A Penchant for the Immoral: Implications of Parasocial Interaction, Perceived Complicity, and Identification on Liking of Anti-Heroes

Oliver, Mary Beth; Bilandzić, Helena; Cohen, Jonathan; Ferchaud, Arienne; Shade, Drew D.; Bailey, Erica; Yang, Chun Yuh

doi:10.1093/hcr/hqy019

Cited by 32 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…On the one hand, viewers might be less inclined to rate favorite antiheroes as villainous because it might arouse cog-nitive dissonance (e.g., "Why would I like a character I perceive to be 'bad'?"). This fits with literature showing that liking or enjoying an antihero character is associated with increased perceptions of that character's morality (Eden et al, 2017;Oliver et al, 2019). On the other hand, if viewers see themselves as antisocial (e.g., aggressive, Machiavellian), they may find more villainous characters to be more self-relevant, validating, or even aspirational.…”

Section: The Present Studysupporting

confidence: 88%

“…The currently ubiquitous antihero—defined loosely as a “morally complex” protagonist whose “actions range on a continuum from good to bad, in contrast with clearly moral heroes and clearly immoral villains” (Janicke & Raney, 2017, p. 534)—has received recent attention in the field of media psychology (Janicke & Raney, 2017; Krakowiak, 2015; Krakowiak & Oliver, 2012; Oliver et al, 2019; Sanders & Tsay-Vogel, 2016; Shafer & Raney, 2012; Snyder et al, 2019). Researchers have typically operationalized antiheroes as lone wolf-style vigilantes who use callous methods to fight more traditional “bad guys” (e.g., Dexter in Dexter— forensic analyst by day, serial killer of murderers by night).…”

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confidence: 99%

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The dark side of antiheroes: Antisocial tendencies and affinity for morally ambiguous characters.

Greenwood¹,

Ribieras²,

Clifton³

2021

Psychology of Popular Media

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Antiheroes-protagonists who are often depicted as Machiavellian, narcissistic, or psychopathic (Dark Triad traits)-have garnered recent empirical attention. Research has typically focused on the mass appeal of the characters and genre rather than on individual differences that predict such appeal. The present survey study (N ϭ 162) extends this work by examining viewers' antisocial tendencies (Dark Triad traits, aggression, and moral disengagement) in conjunction with an affinity for antihero genres and favorite antihero characters (similarity, wishful identification, and parasocial interaction). Results show that aggression, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy were the strongest predictors of antihero affinities. Male antiheroes vastly outnumbered female antiheroes as favorite character choices, although this skew was significantly greater among male participants than female ones. No differences in antihero character affinity emerged as a function of participant gender. Finally, the degree of perceived character villainy and IMDB ratings of violence were inversely related to wishful identification and parasocial interaction with a favorite character. Findings underscore the complex ways in which viewers engage with antihero characters and genres. Public Policy Relevance StatementAntihero characters in media are complex protagonists with morally gray behavior and motives. Although they are broadly appealing, the current study suggests that antihero media narratives and characters are more appealing to viewers with higher levels of antisocial traits such as aggression, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. These traits predicted the frequency of viewing antihero stories as well as personally identifying with the antihero character and enjoying characters who are motivated by revenge.

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Section: The Present Studysupporting

confidence: 88%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The dark side of antiheroes: Antisocial tendencies and affinity for morally ambiguous characters.

Greenwood¹,

Ribieras²,

Clifton³

2021

Psychology of Popular Media

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“…Due to the dynamic representation of the persona, PSI and its facets are subject to constant change (Schramm and Wirth 2010 ). Studies have shown that strong PSI processes lead to higher engagement and enjoyment in digital technologies (Tsay-Vogel and Schwartz 2014 ), stronger identification with media characters (even with amoral personas; Oliver et al 2019 ), while PSI is also correlated with persuasiveness (Rosaen et al 2019 ). Considering these multiple influences of parasocial processes on individual learners, the theory of PSI should be considered when discussing educational processes in digital environments.…”

Section: Fundamental Theories On Social Processes In Digital Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cognitive-Affective-Social Theory of Learning in digital Environments (CASTLE)

et al. 2021

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For a long time, research on individuals learning in digital environments was primarily based on cognitive-oriented theories. This paper aims at providing evidence that social processes affect individual learning with digital materials. Based on these theories and empirical results, a social-processes-augmented theory is suggested: the Cognitive-Affective-Social Theory of Learning in digital Environments (CASTLE). This CASTLE postulates that social cues in digital materials activate social schemata in learners leading to enhanced (para-)social, motivational, emotional, and metacognitive processes. To substantiate this theory, socio-cognitive theories are used, which predict social influences on learning with digital materials. Besides, previous empirical findings are presented assuming that with a rising number of social cues in digital materials, the influence of social processes increases. Finally, consequences regarding the design of digital learning media are discussed.

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“…Further, researchers have proposed that in the context of morally complex characters, identification may facilitate narrative enjoyment and attitudinal change (Meier & Neubaum, 2019;Oliver et al, 2019;Raney et al, 2009;Tsay & Krakowiak, 2011). Because identification involves a merging of the self with the character, audiences who identify with a morally complex character may be particularly motivated to interpret the character's actions in a favorable light.…”

Section: Character Categorizations and Moral Evaluationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because identification involves a merging of the self with the character, audiences who identify with a morally complex character may be particularly motivated to interpret the character's actions in a favorable light. Thus, Oliver et al (2019) and Raney et al (2009) argue that identification with a character is likely to encourage moral biases in favor of the character, promoting disengagement from moral standards that might typically condemn the character's actions (i.e., moral disengagement; see Raney, 2004 1 ).…”

Section: Character Categorizations and Moral Evaluationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engaging the Dark Side: Exploring Identification with Morally Complex Antagonists

Frazer

Moyer‐Gusé

2021

Mass Communication and Society

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This work investigates what factors prompt audience members to engage with morally complex antagonists and examines potential real-world attitudinal outcomes of such engagement. A twopart experimental study (n = 140) examines whether the revelation timing of a character's immoral behavior in a fictional narrative (late reveal versus early reveal) and a person's morality salience (vice salience versus virtue salience) impact identification with a morally complex antagonist. Further, real-world attitudinal outcomes of antagonist identification are examined.Results demonstrated that identification with a fictional, morally complex antagonist can significantly impact real-world attitudes toward criminals. Additionally, revelation timing predicted identification with a fictional antagonist for male participants, but not for female participants, indicating a need for future research to investigate potential gender differences for identification with morally complex antagonists. A person's own morality salience, however, did not significantly impact identification with a fictional antagonist. Overall, this work demonstrates that exposure to fictional narratives and identification with morally complex antagonists can affect real-world attitudes, and gives direction for future research to better understand the mechanisms that drive engagement with antagonists in narratives.

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A Penchant for the Immoral: Implications of Parasocial Interaction, Perceived Complicity, and Identification on Liking of Anti-Heroes

Cited by 32 publications

References 43 publications

The dark side of antiheroes: Antisocial tendencies and affinity for morally ambiguous characters.

The dark side of antiheroes: Antisocial tendencies and affinity for morally ambiguous characters.

The Cognitive-Affective-Social Theory of Learning in digital Environments (CASTLE)

Engaging the Dark Side: Exploring Identification with Morally Complex Antagonists

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