Chapter 3: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

Chapter 3

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMNEDATIONS

SUMMARY

This paper attempted to explain why people still undergo celebrity worshiping despite celebrities being considered as bad influences.

The research design used in this study is the explanatory research method in which the goal is to go above and beyond what exploratory and descriptive research to identify the actual reasons a phenomenon occurs. The researcher findings are the following:

1. Celebrity influence has a negative result on people especially on teenagers and children. Not only can it cause poeple to start bad habits it also gives them a bad perception of the world and destroy their morals.

2. Half of teens agree that peers are more likely to smoke or drink because they see celebrities do it.

3. Not only can celebrity influence cause us to start bad habits it also gives us a bad perception of the world and destroy our morals.

4. People who are extremely into celebrities suffer from low self-esteem.

CONCLUSIONS

1. “Humans learn about the world through observing the behaviour of others.” according to Albert Bandura’s social learning theory (1977) thus explaining why celebrity behavior can be aquired within the socitey.

2. “Bonds are parasocial, or one-way” based on Parasocialinteraction by Horton & Wohl (1956) meaning when a celebrity shares information, a certain number of people will react to it but there is not return of action.

3. Celebrities are trendsetters and people are naturally attracted to trends. They may also use celebrities as social tools for creating a network on their own.
4. There is nothing wrong with keeping up with celebrities as a hobby or a past-time. The only time this case gets serious is when a person look at celebrities as role models or people whom they pattern their own lives after.

5. People are continuosly seeking signs of humanity that they can relate to and that feels familiar to them, despite how far away, unreal, and unattainable such lives really are.

RECOMMENDATIONS

After drawing the conclusions of the study, the researcher hereby made the following suggestions/recommendations:

1. People, especially teenagers and children, who undergo celebrity worshiping should know the limits for their actions. The slightest obsessions may lead to a series of consequences that must be dealt properly with therapy.

2. Parents of children and teenagers that worship celebrities must not let it become a major priority in their lives. Being a hands-on parent and giving them proper guidance is necessary.

3. Students taking up psychology and sociology must dig deeper into this matter to finally give a better solution to this uprising trend in today's world.

4. Future researchers must be able to give more insights answering the questions why is this phenomenon occuring and how can it be stopped.

REFERENCES

Electronic Media

Jessica Cumberbatch Anderson (2013) Nick Cannon Says Mariah Carey Is A 'Diva' When It Comes To Changing Diapers retrieved April 12, 2014 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/nick-cannon-mariah-carey-diapers-video_n_2129648.html#slide=1757227)

Amanda L. Chan (2014) 18 Signs You're Dealing With A Narcissist retrieved April 12, 2014 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/04/signs-of-narcissism_n_4696772.html)

Brian Hiatt (2001) Mariah Carey Had 'Breakdown,' Her Publicist Says - Pop singer, hospitalized for a week, is undergoing psychiatric care retrieved April 15, 2014 (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1445918/mariah-carey-had-breakdown.jhtml)

Charing Ball (2013) Self-Conscious In Front Of The Camera: Are You Obsessed With Highlighting Your Good Side? Retrieved April 15, 2014 (http://madamenoire.com/254397/self-conscious-in-front-of-the-camera-are-you-obsessed-with-highlighting-your-good-side/)

Malia Jacobson (2013) The Miley Effect: Do Celebrities Shape Kids' Values? Retrieved April 21, 2014 (http://www.parentmap.com/article/the-miley-effect-do-celebrities-shape-kids-values)

Dr Charlotte De Backer (2013) Celebrity Role Models Prove to be 'Influential Teachers' retrieved April 21,2014 (http://www.le.ac.uk/ebulletin-archive/ebulletin/news/press-releases/2000-2009/2007/12/nparticle.2007-12-18.html)

John M. Grohol, Psy.D. (2008) The Psychology of Celebrity Worship retrieved April 21, 2014 (http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/11/23/the-psychology-of-celebrity-worship/)

Chapter 2: Discussion

Chapter 2

Discussion

A. The Negative Result Of Celebrity Influence

As the researcher mentioned earlier, it was studied that people imitate celebrities because it has been part of human nature to copy what they have observed from their surroundings. And since celebrities play a huge role in our individual lives, it is only expected that people may adapt their behavior, style, way of living, etc.

