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Psychology of Superheroes (08) by Rosenberg, Robin S [Paperback (2008)]
Psychology of Superheroes (08) by Rosenberg, Robin S [Paperback (2008)]
Paperback
First published February 9, 2008
52 people are currently reading
726 people want to read
About the author
Robin S. Rosenberg
43 books18 followersRobin Sue Rosenberg is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Stanford, California, and has taught psychology at Lesley University and Harvard University. She is board certified in clinical psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology, and has been certified in clinical hypnosis. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology, is a member of the Academy for Eating Disorders, and is President-Elect of the Santa Clara County Psychological Association.
Rosenberg is mostly known for her textbooks and writings on the psychology of popular culture.
Rosenberg is mostly known for her textbooks and writings on the psychology of popular culture.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
July 6, 2011
It's hard to rate and review a compilation of essays as some are good and some are not so much. Some of them were interesting, others sounded more like ads for the author's other published books. I was a bit let down by the lack of psychoanalytic essays, as most of them focus on social, behavioral and positive approaches of psychology. And I was also very surprised how most of the articles quoted Wikipedia as their information source... I mean, it's okay if you do it for the Superhero side of your research (as there might me be little published material about it), but they quoted wikipedia for Jung and Maslow and some other authors and theories. That doesn't make their essays sound that much reliable, or very researched. It's a light, simple read. If you're a psychology student or professor this book won't tell you anything new or be too enlightening.
March 11, 2011
ran across this book while watching a documentary that focused more specifically on the psychology of Batman. The editor, Robin Rosenberg, was one of the "talking heads" in the special, and I found the idea pretty intriguing. The book is made up of a series of short essays that explored different aspects of the superhero genre in the forms of comics and film/television. The essays touch on topics like the expression/causes of anger (using the Hulk as a case study), the representation of women (highlighting Wonder Woman), and even defining what makes a hero and how they were produced.
One really interesting essay proposes the question of whether Superman would have been different if he had been raised in New York City rather than Smallville, Kansas. Group dynamics, insanity, and a number of other psychological issues are explored in regard to various heroes.
Overall, this was a pretty interesting read, but it is definitely deeply explores psychological theory. As a whole, the essays are of an academic-level quality, though a reader's interest will probably vary based on the subject matter and the particular heroes being explored.
While I was reading this at jury duty, three people asked me to look at it so there is definitely some interest out there for it. I was glad that I gave it a try because I enjoyed it.
One really interesting essay proposes the question of whether Superman would have been different if he had been raised in New York City rather than Smallville, Kansas. Group dynamics, insanity, and a number of other psychological issues are explored in regard to various heroes.
Overall, this was a pretty interesting read, but it is definitely deeply explores psychological theory. As a whole, the essays are of an academic-level quality, though a reader's interest will probably vary based on the subject matter and the particular heroes being explored.
While I was reading this at jury duty, three people asked me to look at it so there is definitely some interest out there for it. I was glad that I gave it a try because I enjoyed it.
May 18, 2018
Real men and women live in corporeality, whereas superheroes live in a virtual reality…
This is an amazing book into the morals of superheroes!
June 12, 2018
4.5 Stars
I was recommend this book by one of my goodreads friends. I thought this was good book to read. I would maybe read this book again. I would recommend this book to anyone.
I was recommend this book by one of my goodreads friends. I thought this was good book to read. I would maybe read this book again. I would recommend this book to anyone.
November 7, 2008
A selection of essays about superhero psychology that's got a few good insightful essays. Others, however, suffer from the "Oh, you can be in my book if you just tweak your research a little" phenomenon that plagues academic anthologies (I speak as a person who's been published in such an anthology, so I'm guilty of it as well). So one finds essays that are mostly about studies of stress coping mechanisms or gender stereotyping where you have the impression the author watched "Spiderman" once and tacked on a few references to make the essay fit.
Add to that essays that made me want to throw the book across the room (like the one explaining Batman is a sadist who exists only to break arms and torture people and doesn't care about the victims he helps at all) and the good is outweighed by the mediocre and the "WTF?"
Add to that essays that made me want to throw the book across the room (like the one explaining Batman is a sadist who exists only to break arms and torture people and doesn't care about the victims he helps at all) and the good is outweighed by the mediocre and the "WTF?"
September 10, 2015
Good stuff, but nowhere near the heights of Travis Langley's masterclass of a book, Batman, and Psychology.
Taking into account that this is an anthology, I would still say it was a little bit disjointed.
