The Role of Celebrity Worship in the Eudaimonic Well-Being of ARMY Fandom/Fanbase Members in Indonesia

. Celebrity worship is a parasocial relationship with one or more celebrities driven by identity absorption and addiction to everything related to the celebrity. However, previous studies state that celebrity worship positively impacts the worshipers if they join the fandom. In a quantitative study design, the current study aims to determine the role of celebrity worship on the eudaimonic well-being of members of the BTS-ARMY fandom in Indonesia. There were 207 participants aged 18-25 who had joined the BTS-ARMY fandom for at least one year before the study. Data was gained using online questionnaires. The result of simple linear regression shows that celebrity worship has a positive role in eudaimonic well-being (R2=0.020; p < 0.05). By linking these two variables of the BTS-ARMY members in Indonesia, the finding contributes to understanding eudaimonic well-being in celebrity worshiping as a nonpathological activity. Further research investigation is required to support this result, for example, by focusing on the group dynamics of the fandom community.


Introduction
In general, well-being refers to the innate desire of humans to live a better life and develop their life and self as they aspire to (Hart, 2020).Well-being has two different but related conceptions, namely Hedonic well-being (HWB) and Eudaimonic well-being (EWB) (McMahan & Estes, 2011;Ryan & Deci, 2001).Eudaimonic well-being, or what is from now on referred to as EWB, is defined as a concept of well-being that focuses on the maximum actualization of one's potential to obtain a "good life" (Waterman et al., 2010;Diener, 2000;Huta, 2015) as well as on personal strengths and contributions for the greater good (McMahan & Estes, 2011).Based on this explanation of the EWB definition, EWB, compared with HWB, provides more sustainable life satisfaction because it aligns with personal growth and self-actualization (Ryff, 2023).
There are six aspects of EWB (Waterman, 2008), namely (1) self-discovery, (2) development of best potential, (3) existence of meaning and purpose in life, (4) best efforts for the highest achievement, (5) intense involvement in daily activities, and (6) a sense of enjoying activities as personal expression.Eudaimonic philosophy has two central elements: 'know yourself and choose yourself' or 'be what you are'.This means that eudaimonism calls on everyone to recognize themselves, live according to their soul, and strive to achieve personal goals.If it is related to EWB, individuals who worship celebrities also apply several aspects of EWB (Waterman 2008) Celebrity worship (CW) is a parasocial relationship with one or more celebrities driven by identity absorption and addiction to everything related to the celebrity.Aspects of EWB (Waterman, 2008) found in CW activities can be explained as follows.The first is self-discovery, namely when fans realize their interest in idol celebrities who certainly have essential values for them.Second, developing the best potential, namely when fandom creatively holds community activities or individually supports its idols.Third, there is meaning and purpose in life.BTS-ARMY members believe the moral message carried by their idol group strengthens self-appreciation and mental health.Fourth, best efforts to achieve the highest achievements, such as voting and mass streaming, so their favorite celebrities can win awards in a competition.Fifth, intense involvement in daily activities, namely when individuals devote their potential and are intensely involved in activities in fandom and for their favorite celebrities.This increases meaningfulness and selfsatisfaction.Lastly, the feeling of enjoying activities as personal expression, that is, individuals enjoy doing CW activities as a form of self-expression of things they like.Based on the description above, researchers are interested in examining the extent of CW's role in the EWB of individuals in Indonesia who are members of celebrity fandom, with a focus on increasing EWB to strengthen mental health (Ryff, 2023).
Philanthropy: Journal of Psychology | Faculty of Psychology Universitas Semarang https://journals.usm.ac.id/index.php/philanthropy/indexSince the last two decades, the phenomenon of the spread of South Korean culture, also known as the Korean wave or Hallyu, has now spread throughout the world (Seo & Kim, 2020;Scott-Maxwell, 2020;Lim & Giouvris, 2020;Jung, 2011;Messaris, 2016;Kelley, 2019).The Korean wave categories that are popular and quickly spreading in other countries include Korean drama, films, music (Kim et al., 2021), traditional foods such as tteokbokki (떡볶이) and kimchi (김치); beauty products, fashion, and online games (Seo & Kim, 2020).In Indonesia, the phenomenon of South Korean pop music (K-pop) is growing much more rapidly than other Korean wave categories (Jung, 2011;Herman, 2020).This happens because some of the main attractions of Kpop, such as clothing styles, stage decorations, singers' distinctive voice styles, dance movements, lyrics, and stories presented in music videos, as well as music genres that are friendlier to the ears, are considered modern and cool (Jung, 2011;Kim et al., 2021;Yoon, 2019).K-pop fan groups include fandom (Duffet, 2013) as a community interested in the same group.They form social networks and actively collaborate in activities related to their idols, for example, when their idols launch new albums, annual music awards events, or auditions (Kang et al., 2022).