Mariah Carey is an influencial artist. Her name is known across the world, even to children who are less older than a fourth of her age. And as a prominent figure, Mariah should act accordingly in order to be a good influence; that does not seem to be the case. Although, Mariah doesn't do drugs which is a very common problem when it comes to celebrity influence. There have been many incidents that show Mariah Carey's bad attributes. When it comes to her personality, her huge ego is just one. She also happens to have narcissistic personality traits, she gets into clashes with other celebrities most of the time, for the very reason that she always acts like a diva. She is often inferred to as insecure after talking down to people in the same field as hers like Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj and Madonna to name a few.

On this article “The Miley Effect: Do Celebrities Shape Kids' Values?” by Malia Jacobson of parentmap.com (http://www.parentmap.com/article/the-miley-effect-do-celebrities-shape-kids-values) it was said that “A 2006 study by USA Weekend (http://159.54.226.237/06_issues/060521/060521teens_and_celebs_full.html) found that half of teens agree that peers are more likely to smoke or drink because they see celebrities do it. Over three-quarters of teens think that their peers are likely to diet after a star loses weight, and some 60 percent say peers want to copy a celebrity’s tattoos and piercings.” It is an inevitable effect that happens to most teenagers today.

And apparently, drinking, smoking, drug usage aren't the only bad influences people can aquire from celebrities. Malia said “Pop culture does more than glamorize damaging behaviors like drinking and smoking for kids and young adults — it can also distort their worldview. Research from the University of Calgary (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2001.tb00788.x/abstract) found that 60 percent of college students admitted a celebrity had influenced their beliefs, attitudes and personal values.”

Not only can celebrity influence cause us to start bad habits it also gives us a bad perception of the world and destroy our morals. But if celebrities are deemed more of a bad influence then why are people still following them?

B. Celebrity Influence and it's Impact in Human Lives

Celebrities have been a part of the society and their everyday lives meaning, celebrities play a major role in people's lives. There are many factors to determine how they spread their influence.On an article entitled “Celebrity Role Models Prove to be 'Influential Teachers'” by Dr Charlotte De Backer on le.ac.uk (http://www.le.ac.uk/ebulletin-archive/ebulletin/news/press-releases/2000-2009/2007/12/nparticle.2007-12-18.html), several factors were mentioned.

1. Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory

According to psychologist, Albert Bandura’s social learning theory (1977), humans learn about the world through observing the behaviour of others. People decide on their own values about behaviour. And since these celebrities are basically seen every where, people will most likely follow their footsteps. Logically, people are likely to imitate the behaviour of successful people. Dr Charlotte De Backer conducted a study and found that celebrities are seen as being "higher status or more successful others" which means that people are more likely to mimic their overall behavior pattern.

2. Dr Charlotte De Backer's Parasocial Hypothesis

Dr Charlotte also came up with a theory called the Parasocial Hypothesis based on Horton & Wohl's (1956) original concept of parasocialinteraction that states“bonds are parasocial, or one-way because the celebrity reveals private information (often involuntary), and the audience members respond emotionally to this, but there is no feedback of the private life of the audience going to the celebrity (or hardly ever), and nor do celebrities display emotions towards their audience.”

3. Celebrities as social tools

Asides from being famous and attaining a really high social status, celebrities are said to be a social tool in order for humans to interact with one another. In the same study conducted by Dr Charlotte De Backer, it was also stated that older people were interested in celebrity gossip not because they wanted to learn about the celebrities, but because it helped them to form social networks with other people. Celebrities create social trends that can interconnect people with each other.

4. Man's natural attraction to trends

Added to that, people are naturally attracted to trends. Whether we deny it or not, there are no exceptions in this matter. And one of the most powrful and influencial trends today exsists in the celebrity world since celebrities are considered as trend setters. Say, in order for a new establishment, brand or company to make it big, they usually hire celebrities to endorse their product or service, thus, starting a trend.

In conclusion, celebrity behavior heavily influences not only young people, but the society as a whole.

C. The unusual psychology behind celebrity worship

“The Psychology of Celebrity Worship” is an article written by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. from psychcentral.com (http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/11/23/the-psychology-of-celebrity-worship/) and it perfectly explains the reason behind celebrity worship. John stated that it is still considered healthy if it is done for purely entertainment purposes only such as casually reading and learning about a celebrity. Such activies would likely reflect an extraverted personality. But if a person gets emotionally involved with a certain celebrity's life and at extreme cases have been dealing with empathy for a celebrity's successes and failures while obsessing over minute details about the celebrity's life, they most likely exhibit borderline pathological behavior and traits of psychoticism.

There is nothing wrong with keeping up with celebrities as a hobby or a past-time. The only time this case gets serious is when a person look at celebrities as role models or people whom they pattern their own lives after. People who are in the extreme cases suffer from low self-esteem. John mentioned “people with the most extreme celebrity worship engage in an attributional style that believes the cause of most events in the person’s life are external, that is, they are outside the control of the person experiencing the event. People who have stable, global attributions share such an attribution style with people who are depressed. So people who have the most extreme celebrity worship look to the outside world for explanations, and believe celebrities might hold a piece of that cure.” meaning that people who are engaged in extreme celebrity worship look for answers about themselves in the outside world since they believe that it is the cause of most events that happen in their lives.

Celebrity worship can be found most in female teenagers between ages 14 to 16. John stated “Teens seek positive role models that they can emulate. Sadly, our culture continuously reinforces the important and value of celebrities, so it’s no shock that teenage girls might focus their attention on them.” Since celebrities are being treated as much of a big deal in today's society, it is no surprise that people in general turn to them.

In addition, everyone wants someone who he/she can relate to. And that's one of the keys on why people look up to celebrities. “we’re seeking a sign of humanity that we can relate to and that feels familiar to us, despite how far away, unreal, and unattainable such lives really are.” said John.

Chapter 1: Introduction

ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR: FANATICISM

A Research Paper Presented to

The faculty of the English Resource Center

School of Multimedia Arts

Asia Pacific College

Magallanes, Makati

In Partial Fullfilment

of the Requirements for the Course

ERESRIT – Research Writing

Andrea Patricia L. Robite

April 2014

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Mariah Carey is a world renowned diva. The term diva was derived from the Italian language and was earlier used for female deity or in basic sense, a goddess. Today, it's been given many definitions such as: a celebrated female singer, a usually glamorous and successful female performer or personality, a woman regarded as temperamental or haughty. Mariah can easily be defined by all of these. As to being a well-known female singer and a successful one at that, Mariah is surely on top of her game. Personality wise, she is also deemed as arrogant and cocky, but that's part of being a diva.

It is obvious how Mariah acts in public since there are such discussions about her but it does not end there. She also happens to act like a diva, even at home. On an article “Nick Cannon Says Mariah Carey Is A 'Diva' When It Comes To Changing Diapers” by Jessica Cumberbatch Anderson from huffingtonpost.com, it appears that Nick Cannon, Mariah's husband, was interviewed on Anderson Live about the matter. Jessica wrote “When the newsman asked who changes the most diapers, Cannon's response was perhaps no surprise. "Me," Cannon replied, adding, "I mean we all do it, but for some reason I get that duty a little bit more."”. Coming from her own husband, there is no doubt on how much of a diva Mariah Carey really is. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/nick-cannon-mariah-carey-diapers-video_n_2129648.html#slide=1757227)

Mariah has narcissistic personality traits. It is a very known fact that Mariah can be a little cocky sometimes. What people don't know is that she only does those things to make humor out of it. Yes, acting like a self-conceited, ego filled diva has been a huge a part of Mariah's image but does that necessarily mean that she is a narcissistic person?

In the researcher's quest to find the answer to that question, the researcher read the article "18 Signs You're Dealing With A Narcissist" by Amanda L. Chan from huffingtonpost.com. It says that it is possible to have some of the traits a narcissist has without having a clinically diagnosed narcissistic personality disorder. There is a specific range in narcissism. Most people are in the middle and some with extreme cases, go overboard. Among the 18 signs, Mariah got 9 out of 18. Even-though she is energetic and confident, she tends to hide them by showing that she doesn't care or she puts it out in humor. With this, Mariah Carey appears less cocksure and narcissistic than she actually is. It might be confusing for some but, the truth is, Mariah Carey does not have a Narcissistic Personality Disorder. She only has a narcissistic personality which is not an extreme case and shouldn't really be taken seriously.

"But sometimes the signs of narcissism are a little more nuanced. They're not always as obvious as media depictions would have you believe. And yes, it's possible to have some traits of narcissism without having full-blown, clinically diagnosed narcissistic personality disorder, which is when narcissism starts to have a serious, negative impact on everyday life and relationships." said Amanda. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/04/signs-of-narcissism_n_4696772.html)

Mariah suffers from extreme workaholism. As an artist, Mariah has always been so dedicated to working in this field. If she had the need to not sleep for two weeks, she does it with the inability to stop herself from working so hard. In the unforgettable summer of 2001, the singer suffered what was described as an emotional breakdown after a two-week whirlwind tour to promote her first movie, Glitter.

