https://www.psychologytoday.com/us Investigating the nature of good guys and bad guys in fiction and real life en-US 30 Thu, 12 Dec 2024 10:33:11 -0500 Thu, 12 Mar 2026 18:21:49 -0400 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202412/might-mischief-mark-the-misremembered-road-less-traveled "The Road Not Taken," one of the most famous and most misunderstood poems, may be a metaphor for reconciling life's choices but may also carry a message of cognitive dissonance. Thu, 12 Dec 2024 10:33:11 -0500 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:5027799 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202411/is-society-a-prison-that-makes-guards-and-inmates-of-us-all A Russian scientist's observations on the Stanford prison experiment still resonate today. Mon, 09 Dec 2024 08:17:29 -0500 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:5027579 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202412/is-trump-using-psychological-biases-in-his-cabinet-picks The door-in-the-face tactic, though generally less effective than the foot-in-the-door, does work sometimes. Could it advance controversial political nominations toward approval? Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:48:58 -0500 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:5027884 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202411/could-cognitive-dissonance-cause-or-counter-voters-remorse While some voters double down on supporting the candidate they voted for, others report buyer's remorse as consequences unfold. Might cognitive dissonance yield both outcomes? Tue, 26 Nov 2024 15:26:12 -0500 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:5027534 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202411/terror-management-and-the-worm-at-the-core Existential psychologists suggested that mortality salience motivates our choices. Terror management theorists agree. Fri, 22 Nov 2024 15:24:05 -0500 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:5027394 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202409/folie-a-deux-joker-harley-and-the-folly-of-two Does Joker: Folie á Deux show the "folly of two" as one individual inspires psychotic expression in another or does it demonstrate why the DSM-5 renamed shared psychosis yet again? Wed, 25 Sep 2024 16:50:37 -0400 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:5025027 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202402/book-review-science-fiction-and-psychology-by-gavin-miller In the scholarly book "Science Fiction and Psychology," Gavin Miller examines psychology's influence on science fiction. Thu, 15 Feb 2024 10:23:40 -0500 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:5016789 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202310/pulling-hair-in-the-handmaids-tale-sequel-the-testaments In "The Testaments," Margaret Atwood's sequel to "The Handmaid's Tale," one protagonist has started plucking hair when stressed. At what point does it become a mental disorder? Tue, 19 Dec 2023 16:50:34 -0500 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:5012315 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202209/the-spider-the-bat-and-heroic-varieties-survivor-guilt Guilt and grief drive heroes in different ways. One may strive to become a person who could have prevented their tragedy while another mires in guilt that he did not stop his. Wed, 07 Sep 2022 07:55:29 -0400 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1179651 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202206/obi-wan-kenobi-fights-the-phantom-depression "Obi-Wan Kenobi" depicts a hero full of self-blame and short on hope. The Jedi's path to recovery carries a message. Sat, 25 Jun 2022 12:34:52 -0400 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1177086 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202206/has-lockdown-life-evoked-the-sensation-jamais-vu Lockdown life altered experiences throughout periods of masking or isolation, and may have lingering effects by producing feelings of jamais vu in which everything feels "off." Mon, 20 Jun 2022 09:10:28 -0400 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1174288 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202206/wonder-woman-a-superheros-sexual-orientation Wonder Woman embodies positive psychology's character strengths and virtues. Lynda Carter call the character a gay icon. Cognitive dissonance may explain why some fans object. Fri, 17 Jun 2022 18:22:13 -0400 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1176577 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202203/catwoman-and-the-batman-how-can-the-cat-complete-the-bat In every live-action film depiction, the character Selina Kyle (Catwoman) awakens another side of Bruce Wayne (Batman) to help him function as a more complete human being. Fri, 18 Mar 2022 10:23:22 -0400 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1173347 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202203/batman-the-riddler-and-borderline-personality-disorder In the film "Batman Forever" and now in "The Batman," the Riddler shows signs of borderline personality disorder. In the current film, Bruce Wayne may show some signs, too. Sun, 13 Mar 2022 11:41:47 -0400 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1173344 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202201/why-does-covid-cause-brain-fog "Brain fog" muddles many during and after COVID. Recent research helps explain why. Mon, 24 Jan 2022 10:52:35 -0500 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1171443 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202111/the-faulty-heuristics-holocaust-denial Mental shortcuts may mislead Holocaust doubters and deniers. The availability heuristic could cause some to overlook evidence of deaths by overgeneralizing survival accounts. Fri, 19 Nov 2021 10:48:55 -0500 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1162335 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202111/poison-ivy-pheromones-and-the-super-power-plants The stories about super-villain character Poison Ivy keep referring to her power over other people as pheromonal, but is it really? Mon, 15 Nov 2021 20:30:34 -0500 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1165436 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202110/what-squid-game-reveals-about-human-psychology Competitive survival fiction demonstrates the escalation of evil, step by step. Sun, 31 Oct 2021 19:41:42 -0400 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1168320 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202108/how-cite-comic-books-and-graphic-novels-in-apa-style How do we cite comic books and graphic novels when we must follow APA style even though the American Psychological Association's style manual never mentions them? Mon, 02 Aug 2021 10:04:31 -0400 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1164947 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/202107/holocaust-education-may-help-teach-psychologys-history Teaching students about how the Holocaust impacted psychology may help some better realize its history and how the field. Sat, 03 Jul 2021 10:00:01 -0400 Travis Langley Ph.D. psychologytoday.com:1163238