Fans of the boy group BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) are called ARMY.The Indonesian ARMY is the most considerable K-pop fandom/fanbase in Indonesia.This is proven by the disclosure by Kim Yeon Jeong as Head of Global K-pop Partnership Twitter in a press release that BTS is a K-pop artist often discussed by Twitter users in Indonesia (Zahrotustianah, 2020;Herman, 2020).
Forbes revealed that BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, is leading the growth of Hallyu by having fans of approximately ninety million people spread throughout the world (Kelley, 2019).BTS has experienced great success since releasing their Love Yourself trilogy album in 2017 (Wickman, 2018).The first album in BTS's Love Yourself trilogy is (承): Her, the second album is (轉): Tear and the third album is (結): Answer.These three albums explain the process of falling in Love, betrayal of Love, and ending with loving yourself.Thanks to this Love Yourself album series project, BTS's music career reached its peak.UNICEF (2018) chose BTS as their ambassador to continue carrying out the 'Love Myself' campaign to protect children and young people around the world from violence and prevent suicide at an early age.The 'Love Myself' campaign supports UNICEF's 'END Violence' campaign, launched in 2013 to make the world safer for young people.Both campaigns aim to protect children and adolescents and encourage preventive measures against violence (Kaufman, 2021).
Funds raised through the 'Love Myself' campaign are used to protect and support children and young people affected by domestic, school, and sexual violence, as well as to empower local communities to help prevent violence (UNICEF, 2019).Thanks to the success of the 'Love Myself' Philanthropy: Journal of Psychology | Faculty of Psychology Universitas Semarang https://journals.usm.ac.id/index.php/philanthropy/indexcampaign, BTS renewed its commitment to the anti-violence 'Love Myself' campaign with UNICEF in March 2021 for the next two years (Kaufman, 2021).
Seeing the positive values promoted by BTS, it is not surprising that members of the BTS fandom helped develop EWB.Unfortunately, the limited literature that uses well-being variables specific to EWB means that this EWB study has yet to be widely discussed.This fact further strengthens researchers' interest in this study topic.Based on the statements above, the authors are interested in examining the role of CW in the EWB of individuals who like BTS and have joined the BTS-ARMY in Indonesia.
To previous research (Chia & Poo, 2009;Anderson, 2019;Reysen et al., 2017), CW activities, for example: watching concerts, buying albums, watching music videos, and voting for favorite celebrities with friends.In one fandom/fanbase, it positively impacts increasing wellbeing and correlates with life satisfaction.This happens because fans can relieve stress and connect with other fans while/after carrying out activities that show that they have contributed to supporting and making their favorite celebrities more successful.Previous research did not mention using eudaimonic well-being as a variable but limited well-being in general.Therefore, this research takes this specific concept to research so that the results can contribute to the science of well-being.Furthermore, CW activities done together in one fandom can give rise to a sense of selfsatisfaction, self-meaning, self-contribution to the fandom, the feeling of being part of a fandom, and self-attachment to other members in one fandom (Kim et al., 2023).By joining a fandom/fanbase, members can relieve stress, connect and establish social relationships with fellow fans in the fandom/fanbase, and gain life satisfaction.Fandom members develop emotional coping skills and distract themselves from their stress, making them feel less lonely because they do things they enjoy together and can openly share the problems they face.
Research on the celebrity worship (CW) variable associated with the eudaimonic wellbeing (EWB) variable in individuals who join the BTS-ARMY fandom in Indonesia has never been conducted before.Therefore, it is essential to implement this research.The findings from this research can contribute to understanding the phenomenon of celebrity worship, especially BTS-ARMY in Indonesia.This research hypothesizes that CW has a role in EWB for BTS fans who are members of ARMY.

