Disclaimer: I’m writing this for those who don’t quite understand our Monster mentality. I hope by explaining the Psychology of Monsters we will be better understood by others and ourselves. Please note, that even though I have two degrees in Psychology, and even though approved psychological theories will be used during this piece of writing, this article is formulated by my own psychological opinion. In other words don’t go diagnosing yourselves with mental issues and disorders... that would be NO.GOOD. OK? Please note I am Dyslexic so any spelling or grammar mistakes I do apologise.
This article is © 2010 to L. Smith
For those who live on another planet Psychology is the study of human mental functions and behaviour. And for those of us who live in another universe Lady Gaga uses the term ‘Little Monsters’ to describe her millions of fans worldwide. People choose to become Monsters as they connect with the messages Lady Gaga sends and promotes, such as acceptance and love, which will be discussed in this article.
Over the past few months Monster’s have been widely critized and said to be obsessed with Lady Gaga (which is probably true). But could it be that Monster’s are actually obsessed with the psychological advantages of being a Monster?
The Monster community makes you feel welcome, accepted, wanted, and loved no matter what you look like, act like, where you live or what you believe in. A psychological theory proposed by Abraham Maslow (1943) appears to run alongside with how the ‘Monster’ community works. Maslow proposed in his 1943 paper ‘’A Theory of Human Motivation’ that we have a hierarchy of needs. The hierarchy consists of five levels, each of which is a basic human need. Being a Monster correlates heavily with the two of these levels, level three, ‘Love & Belonging’ and level four, ‘Esteem’. Maslow states that humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance (Monsters can issue a HUGE tick next to this level). Maslow goes on to suggest that this need can come social groups such as, clubs, sports team, religious affiliations, gangs etc.
Some may argue that Monster’s cannot be classed as a ‘true’ social group and therefore any mental well being that stems from this cannot be psychologically beneficial, as Monster’s on the whole do not interact face to face. However, times are changing, the world is changing, and these cynics need to accept that the social networking phenomenon is vastly becoming a prominent source of socialization for millions worldwide. Does it really matter whether we gain the emotional support and friendship online rather than face to face? It seems that Monsters are leading the way in demonstrating that the answer is NO it doesn’t matter. Monsters thrive on accepting one another. This shows that a large part of the Psychology of Monsters is care giving and kindness.
Maslow’s fourth level ‘Esteem’ is that humans need to feel respected and valued by others. As Monsters isn’t this our primary claim? Don’t we accept each other no matter what? Don’t we accept EVERYONE into our Monster family? Don’t we value each other’s opinion and value each other? YES WE DO. This again shows that the psychology of Monsters is founded on kindness and acceptance.
Another key area of Psychology that can help to explain the Monster mentality is Attachment Theory (Bowlby 1969). Attachment Theory is basically connections between humans. Attachment theory mostly focuses on young children’s relationship with their primary care giver (mother in most cases) where infants in time of distress, need to be immediate proximity with their care giver. There are two distinct attachment styles; we either have secure or insecure attachments. Those with secure attachments are comfortable in both intimate and dependant relationships, and those with insecure attachments struggle with any type of relationship and often blame this on themselves.
It seems that many Monsters have formed this type of infantile attachments with their ‘Mother Monster’. It is common to see Monsters tweet Lady Gaga when they are feeling depressed, anxious, stressed etc, saying that they need to be near her. Monsters fall into both types attachment styles. There are those monsters that have a secure attachment with Lady Gaga and those with insecure attachments with Lady Gaga. Those Monsters with insecure attachments display such behaviours as discussed before, constant need for attention from Gaga, when in reality Lady Gaga cannot provide one on one care giving. It seems that these Monsters need to find an alternative figure whom can provide support to them on a day to day basis, face to face.
Another psychological theory that helps to explain the Psychology of Monsters is Social Identity Theory (Tajfel, 1979). Social Identity Theory is a collection of both Sociological and Psychological theories that look at why individuals identify with, and behave as part of groups, as well as sharing and adopting attitudes. The theory suggests that people’s behaviour is largely influenced by having a group identity and having a sense of belonging in a group that is distinct from other groups. This is termed positive group distinctiveness. Being able to distinguish the ‘in group’ (the persons group, in our case Monsters) from the ‘out group’ (non Monsters) allows us to cherish the values of the group. These values can provide a boost in self esteem and sense of belonging.