If you have an interest in superheroes or psychology, there are some amazing essays...just not enough to get four stars.
Taking into account that this is an anthology, I would still say it was a little bit disjointed.
If you have an interest in superheroes or psychology, there are some amazing essays...just not enough to get four stars.
December 17, 2016
This is a collection of essays about different aspects of superheroes. The characters covered are almost all Marvel and DC, although there's a good piece centered on some of the Incredibles. Like any collection, it's a bit uneven. Some are really interesting and well done, like a study of forensic psychology that also talks a lot about Arkham, an in-depth analysis of the Punisher, and a good one about rage and the Hulk. Some of them were a bit boring and strayed off the point. And a few committed the error of talking about comic book characters with either only being familiar with the tv version (the Hulk is NOT David Banner anywhere but the live action show) or making various factual errors (Wonder Woman is NOT the only female member of the Justice League, the brainy one in Mystery, Inc is VELMA not WILMA, and Superman's arch enemy spells his name LUTHOR). Aside from me being a nit picky comic geek, which I absolutely am, it's an interesting read.
July 21, 2012
This book was very interesting in most aspects. Every chapter brought something new to my attention about specific heroes. However, I felt at times the authors of certain sectrions were digging to deep and over analyzing their actions and decisions of the superheroes. Similar to the English teachers we all had back in high school that overanalyze every line of Fitzgerald and Beowulf. Overall, it was a good book, minus a few chapters that were iffy.
August 8, 2016
** I received a copy from NetGalley and BenBella Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the both of them!**
Honestly, it was a fairly boring read. I approached this book assuming that I'd get information on a metatextual level about superheroes and their motives, but what I really got was an infodump on psychology in general. The majority of the essays are so basic that they're on middle school level comprehension, and very barely even touch on their original topic, the superheroes. Other essays have misogynistic and ableist themes underneath them, particularly the ones written by Chuck Tate. 'An Appetite for Destruction' assumes that Batman is a neurotypical man with a lot of aggression, instead of someone with a mental disorder (even though Tate himself specifies multiple symptoms of a split personality disorder, he just leaves it as Batman being aggressive). 'The Stereotypical (Wonder) Woman' did very little for talking about the positive impact Wonder Woman has done, and essentially highlighted everything typically 'feminine' in her narrative as being negative. Her relationships with other women (platonic and familial) are shown in a negative light, and essentially framed to be a 'step backwards' in equality, instead of a positive thing. Tate even points out how traditionally feminine things are seen as inferior, yet goes on to write under that assumption (instead of acknowledging that Wonder Woman can be both feminine and incredibly strong).
That being said, there were some decent essays in this. 'Superman's Personality' was a fairly interesting (if dry) read that introduced the idea of the New York Superman (and how that would affect his characterization). 'Anti-Heroism' is the only essay that matched up to what I thought this book was going to be about- it analyzes motives behind antiheroism (and how not all antiheroes are villains). My favorite was 'Prejudice Lessons from the Xavier Institute', which is honestly the reason I gave this book three stars. Calling out the problematic nature of the "Charles Xavier is Martin Luther King Jr. and Erik Lehnsherr is Malcolm X", this essay breaks down the faulty reasoning behind Xavier's institute- instead of educating the public on mutant (therefore, minority) issues, Xavier tries to make the mutants more palatable to the outside society. On top of that, there's good commentary on how Xavier rarely even advocates for mutant rights- instead martyring his X-Men to show the world that they're worthy of love (by protecting them while they don't receive any respect or rights).
All in all, if you're looking to read this book, those are the essays I recommend.
Honestly, it was a fairly boring read. I approached this book assuming that I'd get information on a metatextual level about superheroes and their motives, but what I really got was an infodump on psychology in general. The majority of the essays are so basic that they're on middle school level comprehension, and very barely even touch on their original topic, the superheroes. Other essays have misogynistic and ableist themes underneath them, particularly the ones written by Chuck Tate. 'An Appetite for Destruction' assumes that Batman is a neurotypical man with a lot of aggression, instead of someone with a mental disorder (even though Tate himself specifies multiple symptoms of a split personality disorder, he just leaves it as Batman being aggressive). 'The Stereotypical (Wonder) Woman' did very little for talking about the positive impact Wonder Woman has done, and essentially highlighted everything typically 'feminine' in her narrative as being negative. Her relationships with other women (platonic and familial) are shown in a negative light, and essentially framed to be a 'step backwards' in equality, instead of a positive thing. Tate even points out how traditionally feminine things are seen as inferior, yet goes on to write under that assumption (instead of acknowledging that Wonder Woman can be both feminine and incredibly strong).
That being said, there were some decent essays in this. 'Superman's Personality' was a fairly interesting (if dry) read that introduced the idea of the New York Superman (and how that would affect his characterization). 'Anti-Heroism' is the only essay that matched up to what I thought this book was going to be about- it analyzes motives behind antiheroism (and how not all antiheroes are villains). My favorite was 'Prejudice Lessons from the Xavier Institute', which is honestly the reason I gave this book three stars. Calling out the problematic nature of the "Charles Xavier is Martin Luther King Jr. and Erik Lehnsherr is Malcolm X", this essay breaks down the faulty reasoning behind Xavier's institute- instead of educating the public on mutant (therefore, minority) issues, Xavier tries to make the mutants more palatable to the outside society. On top of that, there's good commentary on how Xavier rarely even advocates for mutant rights- instead martyring his X-Men to show the world that they're worthy of love (by protecting them while they don't receive any respect or rights).
All in all, if you're looking to read this book, those are the essays I recommend.
August 23, 2012
Sometimes, when the evening breeze sends shivers down my spine as I wander empty streets glistening from the rain, I begin to wonder if danger lurks around the next corner. It almost always does, though my path never intersects. In these moments, however, I like to imagine that I'm more courageous, more righteous, more just than the selfish, meek and mild-mannered person I've grown to be.
The truth is that I'm not. Oh, I have my moments, times when I can't help but intercede, but my victories are small, my heroics without ceremony.
The Psychology of Superheroes: An Unauthorized Exploration is a collection of essays that explore the sociological, psychological and philosophical implications of heroes, antiheroes, villains, and their real-world counterpoints of everyday people. Some essays are excellent ("Anti-Heroism in the Continuum of Good & Evil" Spivey & Knowlton, "Arkham Asylum" Daniels) while others are bland and dry. All of them have their merits, but most seem to delve loosely into the psychology, making general points instead of diving to the depths of psychology's impacts and implications with regards to our superhuman symbols of escapism.
The friend who passed this book on to me said the book was too deep for the average comic fan, and he's likely correct. For me, as a student of sociology, media studies, and social psych, the depth wasn't nearly great enough. As with most non-fiction, it seemed the most fascinating points were the one barely touched on.
If you're seeking a survey of psychology under the guise of pop culture, this book is a fine example a well-balanced foray, but if you're truly looking to twist your mind around difficult concepts and examine the way in which a pop medium captures the mores and tropes we exhibit in both normal and extreme situations, it doesn't quite fit the bill.
The truth is that I'm not. Oh, I have my moments, times when I can't help but intercede, but my victories are small, my heroics without ceremony.
The Psychology of Superheroes: An Unauthorized Exploration is a collection of essays that explore the sociological, psychological and philosophical implications of heroes, antiheroes, villains, and their real-world counterpoints of everyday people. Some essays are excellent ("Anti-Heroism in the Continuum of Good & Evil" Spivey & Knowlton, "Arkham Asylum" Daniels) while others are bland and dry. All of them have their merits, but most seem to delve loosely into the psychology, making general points instead of diving to the depths of psychology's impacts and implications with regards to our superhuman symbols of escapism.
The friend who passed this book on to me said the book was too deep for the average comic fan, and he's likely correct. For me, as a student of sociology, media studies, and social psych, the depth wasn't nearly great enough. As with most non-fiction, it seemed the most fascinating points were the one barely touched on.
If you're seeking a survey of psychology under the guise of pop culture, this book is a fine example a well-balanced foray, but if you're truly looking to twist your mind around difficult concepts and examine the way in which a pop medium captures the mores and tropes we exhibit in both normal and extreme situations, it doesn't quite fit the bill.
December 30, 2013
...I enjoy the pop culture and philosophy series of essays very much, and it seems a short jump to also enjoying pop culture and psychology as well, which is why I picked this up in the first place.
However, while fictional characters in fictional universes are a good portal into deeper philosophical issues, they apply themselves less to psyche, as the individual psychology of a character can shift back and forth depending on who's writing the character and what aspects of the personality that writer wants to emphasize. This is a problem, though not necessarily a deal-breaking one, if the writers of the essays in question are sufficiently knowledgable about the material they're working with. In this case, sadly, they are not. A cursory knowledge of the comics being written about is used as a jumping off point to each essay and, while the psychology here is interesting in places, it comes off as dry and only tangental to what is nominally meant to be the source material.