Research Design
This research deployed a quantitative approach with surveys as a data collection method.
Quantitative research focuses on numerical data (numbers), which are analyzed using statistics.
Philanthropy: Journal of Psychology | Faculty of Psychology Universitas Semarang https://journals.usm.ac.id/index.php/philanthropy/indexIt also tests theories objectively by examining the relationships between variables.The sampling technique uses non-probability sampling, and the participant selection method uses a purposive sampling method based on the required criteria.A non-probability sampling technique is used because the probability of population members being selected as a sample is unknown (Azwar, 2017).The individuals who join the ARMY fandom community are specific and limited in number, so researchers used non-probability sampling even though this research uses quantitative methods (Berndt, 2020).In addition, purposive sampling was chosen to select participants based on several criteria necessary to represent the target population according to the research objectives (Etikan, 2016).

Participants
The inclusion criteria for participants in this study included (1) aged 18-25 years; (2) idolizing BTS; (3) having joined the BTS-ARMY community for at least one year.This age range is chosen because individuals experiencing the transition from adolescence to early adulthood will experience exploration of self-identity and socioemotional instability.They tend to focus on themselves, as they feel they are neither teenagers nor fully adults and want to change their lives (Arnett, 2006).The transition phase that occurs at the age of 18 to 25 years is called the emerging adulthood phase, or in Indonesian, it is called the phase towards maturity.Someone in this phase can be easily influenced, following, and absorbing someone's identity, especially if that someone is someone they like (McCutcheon et al., 2002;Brooks, 2018).

Instruments
The instruments used in this research were: 1. Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS; Maltby et al., 2002) to measure the celebrity worship variable.
The CAS scale has been translated into Indonesian and adapted for the research context.The Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) consists of 21 questions that measure the level or level of celebrity worship.Each of these levels shows differences in behavior and attitudes, and the higher the level of celebrity worship, the more extreme the behavior is shown.The three levels of celebrity worship include (1) Entertainment-social (ES; consisting of 8 items, for example, "It is enjoyable to be with people who also like one/all of the BTS members"); (2) Intensepersonal (IP; consists of 9 items, for example "I share a special bond with one/all BTS members that cannot be explained in words"); and (3) borderline pathological (BP; consists of 4 items, for example "I am obsessed with the details of the lives of one/all of the BTS members").Each item is assessed with answers on a five-point Likert scale of 1-5, with "strongly agree" at five Philanthropy: Journal of Psychology | Faculty of Psychology Universitas Semarang https://journals.usm.ac.id/index.php/philanthropy/indexand "strongly disagree" at 1. Based on trials on 30 participants, this scale has an internal consistency reliability coefficient of α =0.906.
2. The questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-being (QEWB; Waterman et al., 2010) was used to measure eudaimonic well-being variables.This scale has also been translated into Indonesian and adapted for the research context.The QEWB consists of 15 questions that measure elements associated with eudaimonic well-being, including (1) affirmative direction (consisting of 9 items, for example, "I feel that I am very involved in many of the things I do every day"); and (2) negative direction (consisting of 6 items, for example, "I think it would be perfect if everything came easily in my life").The results of trials on 30 participants showed that this scale had an internal consistency reliability coefficient of α=0.892.

Analysis
The data obtained from the data collection process was then analyzed statistically using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.The analysis carried out was descriptive statistical tests, verification of classic research assumptions, and hypothesis testing.The hypothesis was tested using linear regression analysis for the predictor variable (celebrity worship/CW) with the criterion variable (eudaimonic well-being/EWB).

Results
A total of 225 people filled out the online survey.However, only 207 participants (1 male and 206 female) met the participant inclusion criteria for this study, and their data were eligible for analysis.The age range of participants according to the inclusion criteria was 18-25 years, with a mean age of 20.76 years, and most participants were 21 years old (26.6%).As many as 85.5% of participants live on the island of Java.In comparison, the rest were spread across various regions of Indonesia, such as Sumatra Island and the Riau Islands (7.7%), Kalimantan Island (2.9%), Bali Island (2.4%), and Sulawesi Island (1.5%).Most of the participants were college students (70.1%) and workers (25.1%), but there were also 10 participants (4.8%) who were students.Some of the online media used by participants to carry out BTS-ARMY fandom activities are Weverse (45.4%),Twitter/X (26.1%),WhatsApp (18.4%),Line (2.4%), Telegram, Facebook, and YouTube (each 1.9%), Instagram (1.5%), and Kakao Talk (0.5%).

