Introduction         

            Within the last few years, one of the most successful creations of the media has been reality television, defined as programming that films real people, rather than actors, who have agreed to be filmed as they live out their lives as opposed to a script.  The outcome of the show is not predetermined or scripted and takes place in an environment that may be developed for the purpose of the show, or it may be the natural environment of the person(s) being filmed (Nabi, Biely, Morgan, & Stitt, 2003).  As this genre has developed we have seen competitions, daily observations of strangers living together, dating contests, the search for the next pop star, and makeovers that range from houses and clothing, to plastic surgery.  What makes this seemingly intrusive genre so appealing?  Do we like to see others fail or succeed or are we intrigued due to the desire to have the opportunities granted to those on television?  Research suggests that people like to watch shows that portray characters that they can identify with concerning factors such as age and social identity (Harwood, 1999a).  Also, it is possible that one gets a feeling of gratification through watching a particular television genre (McQuail, 1984).  Conceivably there may be a relationship between personality and the desire to watch one particular genre of television over another, or on the other hand, that may drive others away.  This study was designed to look at that relationship with regard to the genre of reality television.

     This paradigm was later revised to simply acknowledge that there is a need inside of the viewer which he or she is actively aware of, and as a result, evaluates the options which are available in terms of channel and genre, and makes a selection based on this need (Nabi, et. al., 2003).  Media content, exposure to the media, and social context, are the three main sources from which the audience receives gratification (Katz, et. al., 1974).  This paradigm is applicable to radio and reading in addition to television use.  McQuail's (1984)  suggestion that everyone has an inherent need that can be fulfilled by watching television is an interesting explanation as to why people are attracted to television.  Each existing genre attracts certain types of people based on their own personal needs.

     McQuail (1984) has identified four basic groups of television viewers based on this paradigm.  These groups are defined by what the individual is searching for, as well as what he or she gets out of the show that was watched, and are classified according to genre.  The first group is called the "information group"including shows such as news type shows like 20/20 or other informational programming.   The second gratification group is categorized by a need to identify with the characters portrayed on television.  This group is entitled "personal identity"(McQuail, 1984).  A third group of viewers are identified by their need for "integration and social interaction".  The viewers who fall into this category are similar to those who are looking for a sense of personal identity in the way that they are looking for a character who is a reflection of themselves.  Those in the personal identity group are looking for insight to themselves, while those in the integration and social interaction group are seeking out an actual connection (McQuail, 1984).  Since the previous two groups have similar needs, they tend to be interested in the same types of programming such as scipted shows in which they can identify with certain characters that have been created and developed throughout a particular plot.  Reality television may also fall into this category depending on whether or not the viewer can identify with the premise of the show, as well as the people involved.  The last gratification category is "entertainment".  Entertainment may be fulfilled through comedic shows or movies which would allow the viewer's mind to wander and simply enjoy what he or she was watching, rather than analyze it.

    The uses and gratifications paradigm has been the basis for further research identifying what draws people to the media.  Hawkins et. al.(2001) examined certain genres of television, showing that studying the medium of television alone is too broad to fully grasp what attracts people.  It is necessary to look at genre because this preference is stable.  People may not always watch the same show, but they tend to be consistently drawn to shows within the same genre, and this may affect how people report their feelings about television (Hawkins, et. al., 2001).  Hawkins et. al. (2001) found that the relationships between media use and predispositions vary between the different genres.  One may have a predisposition affecting his or her preference to one genre over another, and although need for cognition was expected to predict what the participant viewed as well as how much attention he or she paid to the program, it turned out to be unrelated to how selective the viewer was in choosing a show (Hawkins et. al., 2001).  It is also interesting to note that mood and stimulation did not increase the attention paid to the show, whereas content preference, such as what the show was actually about, was in fact related to how much attention the viewer paid to the show (Hawkins et. al., 2001).  Since the relationship between media use and predisposition vary between genre, when identifying what factors attract people to television, one must consider the genres separately rather than look at television without further specification.          

     Harwood (1999b) looked at genre in order to identify why people choose certain shows over others as well as social identity.  Social identity, an individual's concept of himself or herself based on membership in a certain social group and the emotional importance associated with that group is an important factor contributing to what attracts people to television (Harwood, 1999a).  Harwood (1999b) found that viewers tend to favor shows which feature characters that they feel are representative of themselves with regard to age and social identity (being able to relate to the character), as well as experience (having the same experiences as the characters).

     Temperament has also been looked at in terms of its relation to television program preference.  Sherry (2001) looked at how temperament affected one's motivation to watch a certain program, or type of program, on television in a study that was done with undergraduate students.  As many definitions for temperament exist, in this case it is believed that temperament is something that each individual is born with that affects his or her mood as well as general tendencies in behavior (Sherry, 2001).  Temperament varies from person to person, making it a difficult attribute to measure.  A questionnaire known as The Dimensions of Temperament Survey-Revised was used to measure this broad aspect of personality (Sherry, 2001).  This survey is a 54 item Likert scale which measured eight factors: activity-general, activity-sleep, approach, flexibility, mood, rhythmicity-general, rhythmicity-sleep, and task orientation (Sherry, 2001).

   Media motivation was also measured using a 22 item Likert scale that looked at uses of television which are companionship, diversion (taking one's mind off of things), learning, pass time, arousal, and relaxation (Sherry, 2001).  The results of this study showed that there was in fact a relationship between the biological individual differences and temperament of individuals and the reasons in they watch television (Sherry, 2001).