Not a bad book per say, but not what I was looking for at all. When the best insight a trained psychologist can give about Arkham Asylum is that it wouldn't exist in the real world, a major opportunity is being missed...
However, while fictional characters in fictional universes are a good portal into deeper philosophical issues, they apply themselves less to psyche, as the individual psychology of a character can shift back and forth depending on who's writing the character and what aspects of the personality that writer wants to emphasize. This is a problem, though not necessarily a deal-breaking one, if the writers of the essays in question are sufficiently knowledgable about the material they're working with. In this case, sadly, they are not. A cursory knowledge of the comics being written about is used as a jumping off point to each essay and, while the psychology here is interesting in places, it comes off as dry and only tangental to what is nominally meant to be the source material.
Not a bad book per say, but not what I was looking for at all. When the best insight a trained psychologist can give about Arkham Asylum is that it wouldn't exist in the real world, a major opportunity is being missed...
April 13, 2011
Okay, this is NOT a psychology book, strictly speaking. Nor is it a superhero book, strictly speaking. But for those of us who love both of those topics, it's a great, easy and fun read. Some articles are better written than others, some offer more insights than others, but over-all it's a fun book that allows superhero junkies think about things from different perspectives. I especially love the chapter about Anti-Heroes (as these are my favorite protagonists, a la Preacher and The Punisher). It's a book I have lent to therapists and comic-book junkies alike.
August 27, 2009
this of course is a compilation of articles from individual researchers and academicians. it is good at what it does, but it is not satisfying to read. it would be awesome to use in a psych class, especially a theory class, as the articles are well written and interesting, but the disjointedness of the differing perspectives analyzing different aspects is distracting. same with the joss whedon and harry potter compilations. i will recommend them for my high school AP Psych teacher.
January 6, 2018
This book is a joke and few good/semi-good articles will not change that. Authors (most of them at least) have absolutely no idea about comic books and superheroes. It seems like this book was originaly called "The psychology" but than someone added "of Superheroes" as a joke and the editor had to add few sentences with "Batman" or "Spiderman" in them to justify the title.
July 2, 2020
I LOVE the psychological analyzation of superheroes overall, and this particular collection of academicians do a thorough job in deconstructing the thought processes behind my favorite heroes' actions! Such perspectives make these characters that much more tangible.
June 3, 2009
Overall a great book, especially the chapter analyzing The Punisher.
January 30, 2010
Some good, some less good analyses of superhero behavior or psychological concepts illustrated with superheroes.
March 14, 2014
An interesting read. Read my full review on my blog:http://wp.me/pYql4-2SF
June 27, 2015
Not quite what I expected, but entertaining nonetheless. Not for everyone, though.
October 2, 2024
Acredito que este livro faça parte de uma coleção chamada Psicologia da Cultura Pop, assim como vemos muitos livros apregoando que são análises filosóficas de diversos produtos da Cultura Pop. Nesse livros de A Filosofia e a Cultura Pop, as análises costumam ser bem rasas, sem método e nem rigor acadêmicos. Não é diferente na proposta deste A Psicologia dos Super-Heróis. São artigos pequenos, muitos deles bem óbvios que pouco se relacionam com pesquisas acadêmicas sérias. Ainda assim, é possível tirar alguns insights interessantes. O curioso é que diferente de outros livros, encontrei mais partes interessantes da metade para o final do livro do que do começo para a metade da publicação, principalmente nos textos que trazem temáticas menos óbvias e batidas sobre a psicologia dos super-heróis. Sinceramente, esperava muito mais profundidade e análises deste livro. Felizmente pude achar algumas coisas que poderei utilizar futuramente.
August 22, 2018
Our Heroes, Our Selves
A collection of essays, some tongue in cheek, others serious, that tackle the mythos of modern fictional heroes as extended reflections of ourselves. The premise itself is a bit sketchy as the characters themselves are the constructs by specific individuals, not society as a whole so what is read into them should not be over generalized though one could argue that the popularity of a superhero is a reflection of what we admire.
