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Celebrity Psychological Issues No. 9, 10 – Fame addiction, desire for immortality

“One minute they love you, next thing you know, you are in front of that court house…” – Dave Chappelle
“One minute they love you, next thing you know, you are in front of that court house…” – Dave Chappelle

Here are issues No. 9 & 10 of the Top 20 psychological issues of celebrities. For the previous article, for issue 8, click here.

9. “Fame is my high” – Addiction to fame
Every artist knows and speaks about the extraordinary high that comes from performing and expressing one’s art – acting, singing, dancing, writing, drawing, directing and so forth. There is also an inexplicable high when performing under pressure and in front of a crowd of tens of thousands – such as a rock star in concert or an athlete, moved by the crowd, yet in his/her own mental zone as he scores that crucial point and victory.

Do all celebrities therefore have an addictive personality prior to becoming famous?

No.

And while there are some people who seek out the highs of fame, every celebrity easily becomes addicted to the ecstasy that comes with fame – the attention, adulation, notoriety, power, influence, privileges, parties, gifts, money, and adoration.

The addiction becomes an addiction to fame itself and brings with it the desire to compete with other famous people, the insatiable desire for more, as well as the burning obsession that ‘everything has to be bigger’ – greed takes over. (As an example of competition between celebrities: singer Kanye West staged a sales competition with 50 Cent when they both released albums in 2007.)

The drug of fame is now controlling you and you are afraid and unwilling to give it up. You have become attached to all of the paper thin and empty temptations of fame.

This also creates an underlying constant performance-anxiety and fear of loss, particularly once it truly becomes apparent that fame and stardom are but fleeting moments; the public can be fickle and whimsical – today, they want and worship you; tomorrow they have a new god!

 “I don’t trip off being a celebrity. I don’t like it. I don’t trust it. One minute they all love you, the next thing you know, you are in front of that court house, dancing on top of that car trying to figure out what happened to you.” – Dave Chappelle, comedian  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7b5hJ0G_9c

10. “I want my name to live forever” – Building a legacy
As you wake up to the reality that the public is fickle and can easily take you off the pedestal they placed you upon (and sponsorship deals also begin to wane or disappear), your desire to be immortal can either create more anxiety and the fear of loss or it can drive you to reevaluate fame and its potential emptiness.

Accordingly, some celebrities decide to give back, to use their power, fame and fortune to create foundations and to support causes that empower and help humankind i.e. ease suffering for others. This can become a legacy that will be a way for people to remember you, long after you are physically gone; it’s the way for your name to live on.

Click here for the next top Celebrity Psychological Issues 11 and 12

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