This week, I've chosen a blog from psychologytoday.com all about superheroes: www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-superheroes. This is a single author blog created by Robin Rosenberg that investigates various characteristics and perspectives of superheroes. The posts are varied, addressing topics from "what" makes a superhero, to Wonder Women, to comic book nerds. Let's focus on the post from March 2010, entitled "What Is a Superhero?"
Here are some questions to keep in mind while reading through the post:
1. How are the images related to the text? What effect is achieved?
2. What do you find interesting about the author’s answer to her own questions: “Why a psychological blog about superheroes?....What are superheroes?”
3. How did readers respond to this post? What issues do the majority seem to agree upon? What might this imply?
I agree with Robin (thought it was ironic she shares her name with a superhero) that a superhero is a person with a super ability or power. My favorite part of the article was actually in a quote by one of the other readers. It said something about heroes being part of society as a way to help the everyday person cope with daily stress. I feel that this is very true and relevant to the negativity in society today; having a superhero to look up to can give us hope that there is actually good out in the world.
ReplyDeleteI think that Robin allowed the reader to get a good sense as to how important the hero is in American culture. I liked how she related it back to a strength that came from a tragedy psychologically. Pointing that out makes them more of the role model and someone you can look up to. I agree with you, Holly, I think that having heroes in American culture is key to moving through the hard times. I think that is what the comments focused the most on, was the importance of them in society. They were all trying to relate with Robin said to their individual lives. The images, I think, draw the reader into reading the article and they go nicely with what she is talking about. I think that seeing pictures of super heroes and then seeing the bottom picture of technology would create an attraction.
ReplyDeleteI think its funny how adults still continue to feel the influence and inspiration from their childhood heroes. It just goes to show the psychology of how a simple superhero costume can make one feel more ambitious as well as accomplished/heroic. I also think this was a good exercise for the adults because it allowed them to escape from reality in a positive way that could help them cope with stress at work and in society.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that superhero stories can be connected with psychological phenomena at first. But after I read the Ironman example Robin mentioned, I agree with her that superheroes have posttraumatic problems to deal with since they also encounter dilemmas or tragedies as we do. I think analyzing the adjective “super” is essential in addressing the second question. That is, to what extent can somebody’s talent, ability and power be described as significantly beyond that of ordinary people. I feel that the top poster she used has a very obvious binary, dark and light. The word “superheroes “ was written in light ivory which implies they are someone you can count on and look up to.
ReplyDeleteI agree that looking at the word, "super", as Yuqin Jia said, is essential when looking at a hero in respect to normal people and the abilities of the common person. Additionally, when the author wrote "And with advances medicine and technology, the line between us and them will get increasingly narrow." it really occurred to me that maybe these stories which portrayed super heros, also served as a bit of a warning to be careful in terms of what is to come in the future. I like the insight the author provided and how she made me think about the deeper meaning of things.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Sami when she said that these stories served as a bit of a warning. If everyone one superheroes theoretically wouldn't the world be a safer place. What I found interesting was when she wrote that with technological and medical advances the line between "normal people" and superheroes is getting narrower and it made me wonder could this be the reason why we crave superheroes? Because we want to be like them and it may one day be possible?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Robin that there is a connection between psychology and superheroes. All the superhero stories have only one theme which proves that justice will finally conquer evil, no matter how hard the process is. Just as the first image shows that the darkness will be covered by light. This is an important faith which support common people and make them believe nothing can defeat them, nothing! The superheroes in the stories act as guides and give people confidence as well as courage to overcome difficulties in the daily lives.
ReplyDeleteOne interesting opinion I found in the post, which I don’t agree with, is that Robin thought the distance between superheroes and human are getting narrow. Superheroes are always live in stories. As a human, we will never have superpower which described in stories. Not everyone in the world should be a superhero, more important is to be ourselves.
I think a psychological blog talking about superhero is a good idea and I agree with the opinion that there are lots of psychological phenomena in superhero stories. I think there are two main reasons for that. The first one is to show us the “normal” side of our superheroes. They may have the power to save the planet but they also have common psychological reactions to things around them. They are heroes but they are also members of us which make us feel empathy with them and therefore we will identify with them. The second reason is based on the first one and also mentioned by Holly and Breanne, that it will help us go through the hard times. Heroes can have negative psychological states and the ways he or she uses in stories to deal with those states are inspiring and can set up examples for us.
ReplyDeleteI also disagree with the author’s opinion that medicine and technology have bring us close to heroes as Wenjing did, but not from the perspective of the great gap of power between heroes and normal people. The villains in the stories always have super power as well. The line drawn between them and heroes is their behaviors and choices. So the improvement of strength and intelligence may serve as a prerequisite or a necessary condition of being a superhero but not a sufficient one.
It's interesting to read the comments after reading the article because in current times superheroes aren't as big of a deal. Most people don't read comic books any more and most cartoons aren't really superheroes. One person said how much Batman influenced their childhood and how today it still does. I think that the lack of superheroes today shows how times have changed and how people now few the world. Superheroes were created to give people hope and enjoyment but now with the world so crazy no one cares about being the good guy and just enjoying life. It shows how psychology of the older generations and the currents ones are different. It makes me think what's to come with future generations. Will superheroes even be remembered?
