Our Superheroes, Ourselves

Edited by Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD

Explores why children and adults are captivated by superheroes
Brief essays raise fascinating questions about human nature

Our Superheroes, Ourselves

Edited by Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD

Description

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.

Our Superheroes, Ourselves

Edited by Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD

Part I: Our Relationship with Superheroes

Introduction
Robin Rosenberg

Chapter 1. our fascination with superheroes
Robin Rosenberg

Chapter 2. Superhero comics as Moral Pornography
David Pizarro and Roy Baumeister

Chapter 3. Are Superhero Stories Good for Us?: Reflections from Clinical Practice
Lawrence Rubin

Chapter 4. Emotions in Comics: Why the Silver Age of comics made a difference
Peter Jordan

Chapter 5. The Effects of Superhero Sagas on Our Gendered Selves
Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz and Hillary Pennell

Part II: The Humanity of Superheroes

Chapter 6. Our Superheroes, Our Supervillains: Are They All That Different?
Travis Langley

Chapter 7. Are Superheroes Just Supergifted?
Robin Rosenberg and Ellen Winner

Chapter 8. The Very Real Work Lives of Superheroes: Illustrations of Work Psychology
by Gary Burns

Chapter 9. How super are superheroes?
Robert Sternberg

Chapter 10. Superhero Justice
Mikhail Lyubansky

Our Superheroes, Ourselves

Edited by Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD

Author Information

Robin S. Rosenberg, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and author. Dr. Rosenberg writes college-level psychology textbooks and enjoys using superheroes and their stories to illustrate psychological phenomena. She blogs for Huffington Post and Psychology Today and has been featured in various media including the Financial Times, NPR, Boston Phoenix, LiveScience, Philadelphia Inquirer, special features on superhero DVDs, and documentary films. She is editor of The Psychology of Superheroes and author of What's the Matter with Batman? An Unauthorized Clinical Look Under the Mask of the Caped Crusader.

Contributors:

Robin Rosenberg
Clinical Psychologist
Palo Alto, California

David Pizarro
Department of Psychology
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Roy Baumeister
Department of Psychology
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Lawrence Rubin
St. Thomas University
Miami, Florida

Peter Jordan
Griffith Business School
Griffith University
Nathan 4111 Australia

Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz
Department of Communication
University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri

Hillary Pennell
Department of Communication
University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri

Travis Langley
Department of Psychology
Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, Arkansas

Ellen Winner
Department of Psychology
Boston College
Boston, Massachusetts

Gary Burns
Department of Psychology
Wright State University
Dayton, Ohio

Megan Morris
Department of Psychology
Wright State University
Dayton, Ohio

Robert Sternberg
Department of Psychology
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK

Mikhail Lyubansky
Department of Psychology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, IL

Our Superheroes, Ourselves

Edited by Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD

Reviews and Awards

"Dr. Rosenberg has given readers a collection of insightful and thought-provoking writings that enhance the myths we have embraced. These essays expand our understanding of our society as well as our understanding of who we are." -- New York Journal of Books

"This is a focused effort that advances understanding of comics from a psychological perspective. While the editors make it clear that the book will not provide any definitive answer, the wide-ranging chapters push scholars to investigate superheroes and supervillans as cultureal evidence about who we were in the past and are today. These two books are important works in a burgeoning field." -A.W. Austin, Misercordia University, CHOICE

Our Superheroes, Ourselves

Edited by Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD

From Our Blog

The superpower I want most

Back in June, we asked you to tell us your favorite superpower. After reviewing several entries, our expert panel of judges has selected Gary Zenker's piece on "The super power I want most.

Posted on July 19, 2013

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Forging Man of Steel

By Robin Rosenberg I like Superman'as a character, as a superhero, as an embodiment of (certain) values. I looked forward to seeing Man of Steel this summer. Although I was disappointed, I'll start with its strengths. Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Posted on June 18, 2013

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A love of superheroes

By Suzanne Walker The night I saw The Avengers for the first time, I took the train back to my apartment and immediately dashed off the following email to a friend of mine: 'The Avengers was amazing, I can't even describe it. Feeling strangely fearless about life, and my head is filled with too many intellectual thoughts about superheroes.'

Posted on June 16, 2013

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Superhero essay competition: tell us your favorite superpower

It's the summer of the superhero here at Oxford University Press. We're publishing two essay collections on the real powers superheroes hold -- on our imagination and our understanding of the world. Our Superheroes, Ourselves, edited by Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD, and What is a Superhero?, edited by Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD and Peter Coogan, PhD, look at some of our greatest superheroes (and supervillains) and explore what exactly makes them "super".

Posted on June 14, 2013

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