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Our Superheroes, Ourselves
Superhero fans are everywhere, from the teeming halls of Comic Con to suburban movie theaters, from young children captivated by their first comic books to the die-hard collectors of vintage memorabilia. Why are so many people fascinated by superheroes?
In this thoughtful, engaging, and at times eye-opening volume, Robin Rosenberg--a writer and well-known authority on the psychology of superheroes--offers readers a wealth of insight into superheroes, drawing on the contributions of a top group of psychologists and other scholars. The book ranges widely and tackles many intriguing questions. How do comic characters and stories reflect human nature? Do super powers alone make a hero super? Are superhero stories good for us? Most contributors answer that final question in the affirmative. Psychologist Robert J. Sternberg, for instance, argues that we all can learn a lot from superheroes-and what we can learn most of all is the value of wisdom and an ethical stance toward life. On the other hand, restorative justice scholar Mikhail Lyubansky decries the fact that justice in the comic-book world is almost entirely punitive, noting extreme examples such as "Rorschach" in The Watchmen and the aptly named "The Punisher, who embrace a strict
eye-for-an-eye sense of justice, delivered instantly and without mercy.
In the end, the appeal of Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and legions of others is simple and elemental. Superheroes provide drama, excitement, suspense, and romance and their stories showcase moral dilemmas, villains we love to hate, and protagonists who inspire us. Perhaps as important, their stories allow us to recapture periods of our childhood when our imaginations were cranked up to the maximum--when we really believed we could fly, or knock down the bad guy, or save the city from disaster.
In this thoughtful, engaging, and at times eye-opening volume, Robin Rosenberg--a writer and well-known authority on the psychology of superheroes--offers readers a wealth of insight into superheroes, drawing on the contributions of a top group of psychologists and other scholars. The book ranges widely and tackles many intriguing questions. How do comic characters and stories reflect human nature? Do super powers alone make a hero super? Are superhero stories good for us? Most contributors answer that final question in the affirmative. Psychologist Robert J. Sternberg, for instance, argues that we all can learn a lot from superheroes-and what we can learn most of all is the value of wisdom and an ethical stance toward life. On the other hand, restorative justice scholar Mikhail Lyubansky decries the fact that justice in the comic-book world is almost entirely punitive, noting extreme examples such as "Rorschach" in The Watchmen and the aptly named "The Punisher, who embrace a strict
eye-for-an-eye sense of justice, delivered instantly and without mercy.
In the end, the appeal of Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and legions of others is simple and elemental. Superheroes provide drama, excitement, suspense, and romance and their stories showcase moral dilemmas, villains we love to hate, and protagonists who inspire us. Perhaps as important, their stories allow us to recapture periods of our childhood when our imaginations were cranked up to the maximum--when we really believed we could fly, or knock down the bad guy, or save the city from disaster.
214 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
8 people are currently reading
107 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 21, 2013
This was a bit of a disappointment for me. The idea of a diverse group of scholars—psychologists—exploring the meaning of and psychology superheroes had a great appeal its organization into a set of essays on our relationships with superheroes and a set on the superheroes themselves makes sense. A handful of movie-related characters seem to dominate the discussion: Spider-man, Batman, Iron Man, and the volume as a whole suffers from unevenness. While there are some intriguing ideas and a couple of gems, (David Pizarro and Roy Baumeister’s ideas about our attraction to moral evaluation, for example, and Travis Langley's description of the ERIICA survey, and Robin Rosenberg and Ellen Winner’s essay on superheores as gifted children), for the most part the authors seem to be struggling to find something to say and a voice to say it in. Some essays simply view superheroes through the lens of a particular subdiscipline or concept (organizational psychology, gender studies, Maslow’s hierarchy, a typology of justice) without really illuminating either the discipline or the subject matter.
Still, all of the essays have something to offer, but there is too much well-trod ground (the rise of emotions in comics, for example, and the immigrant myth underlying Superman, though it is given a new relevance in Lawrence Rubin’s essay) and some conclusions seemed to be tossed off too glibly (the relation between superheroes and body image satisfaction). It’s the sort of book that makes me want to write in the margins, though of course a true fan would never do that.
June 29, 2016
Because of Danny Fingeroth's endorsement, I bought this short book for a not inconsiderable sum. I needn't have bothered -- and, in all likelihood, neither should you.
A collection of essays is -- by necessity -- a mixed bag. There are indubitably some juicy tidbits here and there: I was grateful to find references to works in narrative therapy I had missed.
But on the whole, Our Superheroes, Ourselves suffers greatly from the paucity of its prose, especially considering the richness of its subject matter. Psychology is of course a science, and science forbids the frivolous use of language; be that as it may, there is no excuse for the syntactical and typographical errors with which this text is fairly riddled.
There is moreover no true indication as to whom Our Superheroes, Ourselves is intended for; I had supposed it was targetted at a collegiate audience, but the lack of preambulary discussion of methodological and epistemological considerations made me reconsider. By the end, I was uncertain as to whether this was a lackluster academic text or a failed attempt at science popularization.
It is possible that more attentive editing might have corrected the many stylistic shortcomings that plague every essay in this book. I am rather shocked that OUP has seen fit to publish this at all, let alone in hardcover.
A collection of essays is -- by necessity -- a mixed bag. There are indubitably some juicy tidbits here and there: I was grateful to find references to works in narrative therapy I had missed.