An article called “Mariah Carey Had 'Breakdown,' Her Publicist Says - Pop singer, hospitalized for a week, is undergoing psychiatric care.” by Brian Hiatt from mtv.com said “While juggling a video shoot, a recording session and a whirlwind publicity schedule in May, Carey told MTV News that the non-stop pace was getting to her.

"I'm honestly really, really delirious and stressed out and overworked and doing too much," she said. "I haven't slept in like two weeks and that's an important detail for you to know." If she hadn't been so busy, Carey said, she'd be "crying on the floor." "It's an insane time in my life. It's crazy," she said.” (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1445918/mariah-carey-had-breakdown.jhtml)

Mariah is an insecure woman. Believe it or not, a self-centered diva like Mariah Carey has disproportionate concerns or anxieties about herself - appearance mostly - or "complexes" as we call it. First is of course, being born in a bi-racial family, second is her consciousness about the left side of her face. She never allows anyone to photograph her from that side ever since. This peculiar demand of hers got people wondering "Why not?", when clearly, she looks gorgeous in any perspective.

Only after reading this article "Self-Conscious In Front Of The Camera: Are You Obsessed With Highlighting Your Good Side?" by Charing Ball from madamenoire.com, can the researcher learn about the back story of her strange complex. Mariah said, herself, that back when she first started in the industry - she was only 19 at that time - someone from her agency drilled into her head that her left side is her "bad side" and that she should never let anyone take pictures of her from that side. It definitely affected her and made her struggle with this idea embedded inside of her. “There is a larger point here that involves more than pointing and laughing hysterically at this poor, poor soul known to the world as Mariah Carey. In fact, this bit of humanity from Carey makes me appreciate her even more.” Charing Ball said. (http://madamenoire.com/254397/self-conscious-in-front-of-the-camera-are-you-obsessed-with-highlighting-your-good-side/)

All the points mentioned above only contribute to the fact that there are a lot of downsides in being a celebrity. The researcher observes that despite Mariah Carey's negative attributes, people still like her. Therefore, having background information on the psychology of a fan will provide the readers insights on celebrity culture and its side effects. Other than exploiting the dark side of being a celebrity, the purpose of this paper is to explain the reason behind celebrity worshiping.

B. Statement of the Problem

This study aims to answer the question:

1. What is the reason behind celebrity worshiping?

C. Significance of Study

Students taking up Psychology and Sociology.The aim of this paper is to study the psychology behind a fan's dedication to celebrities. This paper will give insights to what happens inside a fan's mind. It helps psychology students understand the human brain more.

Professors teaching Sociology. Since a huge percentage of the human population is heavily involved with their own “fandoms”, being part of a certain “fandom” should be considered as a lifestyle by now. This paper explains that this cultural phenomenon is not a passive matter. The aim of this paper is to give sociology professors an idea of what is going on with most of the people today.

Celebrity worshipers and people involved within a fandom. This research will help these people to understand themselves more. They can gain realizations and insights after reading this paper.

Future Researchers. This research paper will be a huge help for future researchers who plan to do further research on the topic. They may use this paper as an informational basis especially in the fields of psychology and sociology.

D. Scope and Delimitation

This study is focused on the Mariah Carey fandom, specifically. Since, Mariah is a prominent figure in the industry and is known for being conceited, arrogant and hard to deal with. It is normal for celebrities to have this certain attitude but for some reason people still notice and focus more on Mariah's diva fits and only see the bad about her. Despite that, people still like her. The main focus of this research paper is to dwell deeper into the psychology of a fan. This paper aims to answer questions such as “Why do people worship celebrities?” and “What do they like about them?”

The researcher may site other celebrities and instances for emphasizing points but will not be digging further on those matters anymore as they are not that important.

E. Material and Methods

This paper will be using blogs, articles and online research papers from only professional perspectives as to these are scientific and are based on expert views. Only facts and real life happenings will be stated. Personal views, biases and untrusted references and non-professional opinions will not be included.

This paper will focus on the explanation of data as to interconnecting scientific data with the topic.

F. Definition of Terms

Fan. a dedicated being of a certain sport, tv series, celebrity, etc.

Fandom. a community of fans; the state or attitude of being a fan

Fanaticism. wildly excessive or irrational devotion, dedication, or enthusiasm. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fanaticism)

Psychology. – the science of the mind or of mental states and processes; study of the human or animal brain (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/psychology)

Blog Post 5: What Caused The Change In Mariah's Voice?

A talent that cannot easily be surpassed, a legacy that seems impossible to thump, a name that has made a huge mark in the history of pop culture. "Often imitated, never duplicated" as she describes herself. The one. The only. Mariah Carey.

With those things said, it is obvious that Mariah has proven a lot to us in the span of 23 years in her career. She is credited for inspiring an entire generation of new pop vocalists. That's right! Beyoncé, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, etc. can all thank her for their illustrious careers. Indeed, Mariah is the undisputed queen of music. So, I was appalled by the lack of intellect in today's social media after reading people's comments saying that Mariah has "lost her voice".

There has been a lot of debating about that in the article, "What Happened To Mariah Carey's Voice? - My Analysis" by Lewnaticc from forums.digitalspy.co.uk. The author gave the following factors that led to the change in Mariah's voice.

It is obvious that Mariah's voice has change after the 90s. Those were the days when she was still in her prime. Now that she is over 40, it is only natural that there might be drastic changes. Taken the fact that she also happens to drink a lot and has also worked non-stop for a whole decade. With tours here and there, singing live almost everyday can definitely strain your voice. Another factor mentioned was her constant use of the whistle register, and eventually abusing it. A huge factor though, was that she was born with vocal nodules. Although it is mostly considered a bad thing to have vocal nodules, Mariah was trained to use this to her advantage as to being the reason why her voice sounds husky when talking. This was said to be the main reason of her vocal breakdown for it is hard in her account since it is of both advantage and disadvantage to her.

Lewnaticc said "Maybe Mariah's nodules have finally betrayed her after years of producing her ethereal notes. Maybe her improper technique use throughout the years has finally caused her voice to give in. Maybe she's just getting on in her years."

Whatever may be the reason, we all hope it gets resolved soon. We can't just let this national treasure who played an important part in music - Mariah Carey's voice - deteriorate in a matter of years. And on the contrary, even though her voice has changed, she can still out-sing most of the current singers today.

One of the major factors in order for one to lose his/her voice is when they obtain vocal nodules. I read more about this in the article "Vocal Nodules" by Sarah Whitten from bostonsingersresource.com. When a singer is diagnosed with vocal nodules, it is bad news for them. This is the time when they need to decide whether they should continue singing or not. So what are vocal nodules and why does it cause a problem for singers?

According to Sarah Whitten, "Vocal Nodules are essentially calluses on the vocal folds and are similar to scar tissue on skin after a cut has healed. They typically occur at the intersection of the front and middle thirds of the cords and are the result of either misuse or abuse of the vocal cords. Misuse encompasses behaviors like poor speaking or singing technique or inefficient breathing while abuse encompasses behaviors like excessive yelling, screaming or just talking too much."

While these vocal nodules seem like a nightmare to singers, there is a cure for it! First they must consult a laryngologist who will give them a larynge check-up. They might need to scope the throat through the mouth or nose. If necessary, a laryngologist will be the one to operate the surgery. After this process, the singer will be asked to restrain him/herself from any singing activity for at least 8-10 weeks.

"When a person has vocal nodules their vocal cords can no longer completely adduct, or, come together. The voice can have a raspy quality, and you may experience the feeling of needing to clear the throat frequently as the body senses a foreign object on the vocal cords. A singer with nodules may find that the voice fatigues easily and the middle voice may have an abnormal, breathy quality." Sarah Whitten said.

It is now clear to me that the number one reason why Mariah's voice has drastically changed in the past few years was because of her vocal nodules. Judging by the tone of her voice, she often has a breathy quality to it which is pretty obvious especially on her current songs. And as I said earlier, these vocal nodules that have helped her achieve the raspy effect on her riffs has now damaged her singing capabilities. At the end of the day, the choice is still Mariah's. Should she go on like this or risk it all on a surgery?

Blog Post 4: Mariah Carey And Her Complex

Believe it or not, a self-centered diva like Mariah Carey has disproportionate concerns or anxieties about herself - appearance mostly - or "complexes" as we call it. First is of course, being born in a bi-racial family, second is her consciousness about the left side of her face. She never allows anyone to photograph her from that side ever since. This peculiar demand of hers got people wondering "Why not?", when clearly, she looks gorgeous in any perspective.

Only after reading this article "Self-Conscious In Front Of The Camera: Are You Obsessed With Highlighting Your Good Side?" by Charing Ball from madamenoire.com, can we learn about the back story of her strange complex. Mariah said, herself, that back when she first started in the industry - she was only 19 at that time - someone from her agency drilled into her head that her left side is her "bad side" and that she should never let anyone take pictures of her from that side. It definitely affected her and made her struggle with this idea embedded inside of her. On 2009, she finally said, "I don't care anymore." and declared that she no longer demands people to only take photographs from her right.

But last 2013, on an interview with E! for American Idol, she was placed on the right side in which her "bad side" was facing the camera. It can be seen on the video that she was uncomfortably squirming for the whole duration of the interview. Mariah wouldn't face the interviewer because doing so will show her "bad side".

"There is a larger point here that involves more than pointing and laughing hysterically at this poor, poor soul known to the world as Mariah Carey. In fact, this bit of humanity from Carey makes me appreciate her even more." Charing Ball said.

This only proves that we are all human. Celebrity or not, complexes exist in everyone. As hilarious as it may seem though, knowing that someone couldn't function well because they feel that their looks become inferior when they're in the wrong angle, is just plain sad.

Now that we all know the back story of Mariah's complex, it is safe to assume that it all started from someone criticizing her looks and it greatly affected her way of thinking. I read an article that can be relatable to Mariah's current condition. "Why Criticizing Others Is A Lot More Harmful Than You Think" by Donna Labermeier from huffingtonpost.com goes deeper into how a simple idea when implanted into a person's thoughts can damage that person's life.

Some people can be very careless about what they say to others. They don't know what negative impact can it cause to that other person. And such people will never stop doing so unless they become aware of what is really happening. They have to see the bigger picture that everything in the world is interconnected meaning everything affects everything else so it is important to be careful of our own actions. Instead of finding one's faults to bring them down, we must try to lift up each other.

There are three ways in which criticism can become a destructive force. First one is "Negativity". Throwing negativity at someone can hurt them without us being aware of it. We have the ability to interfere with another's self-esteem and self-worth which can change who they are and how they perceive the world around them. Number two is "Psychology 101". When you make derogatory statements about others, people can tell that these are your own insecurities. An individual lashing out on someone is automatically acknowledged as a defense mechanism. Our behavior is a reflection of the things we are trying to cope with. And finally, number three is "Collective Consciousness". What we do to others eventually comes back to us. So, in order to live a harmonious life, we must first find peace within ourselves and learn to emit that to the world.

"We know that we're all different, have our own opinions and everyone is never going to agree on everything. Having said that, the bottom line is as it always has been. If you can't say something nice, well, you know the rest..." said Donna Labermeier.

With Mariah's complex as our example, we can see that her condition falls under "Negativity". After hearing someone tell her that she has an "ugly side", it scarred her for life. She has been living with it for the past 23 years and even though she claims that she's over it, that might not be the case. This just proves that criticizing does not only hurt a person's feelings. It leads to the destruction of one's perception and self-esteem.

I know I'm not in the right place to tell Mariah that she has to be over it by now because I am not aware of what is going on inside her head. What I do know is that she doesn't need to have such complex because she is a beautiful woman and everything about her is divine.

Blog Post 3: What Mariah's Fashion Says About her

Since the early 90s, one of the noticeable things that has drastically changed about Mariah is her fashion statement. From the conservative, good-girl she was to the ego-filled, diva she is today, Mariah definitely wore clothes that showcased not only her breasts, but her personality as well. If you would compare her overall appearance then and now, you would see the distinct differences from one to the other.

Through the years, Mariah obviously changed a lot, personality wise. I wonder if that affected her way of dressing up or vice versa. The article "Fashion, Attitude, Confidence: What Your Wear Says A Lot About You" by Tamara Leigh from enableher.com says that there are three things that pretty much make up a person's wardrobe. The first one was "Attitude" in which there are two sides as to having the clothes define who you are as a person or wear them in order to change your way of thinking. Factors like colors and accessories should be considered all the time. The second would be the "Fit" of your garment. People often wear clothes with poor fitting. Little do they know that this plays a vital role in your fashionable output. Let's say an average sized woman with a voluptuous body wore something too wide when instead, she should be wearing a body-hugging dress where she'll be able to showcase her womanly curves. By doing so, the woman gains more confidence and becomes more appealing to look at. Proper fitting also gives a person that attractive and professional feel while a misfit can make them look otherwise. The last item mentioned was "Fabric". This concerns the brand, print and the texture of the clothing that if matched properly, may lead to carrying an elegant look.

Tamara Leigh said "Whether you’re fortunate to afford top designers and buy beautiful clothing or if you’re working with a limited clothing budget and have to make the best of what you can– Attitude, Fit, & Fabric factor into every wardrobe. When image plays an increasingly significant role, particularly in the professional environment, it helps knowing how to apply a few fashion guidelines for either gender."

As I have observed with Mariah, she often wears black or red during events. In clothing terms, black is considered to be a color of authority while red is the most emotionally intense color. Both of which are attention grabbers in lustful terms. Mariah also happens to wear tight dresses that reveal more of her admirable contour. She also wore eye-grabbing ornaments that may divert anyone's attention to something else. This shows how much of a confident woman she really is, especially with her body. As for the fabric of her clothes, they are all either designer or branded. Most of the time, she wears gowns or dresses with glitters and diamonds on them. A real show stopper, indeed. The clothes she wore were absolutely a reflection of her personality as to being that glamorous diva that she always has been.

Now that we've tackled on her fashion, let us go to the main storage of her valuable pieces, her walk-in closet(s). The article "What is Your Closet Personality Type?" by Debbie Roes from recoveringshopaholic.com talks about the five closet personalities and how they reflect on to what type of person you are. A person may have one or a combination of the following attitudes:

First one on her list was "The Pauper". This person doesn't really care that much about the garment itself, instead you can hear them bragging about how cheap they bought it.

Second, "The Hoarder". These are the people who are suffering from being an intense shopaholic. Their clothes often pile up and they use merely half of the clothes in their wardrobe.

Third, "The Sentimentalist". People who are sentimentalists find it hard to throw away their old items which they don't (and probably won't) use anymore. It goes the same for their wardrobe.

Fourth, "The Devaluist". Their clothes range from torn, stained to completely worn out clothing. They are the people who care really less about themselves.

And the fifth, "The Identifier". Identifiers are completely consumed with themselves and their physical appearance. They tend to be narcissistic and are very worried about the opinions of others. They are frequently preoccupied with logos, as well as expensive handbags and shoes.

"There’s nothing wrong with having a closet personality type, as long as it’s managed at a healthy level. However, the extremes of each type can become problematic. But as with all things in life, awareness is the first step toward change. Once we’re aware of a way of being that isn’t working for us, we can decide upon and make any necessary adjustments to our behavior." said Debbie Roes.

Among these five personalities, I think Mariah may be a combination of Identifier and Sentimentalist. Identifier by being blessed with designer clothing from left to right. Sentimentalist in a way because, as the pop singer she is, she gets to keep her stage costumes, gifts from her fans, some sentimental items from her past - like that only pair of shoes she had before she started her career, etc. As many may not be aware, Mariah is quite a sentimental person. She keeps things that were given to her, especially by her fans. Heck, she even has a whole room dedicated mainly for that.

I appreciate the fact that even though she gets really shady and boastful at times, she keeps this side of her which only a few people know of. One thing to keep in mind though is that she obviously cares for others. Behind that egoistic diva we all think she is, she might not be so bad after all.

Blog Post 2: Does Mariah Carey have a Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

"Look at this. Is this all the red carpet I get?" Mariah said upon descending from her "own personal private Learjet" in Dublin, Ohio. "That's not standard!", she added. This incident got people talking about how much of a diva she is and that she is full of herself. It is a very known fact that Mariah can be a little cocky sometimes. What people don't know is that she only does those things to make humor out of it. Yes, acting like a self-conceited, ego filled diva has been a huge a part of Mariah's image but does that necessarily mean that she is a narcissistic person?

Before that, we need to be aware of what narcissism is. And this article "Narcissistic Personality Order" by Kendra Cherry from psychology.about.com explains it to us in detail. First of all, what is a narcissistic personality disorder? It is a pervasive disorder characterized by self-centeredness, lack of empathy, and an exaggerated sense of self-importance. It negatively impacts many different life areas including social, family, and work relationships.

Narcissistic personality order is the least common one among the other personality disorders. It is said to affect 1% of the whole population of adults in the United States and is more common in men. It's symptoms are an exaggerated sense of one's own abilities and achievements, a constant need for attention, affirmation and praise, a belief that he or she is unique or "special" and should only associate with other people of the same status, persistent fantasies about attaining success and power, exploiting other people for personal gain, a sense of entitlement and expectation of special treatment, a preoccupation with power or success, feeling envious of others, or believing that others are envious of him or her, and a lack of empathy for others. The cause of this personality disorder is yet unclear but some factors may have contributed to it like childhood experiences such as over indulgence of the parents, unreliable parenting, excessive praise and lack of realistic responses.

"It is important to distinguish between those who have narcissistic personality traits and those suffering from narcissistic personality disorder. Those with narcissistic personalities are often seen as arrogant, confident, and self-centered, but they do not have the exaggerated or grandiose view of their own abilities that characterizes narcissistic personality disorder." as Kendra Cherry said.

It is hard to tell if Mariah Carey really has a narcissistic personality disorder or does she only have narcissistic personality traits. One thing's for sure though, her childhood might have led her to become this way. As a child of divorce, Mariah had an unreliable support from her father. Her mother, on the other hand, trained and raised her for the intent of super-stardom. Even her name "Mariah" was inspired by a musical play and was purposely made a stage name. An idea was formed in her brain that she must become better than everybody else and she did, later on. With her life-long dream accomplished, it is no mystery why she acts like how she does today.

In my quest to find out the answer to that question, I read the article "18 Signs You're Dealing With A Narcissist" by Amanda L. Chan from huffingtonpost.com. It says that it is possible to have some of the traits a narcissist has without having a clinically diagnosed narcissistic personality disorder. There is a specific range in narcissism. Most people are in the middle and some with extreme cases, go overboard. So, how do we know if we're dealing with a narcissist? We may do so by observing the following signs:

1. They leave a good first impression - that doesn't really last.
2. Some Narcissists are outgoing, some are quiet and shy.
3. They take the role of a leader.
4. Eventually, every conversation is about them.
5. Guilty of name-dropping.
6. They tell stories about their failures but they have a way of pointing out that it wasn't their fault.
7. Materialistic.
8. Appearance is everything to them.
9. They don't post bad pictures on social media.
10. They are strongly averse to criticism.
11. Excuses are a narcissist's best friend.
12. They leave a trail of wreckage behind them.
13. They may be more likely to cheat.
14. They take everything personal.
15. A narcissistic person probably has no idea he or she is a narcissist. 
16. You find yourself resorting to flattery just to maintain the peace with a narcissist.
17. Narcissists are not low in self-esteem.
18. Men are more likely to be narcissists than women.

"But sometimes the signs of narcissism are a little more nuanced. They're not always as obvious as media depictions would have you believe. And yes, it's possible to have some traits of narcissism without having full-blown, clinically diagnosed narcissistic personality disorder, which is when narcissism starts to have a serious, negative impact on everyday life and relationships." said Amanda.

I was able to associate some of these signs with Mariah's personality. She is more of the loud and proud type since she never fails to include her accomplishments into every interview she's done. She also mentions big names (if not as big as hers) and her relationship with those people. So, that's 2, 4 and 5 there. As for number 6, there was this one time when a different version of her song was uploaded and she pointed out that it was her staff's fault in which the only job they had to do was press Enter. And of course, number 7. As a celebrity, she wears designer clothes in order to increase her status. Earlier in her career, Mariah caused a commotion for only letting people take pictures of her in a certain angle. This shows that she is very aware of her looks since it might affect her reputation. As to being in the industry long enough, she encountered a lot of criticism from all sorts of people, even ones who are in the same field as her. She reacted strongly about those criticisms but never showed it in a unprofessional way. She simply throws shade every once in a while and often acts like she cares less about what people say. Although Mariah is an expert in dodging questions, she has a way of only getting involved with the things she wants to wherein she can boast about her success, etc. As it is very obvious, Mariah has a huge self-esteem. She has confidence in herself in just about everything she does. Finally, that's 8, 9, 10 and 17.

All in all, Mariah got 9 out of 18. Even-though she is energetic and confident, as described above, she tends to hide them by showing that she doesn't care or she puts it out in humor. With this, Mariah Carey appears less cocksure and narcissistic than she actually is. I think this answers the question, "Does Mariah Carey have a Narcissistic Personality Disorder?" No, she doesn't. She only has a narcissistic personality which is not an extreme case and shouldn't really be taken seriously.