High School Newspaper Reports on Student Reaction to Celebrity Loss

A high school reporter examines why teenagers are often very affected by the death of a favorite celebrity. From the article:

"Teen psyche supports an attachment to faraway celebrity figures and makes their deaths all the more real, according to Carolyn Barry, an associate professor of psychology at Loyola College. Barry reasons that the teenage demographic is the most interested in popular culture. 'Research has documented that adolescents become oriented towards the larger peer and popular culture to a greater degree,' Barry says, noting that the distinction is especially true between teens and elementary school-aged children."

"Furthermore, the progression of technology has played an important factor in allowing teens to feel such a personal bond with their favorite celebrities, according to Barry. 'Given the reality of living in an age of information technology, adolescents can – and many do – gather tremendous amounts of detail about celebrities,' Barry says. 'As a result, these…adolescents might perceive themselves as having formed a relationship with these celebrities, even if it is just a one-way relationship.'"

If you're interested in learning more about how teens experience loss, attend HFA's national teleconference on April 16th. The teleconference is broadcast at sites across the U.S. and Canada. Registered sites can be found on HFA’s Find-A-Site database, located here. This list is updated on a weekly basis so if there isn’t a site near you, please check back in a few days.