But on the whole, Our Superheroes, Ourselves suffers greatly from the paucity of its prose, especially considering the richness of its subject matter. Psychology is of course a science, and science forbids the frivolous use of language; be that as it may, there is no excuse for the syntactical and typographical errors with which this text is fairly riddled.
There is moreover no true indication as to whom Our Superheroes, Ourselves is intended for; I had supposed it was targetted at a collegiate audience, but the lack of preambulary discussion of methodological and epistemological considerations made me reconsider. By the end, I was uncertain as to whether this was a lackluster academic text or a failed attempt at science popularization.
It is possible that more attentive editing might have corrected the many stylistic shortcomings that plague every essay in this book. I am rather shocked that OUP has seen fit to publish this at all, let alone in hardcover.
March 11, 2016
This book certainly won't appeal to everyone, but as someone in the mental health field as well as a life-long comic book/superhero fan, there was great appeal for me.
This book collects essays by various scholars in fields such as psychology and communication and let's them discuss their ideas and insights on why superheroes (and super-villains) have had such appeal to readers for almost a century.
Like any collection of essays and commentary, there are some areas that I found more interesting that others. None of the selections would I say were bad, just varied in my personal preference. I particularly like the sections on justice, the work life of heroes, and comics as "moral pornography".
All in all, a great bit of insight using characters and concepts that are interesting to me. As I said previously, this may not be your cup of tea. However, if you are interested in how comics and superheroes impact and/or influence psychology or sociology, you've found yourself a nice little read.
This book collects essays by various scholars in fields such as psychology and communication and let's them discuss their ideas and insights on why superheroes (and super-villains) have had such appeal to readers for almost a century.
Like any collection of essays and commentary, there are some areas that I found more interesting that others. None of the selections would I say were bad, just varied in my personal preference. I particularly like the sections on justice, the work life of heroes, and comics as "moral pornography".
All in all, a great bit of insight using characters and concepts that are interesting to me. As I said previously, this may not be your cup of tea. However, if you are interested in how comics and superheroes impact and/or influence psychology or sociology, you've found yourself a nice little read.
November 16, 2015
Having never read a comic book (I've only watched movies based on them. I know, shame on me.), some of the references to less well-known heroes were a little confusing or simply lost on me. In spite of that, I found the read really interesting and enlightening. In fact, overall this book has convinced me that maybe I should start reading comics after all. :)
October 6, 2018
Goes between 2 and 4 stars depending on the essay.
As much as I see the potential in superhero comics and their archetypes--I'm quite the cynic about their place in American culture, particularly regarding transmedia. Superheroes are quite fascist and extreme in their methodology--and while I feel the comics are capable of subversion and nuance--the films are definitely not, so far.
This collection of essays--is basically some pop psychology on the beneficial effects and theorizing why they are so popular. While I fear franchise bloat and the harm done due to smaller pictures--this book indicates some of the reasons for their popularity (nostalgia/familiar/comforting, a sense of moral pornography, a cry for myth, simple media literacy, easy relation/identification with gifted chidlren, seeing justice actually play out, etc.)
As much as I see the potential in superhero comics and their archetypes--I'm quite the cynic about their place in American culture, particularly regarding transmedia. Superheroes are quite fascist and extreme in their methodology--and while I feel the comics are capable of subversion and nuance--the films are definitely not, so far.
This collection of essays--is basically some pop psychology on the beneficial effects and theorizing why they are so popular. While I fear franchise bloat and the harm done due to smaller pictures--this book indicates some of the reasons for their popularity (nostalgia/familiar/comforting, a sense of moral pornography, a cry for myth, simple media literacy, easy relation/identification with gifted chidlren, seeing justice actually play out, etc.)
August 18, 2022
I thought this essay collection was great for the purpose I intend to use it for— that being assigning different essays in it to college freshmen to help them think about the superhero media they are consuming. Since this collection is written by psychologists, I thought it would also work to teach them about what authority is and how this essay collection itself can be dissected when looking at authorial authority.
October 6, 2017
This book offers some interesting essays about superheroes, their appeal to people, and how people might interact with these superheroes or the idea of them.
December 9, 2018
As with any collection of essays by various authors on various topics, there’s some good and some bad. A few of the essays I really liked and a few I didn’t care for. Overall an average book.
August 7, 2016
Unlike most books that are collections of essays, this one is a remarkably consistent treatment of the topic. The psychology of superheroes is a topic that should be of interest to anyone who has wondered at the pervasive nature of heroes in modern culture. Any book like this will become quickly dated as new heroes appear, but the underlying analyses appear to be quite sound. I recommend this book highly to anyone who wishes to explore the human side of superhumans.
For anyone interested, I discussed this book a bit more on my blog: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.
For anyone interested, I discussed this book a bit more on my blog: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.
November 28, 2016
Our superheroes, ourselves edited by Robin Rosenberg is an excellent read for anyone interested in how superheroes from comic books and graphic novels psychologically impact our lives. Each chapter written by the contributing authors were engaging, informative, and enlightening that linked how we influence the superheroes we love and how each superhero influences how we live our own lives. I would recommend this book for any comic book/graphic novel lover and/or any professional (teacher and/or counselor) that interacts with children and teenagers on a daily basis.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews