The Psychological Consequences of Fame: Three Tests of the Self-Consciousness Hypothesis

Three investigations tested the hypothesis, that the attainment of fame leadsjQ.dii;otiic s_elfzconsciotisness. One of these studies also examined the i:elatiQnshi(i_Qf sejf-cotiscig.usiiess._ vyith jejfidestructive^l)ehavior. Analyses of Kurt Cobain's and Cole Porter's song lyrics indicated increased use of first-person singular pronouns after each songwriter attained celebrity. An analysis of John Cheever's short stories indicated greater use of the firstperson narrative voice following his first brush with fame. Other analyses revealed that variations in Cheever's fame were positively correlated with use of first-person singular pronouns in his private letters and journals. These measures of.fielf=Gens6i©usness-̂ were_als.o...positivel.y...con:elated--w.ith-Ghee.vei:'s e. Together, these three^tujdies offer th£ first empirical support for_a,selfzconsciousness hypothesis linking celebrity to self-destructive behavior. In the urge to find a better, more perfect self, the possibility of uncovering a worse, more misshapen one hangs like a threatening cloud. Lurking behind every chance to be made whole by fame is the axman of further dismemberment. (Braudy, 1986, p. 8) Preparation of this article was supported in part by a grant funded by the Montana Science and Technology Alliance. Victoria Kent, Rose Qualley, and Eric Schaller contributed to the development of the research reported in this article. Bruce Hietela, Aaron Kent, and Jessica Sletten assisted with data collection. I thank them all. Correspondence concerning this article may be addressed to Mark Schaller, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4. E-mail: [email protected]. Journal of Personality 65:2, June 1997. Copyright © 1997 by Duke University Press.