Tables and Figures
Before testing the hypothesis, the researcher carried out descriptive statistical analysis, verified classical assumptions, and then tested the hypothesis using linear regression analysis.
The results of the descriptive statistical analysis are shown in

Classic assumption test
The classic verified assumptions are the normality, linearity, and heteroscedasticity tests.
Based on the normality test results using the one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the residual variable shows a normal distribution, namely KSZ=0.075.The research data is usually distributed because the significance value is p > 0.05 (Ghozali, 2016).Furthermore, in the linearity test of the independent and dependent variables, the results showed a significant deviation in the linearity value of p=0.361 (p>0.05).This means a significant linear relationship exists between the independent and dependent variables (Santoso, 2015).In the Glejser test, which is used to check whether there are symptoms of heteroscedasticity in the two variables, the results show a significance value of 0.782.The significance value is more than 0.05, so it is concluded that there are no symptoms of heteroscedasticity in the two variables (Widarjono, 2010).These two variables are categorized based on aspects of each variable.
Based on Table 2, the dominant CW dimension among the study participants was the entertainment-social dimension, with 196 participants (94.7%).Furthermore, as shown in Table 3, the results show that the dominant EWB category is intense involvement in activities, with 98 (47.3%) of the total 207 participants.

Hypothesis testing
The hypothesis was tested using simple linear regression analysis to determine the role of CW in predicting EWB with an R2 result of 0.020, which means that the CW variable has a role in EWB of 2% (see Table 4).Still, in the same table, it is known that the significance value of the regression analysis results is 0.043 (p < 0.05).This means that CW significantly influences EWB.
The linear regression equation in this study is Y = 43,830 + 0.92 X (with Y = eudaimonic wellbeing/EWB and X = celebrity worship/CW).The CW coefficient is positive, so it can be understood that every increase in the CW score will increase EWB by 0.141.In other words, CW has a positive effect on EWB.