      Personality aspects are also related to television viewing as seen in research by McIlwraith (1998), who looked at the relationship between television addiction and personality. The results support the hypothesis that personality factors are related to television use.  Participants who labeled themselves as television "addicts" were more neurotic and introverted (McIlwraith, 1998).  They were also bored easily and used television as a means of distraction from unpleasant thoughts, fill time when there was nothing as to do, and regulate their mood (McIlwraith, 1998).  This study provides support that there are certain personality aspects that may be related to television use in general.

      One specific personality trait which has been isolated in relation to television use is sensation seeking.  One who is high in sensation seeking feels a need to actively find new and exciting experiences, and does so by taking risks both physically, such as engaging in behavior although there is a chance he or she may be injured, and socially, meaning one is willing to risk being embarrassed (Zuckerman, 1979).  Low-sensation seekers on the other hand often avoid situations which involves an element of risk as well as be more impacted by negative life stresses such as negative experiences with jobs or marriage (Zuckerman, 1979).  There is some evidence suggesting sensation seeking is biological, for example high-sensation seekers have higher levels of gonadal hormones such as androgens (Zuckerman, 1979).  With regard to media, it has been shown in previous studies that high-sensation seekers are more attracted to horror films, rock music, and X-rated media (Perse, 1996).  Low-sensation seekers on the other hand avoid these genres and prefer musicals, romance, and comedies (Perse, 1996).  Perse (1996) found that there were no differences in the amount of television watched by high-sensation seekers or low-sensation seekers, however, high-sensation seekers did in fact watch television in order to increase the arousal level in their environment (Perse, 1996).  In addition they were more likely to watch television while engaging in other activities, and change the channel more often in order to find programming that was more arousing, such as music television and action-adventure (Perse, 1996). 

       The research above has looked at television use in general as well as identified various genres.  Recently, reality television has become a regularly featured genre being part of the primetime line up on more than seven channels at a given time.  Oldenburg (2004) highlights one of the newest trends in reality television, which is plastic surgery and describes the newest show to air, The Swan.  This show introduces us to seventeen women who will go through various changes over the course of three months with the help of professionals such as a cosmetic surgeon, personal trainer, dentist, therapist, and coach (Oldenburg, 2004).  Throughout their transformations there are no mirrors.  The women do not see what they look like until the end, at which point they will compete against each other in a beauty pageant.          

        This may seem like a bizarre concept for a show, yet somehow it attracts viewers and in fact, it is currently in its second season.  While it may seem to some as a poor solution to low self-esteem, the show’s creator, Nely Galan, believes that it is a positive experience and that she is giving the women on this show a gift and the opportunity to be pampered (Oldenburg, 2004).   Poniewozik (2003) also examines the abundance of makeover shows.  He discusses how performing makeovers and getting plastic surgery have become the norm.  Television has been transformed by the genre of reality television.  We take pleasure out of watching people, their clothes, or houses be transformed into something that is considered more attractive (Poniewozik, 2003).           

       Despite extreme examples such as The Swan, the popularity of reality television continues.  Nabi et. al. (2003) conducted a study in order to determine who is attracted to reality television and why.  One theory addressed was the uses and gratifications paradigm explained above.  Based on this paradigm, Nabi et. al. (2003) had two hypothesis about why this genre is attractive: first, it is appealing to our nature to want to watch others, as well as provides access to real people, in addition to providing an element of surprise.   The results showed that regular viewers of reality television watch more television in general, and also reported enjoying the ability to "get a peek" at another person's life, even though the participants did believe the individuals on reality programming altered their behaviors because of the cameras (Nabi, et. al., 2003).  These results also support the uses and gratifications research, showing that casual viewers watch television to reduce boredom, whereas regular viewers have a need for entertainment.  There was little support for a relationship between need for cognition and impulsivity being related to watching reality television, however they did appear to be correlated with specific types of reality television.  Perhaps reality television is a genre too broad to look at in general and in order to understand why people are attracted to this type of programming, researchers must look at the various genres within reality television, similar to the suggestion made by Hawkins et. al. (2001) when examining television use in general. 

       Nabi et. al. (2003) also designed a study to look at the potential relationship between personality type, adventurous and impulsive risk-taking, and watching reality television.  It was found that need for cognition and adventurous and impulsive risk- taking do not significantly relate to watching reality television in general, but there is a relationship between these factors and what type of reality television the individuals chose to watch (Nabi, et. al., 2003).  It is also interesting to note another finding relating to the participants' feelings towards reality television: the participants reported that they did not feel as though reality television is actually real, however it is more real than other genres. 

       It has been found that in addition to uses and gratifications, personality traits are also related to television use.  This study was designed to look at personality and risk-taking and the relationship with reality television viewing.  Considering past research, it was predicted that personality and risk-taking will not determine whether one watches reality television, but that it will have an effect on which type of reality television one chooses to watch.  It was predicted that individuals who are high in adventurous and impulsive risk taking are less likely to watch reality television because it is not stimulating enough for them.  However, if they do watch this genre, they are likely to watch a competitive show.  Also, it was suspected that individuals who are more extraverted are less likely to watch reality television than individuals who are more introverted since introverted individuals are less likely to engage in the behaviors exhibited by the individuals on these shows.