Nevertheless the questions raised are quite intriguing: Why do superheroes prefer crime fighting to (relation ships with the opposite) sex? How are superheroes defined by their moral code that hilites the differences between them and super villains. This includes quasi anti-heroes such as the Punisher, Hulk, Marv (Sin City) and Wolverine (unlike most X-men, Wolverine kills) who do bad things for good reasons. Why does Batman focus on punishing criminals vs helping victims and why doesn't Bruce Wayne do something about either about the apparently criminal administration of Arkham Asylum, the high rate of recidivism (apparently Arkham creates more criminals than it cures) or its flawed security which allows to many escapes. How is "superhero" really a career choice, and how do they manage both career and family - if we look at Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible and Peter Parker - not very well. What do the X-men tell us about loyalty, and group conflict, though the book doesn't answer one of my questions - why are Magneto and Professor Xavier so civil and protective of each other? How does Wonder Woman position as an outsider (in spite of her star spangled costume, she's a Greek from Themyscira) affect her views on American women and why, designed as a feminist icon, is she still trapped by stereotype?
Particularly interesting was the final essay by Johnson, Lurye and Freeman which examined the transformation in body shape from secret identity to superhero results in a supernormal accentuation on sexuality, in particular chest to waist ratio and waist to hip ratio. Super men become more masculine, super women become more feminine in measurable ways. I also enjoyed Robert Biswas-Deniers observation that aside from wryly humorous wisecracks, Peter Parker's other super power is "hope". Kudos also to Christopher Patrick, not only for his take on the Hulk, but for including his daughter as co-author.
Additionally the book has delightful gossipy appeal, because it also us to catch up on recent story developments in our beloved heroes that some of us older readers might have missed, having given up on the avid passion of our youth.
Lots of fun. Recommended. :-)
A collection of essays, some tongue in cheek, others serious, that tackle the mythos of modern fictional heroes as extended reflections of ourselves. The premise itself is a bit sketchy as the characters themselves are the constructs by specific individuals, not society as a whole so what is read into them should not be over generalized though one could argue that the popularity of a superhero is a reflection of what we admire.
Nevertheless the questions raised are quite intriguing: Why do superheroes prefer crime fighting to (relation ships with the opposite) sex? How are superheroes defined by their moral code that hilites the differences between them and super villains. This includes quasi anti-heroes such as the Punisher, Hulk, Marv (Sin City) and Wolverine (unlike most X-men, Wolverine kills) who do bad things for good reasons. Why does Batman focus on punishing criminals vs helping victims and why doesn't Bruce Wayne do something about either about the apparently criminal administration of Arkham Asylum, the high rate of recidivism (apparently Arkham creates more criminals than it cures) or its flawed security which allows to many escapes. How is "superhero" really a career choice, and how do they manage both career and family - if we look at Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible and Peter Parker - not very well. What do the X-men tell us about loyalty, and group conflict, though the book doesn't answer one of my questions - why are Magneto and Professor Xavier so civil and protective of each other? How does Wonder Woman position as an outsider (in spite of her star spangled costume, she's a Greek from Themyscira) affect her views on American women and why, designed as a feminist icon, is she still trapped by stereotype?
Particularly interesting was the final essay by Johnson, Lurye and Freeman which examined the transformation in body shape from secret identity to superhero results in a supernormal accentuation on sexuality, in particular chest to waist ratio and waist to hip ratio. Super men become more masculine, super women become more feminine in measurable ways. I also enjoyed Robert Biswas-Deniers observation that aside from wryly humorous wisecracks, Peter Parker's other super power is "hope". Kudos also to Christopher Patrick, not only for his take on the Hulk, but for including his daughter as co-author.
Additionally the book has delightful gossipy appeal, because it also us to catch up on recent story developments in our beloved heroes that some of us older readers might have missed, having given up on the avid passion of our youth.
Lots of fun. Recommended. :-)
July 31, 2015
This selection of essays focus on superheroes within the pages of popular culture, and attempts to apply Psychological theory to them. Generally, the essays succeed in doing this, but in a few places, the writings have moved more into Sociology, Philosophy, and Literary history. Not that this is a bad thing in itself, but something to be aware of. This said, all the essays do use normal Psychological research structure in the writing, and show the various glossary of research for those interested in at the end of each piece.
As this is a collection of papers, I won't review each individual paper, but there are two that warrant particular positive comment for various reasons:
The positive psychology of superheroes: Here the interest for me lay with just reading on the ways a superhero would actual get some form of pleasure from what they do, especially when it comes to secret identities and lack of monetary reward. Are they able to find joy and happiness in their lives due to their 'superhero' character?
The stereotypical (wonder) woman: This paper stood out for me in several places, the first in that wonder woman was created by a Psychologist, with the goal of showing a strong female lead, and show to the audience the areas of stereotyping in society. It also showed how, since then, this has been lost in the further character development. My main view of Wonder woman has been through the DCAU (DC Animated Universe) animated features and series. In these she is often shown as an equal character of strength, therefore I was often unaware how extreme some of the interpretations had been (eg. JLA secretary and shopoholic), making this essay worth a read.
