Kim Namjoon: revolutionary
Previously in this series, An Introduction to Idol Limerence and BTS, the experience of limerence was defined and explored with the added context of Jungian psychology, and Giddens’ self-reflexive identity.
If you’re thinking tl;dr, don’t worry, this is what you need to know so far.
Limerence is a cognitive and emotional state of loving adoration and attachment felt towards another person, the limerent focus. Limerence is not reciprocated and is experienced as ruminative thinking and fantasising which one cannot control. There are many positive feelings, limerence is in many ways the feeling of first falling in love. However, limerence is characterised by experiences of depression and anxiety.
It is the argument of this series that limerence can be reframed as a potentially transformative experience and language for social movement.
Idol Limerence is a cognitive and emotional state of loving adoration and attachment to an idol, someone the experiencer has never met, and potentially never will. Idol Limerence is something which idols can knowingly, or otherwise, foster in their fans through parasocial relationships. The sheer amount of information and contact between an idol and a fan can often result in true-love feelings being…
