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Star Wars Psychology

Star Wars Psychology

From its very first frame, the Star Wars series created a compelling universe with complex characters and engaging storytelling. This collection offers a fascinating psychological analysis of every aspect of George Lucas’s richly rendered galaxy with all its characters and stories. Expert contributors led by Travis Langley ( Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight; The Walking Dead Psychology: Psych of the Living Dead) examine such topics as family ties, gender, prejudice, values, villainy, and heroism itself, including a look at how psychoanalysis and archetypes directly shaped the original trilogy. They shine a light into the hidden part of the psyche and reveal the ultimate lesson of Star Wars.

Contributors include : Colt J. Blunt * Jenna Busch * Jim Davies * Frank Gaskill * Donald F. Glut (The Empire Strikes Back) * Jennifer Golbeck * Carrie Goldman * Jonathan Hetterly * Dana Klisanin * Joe Kraemer * Elizabeth A. Kus * Alex Langley * Travis Langley * Craig Pohlman * Clay Routledge * Billy San Juan * Jay Scarlet * Janina Scarlet * Laura Vecchiolla * Mara Wood * Bryan Young * E. Paul Zehr

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Description

The Star Wars saga is a sprawling space opera that has captivated fans for decades and continues to inspire a new generation. Evil tyrannical oppression rules this world and heroes must rise to battle the darkness. Psychiatrist Carl Jung and mythologist Joseph Campbell observed that people in every place and time tell tales of heroes who face darkness, win victories, and returned transformed. This archetypal Hero’s Journey underlies the Star Wars story and demonstrates the role of psychology in shaping this saga. By exploring psychology, fans can better grasp the motivation and mental states of their favorite characters. What is individuation and how does it embody the tenets of a powerful spiritual organization? How does anxiety disorder explain the transformation of a character’s psyche from good to evil and back to good? Can robots feel pain and suffering? How do limb amputation and neuroprosthetics impact the brain? Does music influence our emotional reading of this saga?

In 20 chapters from a range of esteemed psychology professionals and The Empire Strikes Back novelist Donald F. Glut, a foreword by Carrie Goldman (author of Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs To Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear), and “Force Files” exploring the “Big Five” personality factors and the characters who embody each major trait set, Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind sheds new light for fans of the series and psychology.

Travis Langley, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Henderson State University, the author of Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight (Wiley, Turner), and the editor of The Walking Dead Psychology: Psych of the Living Dead, Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind, Game of Thrones Psychology: The Mind is Dark and Full of Terrors (Sterling). He regularly speaks on the subjects of heroism and popular culture at psychology conferences, fan conventions like San Diego Comic-Con, and universities throughout the world, covering the gamut from the Dark Knight to Darth Vader. Psychology Today carries his online column, “Beyond Heroes and Villains.” Documentaries such as Legends of the Knight, Comic Book Literacy, and Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics have featured him as an expert interviewee. The New York Times (front page), Huffington Post, CNN, ABC News, MTV, and many other news outlets have featured his work and views.

As @Superherologist, he is one of the 10 most popular psychologists on Twitter. His lightsaber is purple. Samuel L. Jackson is why.

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