an thesis is extremely useful, because it allows the author to learn to clearly and correctly formulate thoughts, structure information, use basic concepts, highlight causal relationships, illustrate experience with relevant examples, and substantiate his conclusions.

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Senior Honors Thesis

Completing a year-long Senior Honors Thesis is one of the most rewarding, time-consuming and challenging endeavors a Psychology major can undertake. The process requires designing, executing, and analyzing the data from an original empirical research investigation, writing a comprehensive APA-format report, and presenting and defending this work before a committee of two faculty members (one of whom, the committee chair, must be from the Psychology Department). Because chairing a Senior Honors Thesis requires a great deal of time and effort on the part of faculty members, only a small number of seniors can complete a thesis in a given year. Students are therefore encouraged to contact potential thesis chairs  no later than the end of their junior year , and preferably even earlier. Because of the high demand for thesis supervision, some faculty may only agree to supervise theses for students who have spent multiple previous semesters working in their lab.

Students interested in independent study (including Senior Honors Thesis) must find a supervising faculty member before registering for the course via  SIS . Those registering for a Senior Honors Thesis (PSY 199) must also fill out and submit by early October the  Thesis Honors Candidate form .

Undergraduate research assistants and students completing a senior honors thesis in all labs that are conducting human subjects research are required to take the Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI). Please contact the faculty supervisor of the lab for more details.

Per Tufts policy, students must appear on the Dean's List for at least two semesters in order to be eligible to complete a thesis. As mentioned above, our faculty often have additional requirements for thesis students, including previous experience in their research lab (PSY 91/92 or PSY 191/192). For students already registered to complete a thesis, additional information regarding expectations for your project and the bases on which it will be evaluated are best obtained from your committee chair.

Students who complete an honors thesis receive a letter grade for their two semesters of work in PSY 199, as well as a determination of thesis honors. The letter grade is not assigned until the end of the second semester and is determined by the thesis chair; students are therefore encouraged to discuss their progress with their chair at various points during the year. This grade is intended to reflect a student's lab performance and consistency of effort over the course of seeing a research project through to completion. The thesis committee makes the determination of thesis honors, choosing from among the following designations: no honors, honors, high honors, and highest honors. This assessment is based on the final written product and oral defense, and is intended to reflect the quality, originality, independence, and potential impact of the work.

Review the departmental rubric for evaluating  senior honors theses .