Abstract
The purpose of this study was to extend the social teaming and imitation theory in an attempt to examine the effect of star-entertainer imitation behavior on clothing behaviors in relation to adolescents' age and gender variables. The research was a survey and the subjects were 895 adolescents in Taejon, Korea. The measuring instruments was serif-administrated questionnaire consisted of star-entertainer imitation behaviors and clothing behaviors. The collected data were analyzed using factor analysis, ANOVA, Duncan's multiple range test. Results were as fellows: 1) The results of analysing the response of star-entertainer imitation behaviors showed that adolescents had very positive attitudes and high psychological need to identify self with star-entertainers, however, their actual identification behaviors were not very noticeable because of parents' restraint and school regulations on students' appearances and clothing behaviors. 2) The results of analysing the response of clothing behaviors showed four factors such as 'fashion$.$clothing interest', 'psychological dependency on clothing' , 'clothing exhibition', and 'clothing conformity'. 3) Star-entertainer imitation behaviors had significant effects on clothing behaviors; the group with more star-entertainer imitation behaviors showed more fashion$.$clothing interest, higher psychological dependency on clothing and clothing exhibition, and lower clothing conformity than the group with less star-entertainer imitation behaviors. 4) Clothing behaviors showed the differences according as adolescents' age and gender; the female adolescents showed more fashion$.$clothing interest and clothing exhibition than male, the high school and cortege age groups showed higher psychological dependency on clothing than other age groups. It is concluded that the results of this study support social teaming and imitation theory since TV media give strong influence on the TV viewers through presenting various modeling stimuli to adolescents' lives.