Monsters positively benefit from being part of the ‘in group’. On a day to day basis I see Monsters telling each other about their achievements, and often crediting being a Monster as the reason for their success. It seems that those of us, who embrace being a Monster the most, seem to be the ones who get most out of it. For example, I know Monsters who seriously take on the fundamental aspects of being a Monster, BE YOUR SELF! Those who embrace the fact they are different, and can share their difference with others seem to be mostly happy and confident. Monster’s who struggle to be accepted in every day social situations, such as school or work, find comfort in being accepted by such a group. And what’s wrong with wanting to belong? Seriously, what?
Another thing that’s worth noting is the effect of ‘in group’ bias. This stems from Social Identity Theory and is defined as being the preferential treatment is given to those who are part of the same group. Psychological studies have shown that group members will show special treatment to co group members, even if the group they belong to is trivial, such as having the same last name or birthday (Brewer, 1979). Think about how Monster’s behave to others. Monster’s do show special treatment to each other, and are biased towards others. But in my psychological opinion I don’t think that this bias is in a negative way. I think this bias stems from the fact that many Monster’s are not shown kindness in their every day social surrounding (for being different) so when Monster’s come together on mass they go out of their way to show others kindness and affection.
Let’s move on to another area of Psychology that can help to explain the Psychology of Monsters.
It’s widely known that some fall in love with celebrities and create fantasies in their minds by attaching positive emotions (happiness, security, belonging) to the celebrity and then taking these emotions out of context. In some cases this 'love' can result in obsessional behaviour such as stalking. Erotomania is a delusional disorder where a person falls in love with someone of a higher status than them, for example, a boss, a doctor, a teacher, a celebrity (Munro, 1999).
Many Monsters express that they 'love' Lady Gaga, but this is more of a friendship love that you feel for your best friend, or your parents. By definition it could be said that Monsters are in some way displaying stalking behaviour by sending Gaga love notes, drawing pictures of her, begging her to notice them, checking the news, checking her tweets etc and in turn displaying obsessional behaviour. Some may crititze this by saying Gaga wants this attention and she is our adoptive mother so therefore wants us to do these things, and I’m not disputing that. What I’m trying to get at is the difference between being a fan, and being obsessed.
The type of 'celebrity love' Monsters display is more on a par with ‘Borderline Erotomania’ which is defined as a form of extreme attachment (Meloy, 1989), where the person feels that they are in love with a celebrity but is still in touch with reality and understands that the celebrity doesn't love them back.
The main concern here is that some Monsters may take things one step further. It has been noted that some Monsters use twitter in order to make threats against themselves (self harm etc) if Gaga doesn't follow them. This is either obsessional behaviour at its best or its plain old attention seeking, I’m unsure at this moment in time. As long as Monsters don't start loosing touch with reality and start aggressively freaking Gaga out, it think were OK here.
I think the main point of this article is to stress the fact that being a Monster has so many psychological advantages. Human beings have the impulsive urge to form connections and relationships with others. Being a Monster enables us to do that. I hope that after reading this, the non Monsters can is some way say that they understand ‘the Monster mentality’ a little better. I hope that after reading this fellow Monster’s can recognise parts of themselves in the content and realise how being a Monster effects them.
Feel free to tweet me @LadySmithGaga if you want any more information on any part of this article, and feel free to send me your thoughts. Or if you want to ask questions in private you can email me using Ladysmithgaga@live.co.uk
Paws up free bitches!!!!!
Special thanks to these monsters who read this before I let it loose @gagamonsterplan @LilMonster19 @TheWalkinIrony @jakkmonster @J4d_ @BeccaGaga
References
Bowlby J(1986) Citation Classic, Maternal Care and Mental Health
Brewer, M.B. (1979). Ingroup bias in the minimal intergroup situations: A cognitive motivational analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 307-324.
Maslow, A.H. (1943) A Theory of Human Motivation, Psychological Review 50(4) 370-96.
Meloy JR: Unrequited love and the wish to kill: Diagnosis and treatment of
borderline erotomania. Bull Menninger Clin 1989; 53:477-492
Munro, Alistair (1999). Delusional disorder: Paranoia and related illnesses. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Tajfel, H. (1970). Experiments in intergroup discrimination. Scientific American, 223, 96-102.