Discussion
This research aims to determine the role of celebrity worship (CW) on the eudaimonic well-being (EWB) of individuals who join the BTS-ARMY fandom/fanbase in Indonesia.The analysis results show that CW plays a significant role in the eudaimonic well-being of BTS fans who belong to the ARMY fandom.The results of the linear regression equation show that if CW increases, a person's EWB will also increase.This finding is interesting to discuss further.
Based on the results of previous studies, CW has a positive impact on individuals, such as forming self-satisfaction, a means of coping with stress, and a forum for interaction between fellow fans which provides a sense of belonging and belonging (belongingness) to individuals who join the fandom (Reysen et al., 2017;Chia & Poo, 2009;Anderson, 2019;Kim & Kim, 2017).A sense of belongingness, self-meaning, and self-satisfaction are classified as EWB.McCutcheon et al., (2002)  BTS members.This social interaction can be done through various social media and applications.
When fans are in the entertainment-social dimension, it can be interpreted that their adoring behavior does not lead to psychological disorders.When there is deep personal involvement (intense-personal level) or even accompanied by obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions (borderline-pathological level), then this has led to psychological problems that have the potential to disrupt well-being (Chen et al., 2022).
Interaction between BTS members and fans and vice versa can be done using the Weverse The V Live application is another application that ARMY members often use to interact with their idols.V Live is an application published by NAVER in 2015 that is used for video streaming and live broadcasting, namely direct interaction between celebrities and fans, as well as fans and idols (King-O'Riain, 2021).On the V Live application, BTS members can start live broadcasting videos that can be watched by fans all over the world.Fans can also leave comments in the comment column, and BTS members can read and respond to these comments simultaneously.Figure 3 shows one of the BTS members, namely V (real name: Kim Taehyung), having dinner while live broadcasting using the V Live application.V was seen chewing his food Philanthropy: Journal of Psychology | Faculty of Psychology Universitas Semarang https://journals.usm.ac.id/index.php/philanthropy/indexwhile reading comments from fans.Not only that, but occasionally, V responds to some of these comments.
Figure 3. Screenshot of live broadcasting carried out by V BTS on the V Live application, July 24, 2021 Thanks to the ease of communicating with favorite celebrities through advanced communication technology, fans' happiness is increased by fulfilling social needs by interacting with their favorite celebrities (King-O'Riain, 2021;Laffan, 2021).The dynamics of social interaction are interesting to study from a developmental perspective, where the participants in this research are individuals in the emerging adulthood stage of development.A marker of emerging adults in their efforts to improve their well-being is when individuals begin to form equal relationships with their parents and develop an understanding of the importance of relationships with other people (Sharon, 2016).Specific to ARMY, BTS fandom activities are thought to give rise to positive social movements worldwide through the power of their collective narrative (Kim & Hutt, 2021).
Furthermore, in the EWB variable, 'the intense involvement in activities' category was the dominant category among the participants.When it comes to activities in the BTS fandom, individuals do their best and get involved intensely, such as streaming and voting en masse in pursuit of excellence, namely winning at music awards events for BTS.Also, members of this fandom flock to upload their activities related to their idols on social media to show that they struggle to increase their popularity through social media algorithms.Cahyani & Purnamasari (2018) also reported intense fan involvement, namely feelings of sadness and worry if something unexpected happened to their idol.Fans will also continue to monitor their idols intensely via cell phone to follow all the latest news regarding their idol's developments.Strong reciprocal interpersonal ties and cooperation between group members can produce solidarity and unity Philanthropy: Journal of Psychology | Faculty of Psychology Universitas Semarang https://journals.usm.ac.id/index.php/philanthropy/index(Forsyth, 2018).This allows fans to form social integration and firmly commit to uniting groups to achieve common goals (Mach et al., 2010;Kim & Kim, 2017).
Overall, the results of this study support the research of Anderson (2019), Reysen (2019), and Kim & Kim (2017) that interacting socially with other fans in one fandom/fanbase can contribute to increasing individual EWB.This research also supports research by Chia & Poo (2009) which found that individuals who participate in fandom activities can connect with other fans and can carry out activities that show that they support their favorite celebrities.When individuals join, get involved, and belong to fan groups, they tend to have increased happiness and social connections (Laffan, 2021).Fandom activities can be an active coping strategy by participating in community activities and interacting socially with others.Both are significant sources of social support for mental health promotion.
In line with the previous description, the research results of Ang & Chan (2016) found that their research participants felt an increase in the quality of their personal and social relationships through activities in their CW process.Participants in the study explained that before joining the fandom, they were shy individuals and lacked interpersonal skills, which began to diminish after joining the fandom.When a sense of belonging emerges within this fandom community, they feel an increase in well-being through eudaimonic activities that arise because of experiencing positive social interaction and spiritual experiences due to these new experiences (Zuo et al., 2021).In this case, CW encourages fans to join the fandom and make friends with other fans so that the research participants feel that their social skills have improved.
Interestingly, controversy was found regarding this research topic based on the results of previous studies.Research conducted by O'Donovan (2016) shows the opposite of the results of this study, and several studies align with those previously described.Fans involved in fandom are more susceptible to experiencing loneliness in the real world when they are more involved in fandom activities (O'Donovan, 2016).This is partly due to the habit of fans in fandoms developing different languages because they feel like they are in a group that lives outside of society's habits, and this indirectly alienates fandom members from their "real-life" friends.
Fans' attachment to favorite celebrities is central to fans' identity bonds and emotional lives (Hackley & Hackley, 2016).Furthermore, Brown (2015) argued that CW is an intense form of psychological attachment that involves a person's relationship with a favorite celebrity as the focus of life.This develops from an intense and excessive devotion characterized by loyalty and a willingness to invest time and material in their favorite celebrities.In this condition, individuals can unknowingly harm themselves through excessive fandom activities.
At this pathological point, Widjaja & Ali (2015) agree, explaining that the higher an individual's addiction to their favorite celebrity, the higher their level of worship will be, Philanthropy: Journal of Psychology | Faculty of Psychology Universitas Semarang https://journals.usm.ac.id/index.php/philanthropy/indexsignificantly influencing the level of involvement with their idol figure.This can lead to the formation of dysfunctional behavior (King, 2013).This dysfunctional behavior is driven by elements of identity absorption and a sense of addiction to everything related to the celebrity (Maltby et al., 2002;Maltby et al., 2001).At that point, CW develops and leads to the highest level McCutcheon et al., (2002) proposed, namely the borderline-pathological level.This feeling of pleasure and the emergence of obsessive behavior can affect a person's life, such as social relations with others, performance in work or education, and various other aspects (Zsila et al., 2018;Zsila et al., 2019;Rahim, 2019;McCutcheon et al., 2006).
Celebrity worship included in the absorption addiction model (idolizing one/more than one idol) can make a person form a self-identity and excessive sense of satisfaction so that it becomes addictive (McCutcheon et al., 2002).In subsequent research, McCutcheon et al., (2016) found a positive correlation between CW and obsessive behavior or thoughts.This research revealed a significant correlation between intense personal and borderline-pathological levels of celebrity worship with obsessive behavior and disturbing behavior aimed at celebrity idols, such as persistent pursuit and even threats.This can shape the person's behavior to become more extreme (e.g., delusional, dissociative, stalking behavior, obsessive, compulsive) in idolizing someone/more to maintain personal satisfaction (Zsila et al., 2018;Zsila et al., 2019;McCutcheon et al., 2006;McCutcheon et al., 2016;Reyes et al., 2016).Not only that, in several studies of CW on well-being in general, CW is positively correlated with depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and social dysfunction (Cheung & Yue, 2011;Maltby et al., 2001;Maltby et al., 2004;Reyes et al., 2016).
The explanation of the controversy from the results of these studies explains why the role of CW on EWB in this study, although significant, turns out to be very weak.CW is still a gray area because differences in intensity in worship can lead to pathological mental health conditions, namely when CW is at a borderline pathological level.This is certainly interesting to explore further in future research.For example, focusing more on exploring the dynamics of communication and interaction within groups, the management structure of communities as informal organizations, and the cohesiveness of fandom groups can contribute to increasing the well-being of fandom members.

