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Hello dear tutors, can you help me it is so important for me…
Hello dear tutors, can you help me it is so important for me please
The Psychology Behind Superhero Origin
Stories
How does following the adventures of Spider-Man and Batman inspire us to cope
with adversity?
Robin Rosenberg
February 2013
“Why is every superhero movie an origin story?”
complained Entertainment Weekly film critic Adam Markovitz after seeing a
trailer for this summer’s Man of Steelyet another version of the 75-year-old
Superman saga. Perhaps we love origin stories, Markovitz suggested,
because they “show the exact moment when a normal guy goes from being
Just Like Us to being somehow better, faster, stronger.”
I’m inclined to disagree. As a clinical psychologist who has written books
about the psychology of superheroes, I think origin stories show us not how
to become super but how to be heroes, choosing altruism over the pursuit of
wealth and power. I’ve learned this through hundreds of conversations at
comic book conventions, where fans have been remarkably candid about
their lives and the inspiration they draw from superhero stories.
In one form or another the superhero origin story has been around for
millennia: A hero battles “supernatural” forces and returns home “from this
mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man,” as
the mythologist Joseph Campbell wrote.
In my surveys of the genre, I’ve found that superheroes undergo three types
of life-altering experiences that we can relate to.
The first is trauma, which lies at the heart of Batman’s origin story, in which
Bruce Wayne dedicates himself to fighting crime after seeing his parents
murdered. In real life, many people experience “stress-induced growth” after
a trauma and resolve to help others, even becoming social activists.
The second life-altering force is destiny. Consider Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
about a normal teenager who discovers she’s the “Chosen One”endowed
with supernatural powers to fight demons. Buffy is reluctant to accept her
destiny, yet she throws herself into her new job. Many of us identify with
Buffy’s challenge (minus the vampires) of assuming a great responsibility that
compels her to grow up sooner than she wants to.
Lastly, there’s sheer chance, which transformed a young Spider-Man, who
was using his power for selfish purposes until his beloved uncle was
murdered by a street thug. Spider-Man’s heroism is an example of how
random adverse events cause many of us to take stock of our lives and
choose a different path.
At their best, superhero origin stories inspire us and provide models of
coping with adversity, finding meaning in loss and trauma, discovering our
strengths and using them for good purpose. (Wearing a cape or tights is
optional.)
Comic book writers could have chosen not to endow their characters with
origin stories. (In fact, Batman’s back story wasn’t published until the comic’s
seventh installment.) But those writers were keen observers of human
nature. And they were able to translate those observations into captivating
stories reflecting aspects of psychology that were confirmed by researchers
decades later. In doing so, they tap into our capacity for empathy, one of the
greatest powers of all.
1.What are the supporting ideas?
2.What does the author believe to be the underlying message of superhero movies?
3.What does “stress induced growth” mean in the article?
4.What is one component that is important for writers to write captivating stories?
