Sociological Analysis On Young Star Idolatry

Idolatry, as a very common social phenomenon and lifestyle, is more powerful impact on the youths' spiritual life and personality development, and become one of the focuses of social sectors.Idolatry is the social identity and emotional attachment of a personal favorite character. Star worship is a kind of idolatry, which gathers entertainment stars worship and sports stars worship. It also commonly appears in process of adolescent psychological development, and is a important method of Self-confirmation. When adolescents worship the stars as idols, they will collect star's all information. Somebody turn admire and yearn for star's life to imitate their behavior way. Recently, amount of youth idol TV drama program which made in Japan or South Korea has being imported, and many grass-root shows and variety shows are emergencing in China.Great fanfare of mass media impales the youths to worship the star idol. However, star's life and the behavior pattern reported by the media are incompatible with the youths'real life, which can lead to mental or behavioral problems easily. The youths' stars worship has developed to a new stage, their mental and behavior has a distinct feature of the age, but there are negative influences engender. It is often reported that various behaviors of superstar chasing worship on the press and Internet, so we have to pay attention to the enormous appeal of star doles.Adolescent is a critical period when philosophy is forming. It's very important that exploring the status of star worship and behavior patterns of the youths in this era that has become increasingly common in this star worship and has new features. While,it's careful studying the subject of the young star idolatry that be able to make social, educational institutions and parents have a comprehensive and correct understanding which will help the youths grow up healthy.In this paper, writer used a questionnaire survey, literature method, interview method, participant observation and other research methods, found that some young star idol worship behavior is rational, and some is crazy, these acts of worship do not have a clear dividing line among them. In order to research conveniently, the author divided the young star idolatry behavior into three types: fanatical type, attachment type and calm type. Young star idolatry has the following characteristics:young people generally have the idol, and star idol is accounted for the more than half; the time began to star idolatry is earlier and earlier; worship behaviors are more rational; there are differences in the worship of stars and star attitude between different gender.Writer believes that the stars'arising because they can be objected into commodities, when an artist has been recognized by the people, make people think he can bring them mental or sensory pleasure, and create enough the profits for the company and the media, he transform to a "star." Young star idol worship is a kind of social exchange behaviors:the admirer gets intrinsic rewards by watching the stars'program or game; the stars get extrinsic reward with the materialization of their own. The behavior of pop stars worship has two basic sources:one is the agreement of admirers to the star; the other is the attraction of star to admirers. There are many reasons for young people generally tend to take entertainment and sport stars as idols to worship, not only internal psychological characteristics factors of adolescent, but also entertainment and cultural environment and education system reasons. And there are three main reasons of differences in star worship:First, the traditional Chinese thinking and self-identified needs; Second, women emotional, more rational men; Third, the social expectations of gender.On the issue of treating stars worship, parents, educational institutions and social needs to take charge of their responsibilities and work together, especially the mass media must improve their sense of responsibility, clean entertainment and cultural environment. Parents and teachers could handle serious behavior of superstar chasing worship to draw support from the professional service of social workers. The innovation in this article is the use of research methods and theoretical perspectives are different from the predecessors. When studying the stars worship, many scholars were using the questionnaires and interviews. On this basis, writer also used participant observation method, in order to join in a star's fan club as one of its members, participated into their conversations and activities. Writer explains the generation process of stars and star worship by use of Blau's social exchange theory.As the author's ability and financial resources limited, the concepts, theories and conclusions in this paper may have some limitations, and need to be further verified.