Conclusion
This research aimed to determine the role of celebrity worship (CW) on eudaimonic wellbeing (EWB) in individuals who are BTS fans and have joined the Indonesian BTS-ARMY community.The results of the data analysis show that celebrity worship plays a significant role in the EWB of the Indonesian BTS-ARMY.It is also known from this research findings that the state that CW has three level dimensions, namely (1) Entertainment-social: The lowest level of CW refers to healthy enthusiasm and appreciation for one's favorite celebrities through activities such as reading, watching, following, listening, and studying things about their favorite celebrities, as well as talking about their favorite celebrities with fellow fans, (2) Intense-personal: Medium level of CW which refers to social activities such as watching, listening, seeing, following, and talking about their favorite celebrities with fellow fans or with friends.Not only that, at this level, an individual has a high sense of empathy towards their favorite celebrity.At this level, a person also feels that he is close and has a special relationship with his favorite celebrity(Redmond, 2016), (3) Borderline-pathological: The highest level in CW when a person will show extreme behavior and attitudes that are classified as Philanthropy: Journal of Psychology | Faculty of Psychology Universitas Semarang https://journals.usm.ac.id/index.php/philanthropy/indexmaladaptive forms of attraction to his favorite celebrity.Maladaptive behaviors that appear include fantasizing about their favorite celebrities, showing obsessive-compulsive behavior (for example, stalking), and having uncontrollable thoughts that tend to be irrational, which can lead to delusional thoughts.This study's entertainment-social dimension was the dominant dimension in the participants' CW.In other words, the participants in this study, who were samples from the population of BTS-ARMY fandom members throughout Indonesia, were at the non-pathological CW level.A healthy attitude of enthusiasm and appreciation for their favorite celebrities is manifested in idolizing activities, which are still considered healthy and increase participants' CW because they are doing activities together in a community.This aligns with research findings fromIrmanto & Tjiptono (2013), who stated that K-pop fans are often comfortable and emotionally attached to friends within the K-pop fandom/fanbase itself.Apart from that, with current advances in communication technology, researchers found that BTS fans can interact socially with

application.Figure 1 .Figure 2 .
Figure 1.Screenshot of photo uploaded by two BTS members, namely Jin and Jimin, on the Weverse application, July 20, 2021