ReplyDeleteI think this blog shows how superheroes and everyday people are related, along with the things that happen in society and with the things the superheroes deal with. I makes me think what I have done to contribute to the superhero world and how about the people around you? All the crime and problems in society and the way they are dealt with can almost be compared to one of the many superheroes out there. So superheroes are a necessity.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the heroes role is society is very important because it shows average people a superhero character like themselves that they can make connections to. By making connections to superheroes like Superman and Batman, people can apply their messages to every day life. So, I agree when the author says that superheroes provide a model for their audience to follow. By doing good and arresting bad guys, superheroes set a moral standard that shows the good versus evil binary. When average people are faced with the everyday challenges of life they are faced with the same challenges as a superhero, but on a smaller,"good vs. evil" scale.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Wenjing, I also don't believe that the line between superheroes and heroes is becoming more narrow. There is definitely a different between "super" and heroes, although they do have similar characteristics. Super heroes are displayed in comics and movies, so I feel that no matter how many medical advances are made, there will still be a bold line between what we consider "super" and "regular".
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite part was the response from submitted by Cynthia Tyner, when she was talking about the "everyday heroes". I think there should be an emphasis on the every day heroes of our society, firefighters, police, Jesus, even moms. Even though they don't wear "costumes" or posses "super powers", I feel that they still fall under the category of heroes.
I agree with Robin in the fact that super heroes are characters with super human powers or special abilities. However, I believe a hero is someone that goes beyond their call of duty and does something special, such as saving a life or something of that caliber. Also, like Tony, i disagree with Sami. I don't really think it was a warning as much as it was just a fact of life in that our medical/technological advancements are growing extremely fast and it's inevitable that super hero like advancements will come.
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting point I found in the blog is when Dr. Rosenberg asks the question if superhero stories make people feel more inclined to act heroically. In the story about Josh and Barry, in which they only knew each other through an online collectors forum, Barry ended up donating his kidney to Josh. That to me is the upmost example of a hero. I think that a superhero does not have to be made up, or drawn in a comic book. This story about Josh and Barry shows that everyday people can still be super and heroic at the smae time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Robin in her broad definitions of what a superhero is, however when we were asked to make our own definition in class I more included ordinary people as a part of the "hero" spectrum but this goes to show how adding the work "super" can really change the meaning. Superheroes are definitely people who are superhuman and have an ability outside the normalities of everyday life. The most interesting part of Robin's post to me, was that about superheroes being examples of psychological phenomena and how them being superheroes is their way of channeling and working through a traumatic incident in their life. Looking back on all the superheroes I know of this statement is the absolute truth. The people we see in movies and comics who are superheroes a lot of the time are not "born" superheroes and they obtain that power through life experiences.
ReplyDeleteANother interesting point form the blog came form the comments left my readers following the blog. Some of the responses were about the importance of having superheroes in our life to help us think positively about the world and using them as a defense mechanism to feel safe and protected. SInce superheroes are mostly fiction, this comment was put down by another reader saying superheroes are a way for people having an excuse to not "step up to the plate" and make something of their lives and to become a superhero in ways besides having a super abnormal power. Like just being a good citizen and respecting others and recycling. I agreed with this point a lot, not to put down superheroes, but to realize the fact everyone can be a "superhero" to some extent if they really want to be.
After reading the article, I find myself draw a better outline of superheros. I think the majority will agree that people with super power and devote themselves to the society will be seen as superheros such as batman. And most of us will not deny that one of the main reasons that we find superheros compelling is the truth of human nature that we want ourselves to be outstanding superhero.
ReplyDeleteThe intersting part to me is that author looks superheros in psychology view and finds certain practical phenomena for thought. As the author mentioned that the medical and technological changes may satisfy our dream of being superheros. So we may think more basing on that and understand the paractical meanings rather than only admire.
As a child I was enamored by superheroes so this post was very interesting to me. Particularly the section where Robin talks about the way some superheroes begin fighting crime as a way of dealing with traumatic experiences. This is true of almost all street level superheroes but not necessarily the more powerful ones such as Superman, Wonder Woman, Thor, etc. This makes sense because street level superheroes are much more human than the all powerful gods and aliens that I just mentioned and if someone you knew put on a mask to fight crime wouldn't you think they had some issues? This is even more interesting if you think about the section that talks about medical and technological advances giving real world people extraordinary abilities. If these abilities are given to those who have had traumatic experiences due to crime will we begin seeing real life superheroes? If we do would these people be viewed as insane or heroic?
ReplyDeleteI think that Robin is absolutely correct when she says that superheroes can have a positive psychological effect on people. I think that as a society our new is filled with many depressing stories with bad things happening to innocent people. The idea that a superhero fights for everyday people without wanting to receive recognition (this is why they wear masks) is something that we should all idolize. It shows us that we should help other people and do whats right. When superheroes have a nonhuman power I feel it gives them more of a reason to help people. I think that people sometimes forget that you can be a hero without the superpowers.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by Robin that she can cover such many sides and aspects about the heroism from the view of Psychology with numerous real stories and experiences! The image of hero is not only a very important part of people's lives, but also has essential influence on everyone's current life and future, especially for children. In the article of "Kick-ass and media violence", Robin put some examples of movies telling about young teenage "superheroes" who also have some shots of violence. This kind of movie is quite popular among children who are dreaming variable possibilities and roles in adults' world. This can be sort of good for imagination of children, but at the time the violence from the media could not be avoided and definitely has some bad affections on young people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Robin on the fact that many people like superhero stories. Because it can provide a rich example of psychological phenomenon. Stories can based on reality or may be just imagined. So different people have different superheroes in their mind. However, the most significant thing is Robin gives varies definition of superhero. I always definite hero as a super ability or super power person, such as supermen, spider men, etc. They are brave than normal people and can do everything we can not. Furthermore, i don't believe the line between hero and superheroes is become narrow. I think it shows some similarities. The person who want to be a hero must be brave and has the spirit of self-sacrificing.
ReplyDelete