Overall, this collection was an interesting read, and gave an interesting perspective to certain characters, and also makes the reader think at times in ways they would like to see things develop to improve the characters in certain aspects. It also makes the reading of these papers easier, as we don't need the same explanation into the participants, as the basics of their character are already known to us.
As this is a collection of papers, I won't review each individual paper, but there are two that warrant particular positive comment for various reasons:
The positive psychology of superheroes: Here the interest for me lay with just reading on the ways a superhero would actual get some form of pleasure from what they do, especially when it comes to secret identities and lack of monetary reward. Are they able to find joy and happiness in their lives due to their 'superhero' character?
The stereotypical (wonder) woman: This paper stood out for me in several places, the first in that wonder woman was created by a Psychologist, with the goal of showing a strong female lead, and show to the audience the areas of stereotyping in society. It also showed how, since then, this has been lost in the further character development. My main view of Wonder woman has been through the DCAU (DC Animated Universe) animated features and series. In these she is often shown as an equal character of strength, therefore I was often unaware how extreme some of the interpretations had been (eg. JLA secretary and shopoholic), making this essay worth a read.
Overall, this collection was an interesting read, and gave an interesting perspective to certain characters, and also makes the reader think at times in ways they would like to see things develop to improve the characters in certain aspects. It also makes the reading of these papers easier, as we don't need the same explanation into the participants, as the basics of their character are already known to us.
May 15, 2016
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for a review.
This book is a collection of essays regarding the psychology of superheros, villains and comic book worlds (Bizzaro, Arkham Asylum, Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, etc). Because of the book being a collection by different authors, a lot of the articles seemed to be hit or miss. The good articles are extremely fascinating and well written and the bad ones, while not uninteresting or poorly written are less about comics and more about the author's primary research rewritten to fit the topic to plug the author's other works. Some of the authors were familiar with only the superheros from movies and TV and not the comics at all.
While it seemed that all facts were sourced, a couple of authors sourced Wikipedia for information- which would have been acceptable for just Marvel & DC information, but one author I noticed sourced Wikipedia for information about Umberto Eco which I felt was unprofessional- students aren't even allowed to sourced Wikipedia in school essays.
I did enjoy this book as an admirer of some comic superheroes and someone with a mild interest in psychology. I think this book would be great for anyone more interested in psychology or comics than me. It's not too deep and fairly easy and quick to read though I would recommend reading it over time instead of quickly like I did. My favorite passages include Positive Psychology of Peter Parker, Prejudice Lessons from The Xavier Institute and Mind-Reading Superheroes: Fiction and Fact.
This book is a collection of essays regarding the psychology of superheros, villains and comic book worlds (Bizzaro, Arkham Asylum, Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, etc). Because of the book being a collection by different authors, a lot of the articles seemed to be hit or miss. The good articles are extremely fascinating and well written and the bad ones, while not uninteresting or poorly written are less about comics and more about the author's primary research rewritten to fit the topic to plug the author's other works. Some of the authors were familiar with only the superheros from movies and TV and not the comics at all.
While it seemed that all facts were sourced, a couple of authors sourced Wikipedia for information- which would have been acceptable for just Marvel & DC information, but one author I noticed sourced Wikipedia for information about Umberto Eco which I felt was unprofessional- students aren't even allowed to sourced Wikipedia in school essays.
I did enjoy this book as an admirer of some comic superheroes and someone with a mild interest in psychology. I think this book would be great for anyone more interested in psychology or comics than me. It's not too deep and fairly easy and quick to read though I would recommend reading it over time instead of quickly like I did. My favorite passages include Positive Psychology of Peter Parker, Prejudice Lessons from The Xavier Institute and Mind-Reading Superheroes: Fiction and Fact.
I hope that my point is clear. For me, science doesn't spoil the wonder of mind reading: it deepens and enhances it.
- Dr. William J. Ickles from Mind-Reading Superheroes: Fiction and Fact
March 14, 2016
It's another interesting book about superheroes this one, both Marvel and DC. The positive psychology that comes from the hidden identity more than the "hero part", the difference between the leadership style of the JLA (democratic) and the X-Men (autocratic). The weight of Kansas in the growing up of Superman and why are we so fascinated from villains and anti-heores. The description of prejudice trough the X-Men and the gender issue in Wonder Woman plus the eventual ability to read minds. But as usual my favorite one were the ones about Batman: the aggressiveness in Bruce Wayne and the psychology of the Arkham Asylum. Anyway the psychopathy in Punisher and the rage in Hulk were not bad also.
Un altro libro interessante sui supereroi, anche in questo caso sia Marvel che DC. La psicologia positiva che deriva dal fatto di avere un'identitá nascosta piuttosto che dall'essere un supereroe, la differenza tra la leadership della JLA (democratica) e quella degli X-Men (autocratica). Quanto abbia pesato nella personalitá di Superman il fatto di essere cresciuto in Kansas piuttosto che altrove e perché i lettori dei fumetti vengono affascinati dai cattivi e dalle controparti dei supereroi. La descrizione del pregiudizio negli X-Men e le questioni legate al genere di cui si fa portatrice da sempre Wonder Woman, piú un breve saggio sull'eventuale capacitá di leggere la mente. Ma come al solito i miei preferiti sono stati i saggi su Batman: l'aggressivitá in Bruce Wayne e la psicologia che c'é dietro un'istituzione come l'Arkham Asylum; comunque anche le parti sulla psicopatia del Punitore e la rabbia in Hulk non sono male.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND BENBELLA BOOKS FOR THE PREVIEW!
Un altro libro interessante sui supereroi, anche in questo caso sia Marvel che DC. La psicologia positiva che deriva dal fatto di avere un'identitá nascosta piuttosto che dall'essere un supereroe, la differenza tra la leadership della JLA (democratica) e quella degli X-Men (autocratica). Quanto abbia pesato nella personalitá di Superman il fatto di essere cresciuto in Kansas piuttosto che altrove e perché i lettori dei fumetti vengono affascinati dai cattivi e dalle controparti dei supereroi. La descrizione del pregiudizio negli X-Men e le questioni legate al genere di cui si fa portatrice da sempre Wonder Woman, piú un breve saggio sull'eventuale capacitá di leggere la mente. Ma come al solito i miei preferiti sono stati i saggi su Batman: l'aggressivitá in Bruce Wayne e la psicologia che c'é dietro un'istituzione come l'Arkham Asylum; comunque anche le parti sulla psicopatia del Punitore e la rabbia in Hulk non sono male.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND BENBELLA BOOKS FOR THE PREVIEW!
February 7, 2017
'The Psychology of Superheroes: An Unauthorized Exploration' by editor Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD, with a whole bunch of contributors was a fun read. There are almost two dozen psychologists contributing, so the opinions and essays are well informed.
There are discussions of the social psychology of the Justice League of America, how Peter Parker can maintain such a cheery attitude, and lessons about prejudice from the X-Men. Also discussed are the real possibilities that we could be superheroes ourselves with examples of people around us who seem to be. The darker side of heroes and villains are covered with a nice sliding scale of good and evil heroes, where you can see how Batman and Punisher stack up on the anti-hero scale. My favorite essay was about Arkham Asylum from a forensic psychologist perspective.
I've read a few different types of these books, but I liked the psychological aspect of this. It seemed like a fun aspect for the writers, and they took their subjects seriously. I don't know what liking superheroes says about us, but it's kind of fun to see them discussed like this.
I received a review copy of this ebook from BenBella Books, Smart Pop, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
There are discussions of the social psychology of the Justice League of America, how Peter Parker can maintain such a cheery attitude, and lessons about prejudice from the X-Men. Also discussed are the real possibilities that we could be superheroes ourselves with examples of people around us who seem to be. The darker side of heroes and villains are covered with a nice sliding scale of good and evil heroes, where you can see how Batman and Punisher stack up on the anti-hero scale. My favorite essay was about Arkham Asylum from a forensic psychologist perspective.
I've read a few different types of these books, but I liked the psychological aspect of this. It seemed like a fun aspect for the writers, and they took their subjects seriously. I don't know what liking superheroes says about us, but it's kind of fun to see them discussed like this.
I received a review copy of this ebook from BenBella Books, Smart Pop, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
April 4, 2010
2010.0214-2010.0404
The psychology parts where interesting, eg though Tate is a snob at least his articles where interesting. Naficy, Daniels, Getzfeld and the Patrick's articles where also good in general, though most suffered with too many movie references and several facualr errors: (these are just from the last article)
- Major fact errors: e.g "animal transformations ( like Wolverine, Spider-Man...)" (p257) Do you even know who these charioteers are?
- Unsupported suppositions: "... Rambo, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars all feature ['war heros*':]"(p250) this i defined as a profiteer... Who are the Antagonists in these stories who fit this criteria?
Other annoying aspect included: Johnson, Lurye and Freeman use cycler logic to prove their assertions and
deLuse's article had nothing to do w/ super heros, she just added them in ad hock! The book was enjoyable all and all, but they needed fact checkers and better editing.
The psychology parts where interesting, eg though Tate is a snob at least his articles where interesting. Naficy, Daniels, Getzfeld and the Patrick's articles where also good in general, though most suffered with too many movie references and several facualr errors: (these are just from the last article)
- Major fact errors: e.g "animal transformations ( like Wolverine, Spider-Man...)" (p257) Do you even know who these charioteers are?
- Unsupported suppositions: "... Rambo, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars all feature ['war heros*':]"(p250) this i defined as a profiteer... Who are the Antagonists in these stories who fit this criteria?
Other annoying aspect included: Johnson, Lurye and Freeman use cycler logic to prove their assertions and
deLuse's article had nothing to do w/ super heros, she just added them in ad hock! The book was enjoyable all and all, but they needed fact checkers and better editing.
May 30, 2015
This is a collection of essays concerning the psychology of superheroes with a reference to humans.
Personally, I prefer two essays, the first one is dedicated to the personality of superman, written by Robin S. Rosenberg and the concept on how the parents and environment have influenced the personality of superman, for instance the dilemma is the following: if superman was educated in New York City rather that in Kansas city his personality was different?
if superman lived and was educated in NYC his concept of morality, was more complex than a simplistic division between right or wrong?
The second one is "Cracking the superhero's moral code (P. DeScioli - R- Kurzban)
The main moral dilemma of every superhero is the following dilemma; is it better to sacrifice a life for saving of millions people or not?
For the humans there is also a dilemma; why children prefer war heroes (they have killed many enemy soldiers) rather than superheroes as moral exemplars?
Personally, I prefer two essays, the first one is dedicated to the personality of superman, written by Robin S. Rosenberg and the concept on how the parents and environment have influenced the personality of superman, for instance the dilemma is the following: if superman was educated in New York City rather that in Kansas city his personality was different?
if superman lived and was educated in NYC his concept of morality, was more complex than a simplistic division between right or wrong?
The second one is "Cracking the superhero's moral code (P. DeScioli - R- Kurzban)
The main moral dilemma of every superhero is the following dilemma; is it better to sacrifice a life for saving of millions people or not?
For the humans there is also a dilemma; why children prefer war heroes (they have killed many enemy soldiers) rather than superheroes as moral exemplars?
July 15, 2016
With any book composed of essays by multiple authors, I found some of the articles more interesting than others. However, even the ones that were a bit dryer for my tastes, still seemed well thought out and thorough.
My highlights included: "Positive Psychology of Peter Parker", "The Social Psychology of the Justice League of America", "An Appetite for Destruction: Aggression and the Batman", and "What Would Freud Say? Psychopathy and the Punisher". I found these reads especially enjoyable.
However, there were points to ponder and areas that truly made me think in practically every section of this collection.
If you are a fan of comic books and super heroes, an armchair psychologist, or a student of human mind there is something in this volume for you!
My highlights included: "Positive Psychology of Peter Parker", "The Social Psychology of the Justice League of America", "An Appetite for Destruction: Aggression and the Batman", and "What Would Freud Say? Psychopathy and the Punisher". I found these reads especially enjoyable.
However, there were points to ponder and areas that truly made me think in practically every section of this collection.
If you are a fan of comic books and super heroes, an armchair psychologist, or a student of human mind there is something in this volume for you!
August 7, 2016
It's hard to call this a book as it's really a compilation of essays, each about 15-20 pages long. It's not excessively deep, but for someone who has a beginner's interest in psychology, it's a good introduction to a great many topics exemplified in the lives of various superheroes and supervillains. Some of the essays are pretty dry, but their comments about prejudice, coping with stress, the anger of the Hulk, and their analysis of the punisher were all very good. I particularly thought the last one about Cracking the Superhero moral code was well done. There's a lot here (about 20 essays), and I might write more later, but for now, this gets 3 and a half stars.
July 28, 2018
While not all of them were as exciting or not all of them were as much about superheroes as others were it was still good. Some of my favorites being the Positive Psychology of Peter Parker, Coping With Stress... The Superhero Way, and Cracking the Superhero's Moral Code. This is a book for people who want to explore the reasoning behind superhero's choices and how superheroes impact us. It also makes the argument in some that in our own way we are superheroes. There is definitely something for someone in there with the wide variety of topics.
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