Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind
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Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind

Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind

Overview

Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind by Travis Langley


This essay collection offers a fascinating psychological analysis of the compelling and complex universe of George Lucas's richly rendered Star Wars series. A group of expert contributors examines such topics as family ties, Jedi qualities, masculinity, girl power, and the values embodied in both the "dark" and "light" sides of this psychologically spellbinding world.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781454917366
Publisher: Sterling
Publication date: 10/27/2015
Series: Popular Culture Psychology Series , #2
Pages: 320
Sales rank: 42,634
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author


VOLUME EDITOR:
Travis Langley is a psychology professor at Henderson State University, the author of Batman and Psychology (Wiley), and the volume editor of The Walking Dead Psychology and Star Wars Psychology (both Sterling). He speaks regularly on media and heroism at universities, conferences, and popular culture conventions including San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic Con, and Wizard World conventions throughout the world. Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics and other films have featured him as an expert interviewee, and the documentary Legends of the Knight spotlighted how he uses fiction to teach real psychology. Psychology Today carries his blog, “Beyond Heroes and Villains,” and he is one of 10 most popular psychologists on Twitter with over 100,000 followers: @superherologist.

CONTRIBUTORS:
Colt J. Blunt, PsyD * Josué Cardona, MS * Jim Davies, PhD * Karen Dill-Shackleford, PhD * William Blake Erickson, MA * Frank Gaskill, PhD * Jennifer Golbeck, PhD * Stephen Kuniak, PhD * Travis Langley, PhD * Craig Pohlman, PhD * Clay Routledge, PhD * Billy San Juan, PsyD * Janina Scarlet, PhD * Jay Scarlet, MS, MSLIS * Mara Whiteside Wood, MS * E. Paul Zehr, PhD * Jenna Busch * Joe Kraemer * Carrie Goldman, MBA *

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments: The Rebel Alliance vii

Foreword: Why Star Wars Matters Carrie Goldman xiii

Introduction: Lights in the Dark Side Travis Langley 1

1 Tales

1 The Good, the Bad, and the Scruffy: Can We Define Good and Evil? Travis Langley 7

2 So You Want to Be a Jedi? Learning the Ways of the Force through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Jenna Busch Janina Scarlet 20

3 From Phantom Menace to Phantom Limbs: Amputation, Neuroprosthetics, and Darth Vader's Brain E.Paul Zehr 31

4 A Discussion with Darth Maul: Sam Witwer Interview on the Antithesis of Self-Actualization Jenna Busch Travis Langley 43

Force Files: An Ocean Far Away

I Openness versus Closedness Travis Langley 51

2 Kinds

5 Droids, Minds, and Why We Care Jim Davies 59

6 Grief and Masculinity: Anakin the Man Billy San Juan 72

7 The Intergalactic Guide to Girls and Gender Psychology Elizabeth A. Kus Janina scarlet 84

8 The Force of Relationships: Tie Strength in Star Wars Jennifer-Golbeck 95

Force Files: An Ocean Far Away

II Conscientiousness versus Recklessness Travis Langley 104

3 Journeys

9 These Archetypes You're Looking For Alex Langley 111

10 Feel the Force: Jung's Theory of Individuation and the Jedi Path Laura Vecchiolla 123

11 A Distressing Damsel: Leia's Heroic Journey Mara Wood 134

12 Faith and the Force: Star Wars and the Psychology of Religion Clay Routledge 148

Force Files: An Ocean Far Away

III Extraversion versus Introversion Travis Langley 158

4 Paths

13 Explaining the Empire: Why Good People Do Bad Things Colt J. Blunt 165

14 Lmdo's Choice: Anatomy of a Moral Dilemma Jay Scarlet 180

15 Anxiety Disorder's Need for Imperial Control: Was Darth Vader Evil or Scared? Frank Gaskill 191

16 The Sky walker Way: Values in the Light and Dark Janina Scarlet 202

Force Files: An Ocean Far Away

IV Agreeableness versus Disagreeableness Travis Langley 213

5 Awakenings

17 Samurai, Star Wars, and Underdogs Jonathan Hetterly 219

18 Yoda: Little Big Mentor Craig Pohlman 231

19 A Symphony of Psychology: The Music of Star Wars Jim Davies Joe Kraemer 244

20 Shooting, Striking, Returning: The Universes in Our Heads Donald F. Glut Travis Langley 256

Force Files; an Ocean Far Away

V Neuroticism versus Emotional Stability Travis Langley 272

Final Word: Never Our Last Hope Travis Langley 277

About the Editor 281

About the Contributors 282

Index 289

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Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind 3 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 1 reviews.
Tim_Schram More than 1 year ago
Like many Star Wars fans, I can't get enough to read about the Star Wars "Universe". "Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind" struck two interests of mine, so buying this was a given. Let me say from the start, this book will not appeal to every Star Wars fan. I usually tear through books, but this one was not an easy read as I had thought. Even though I had interests in both topics, this book reminded me of many of the books I had to read when I was a Psych major. Having said that, the chapters were laid out well and there are plenty of resources sited so you can do additional reading or research. I was familiar with many of the theorists and their theories, but I also learned a lot of new concepts. It was nice to have contributors, and there were many, give their perspective given their expertise in their field. You could have one scene or story arc repeated, but with a different point of view. Perhaps my two favorite chapters were 'A Symphony of Psychology', by Jim Davies and Joe Kraemer, and 'Shooting, Striking, Returning: The Universe in Our Heads' by Donald F. Glut and Travis Langley were probably my two favorite chapters. The former inspired me to reread that chapter while listening to the music cited. The latter dealt not only with the novelization of 'The Empire Strikes Back', but something deeper that every Star Wars fan (and fans of other franchises) dealt with the unique perspective every fan experiences. Now for the main reasons I could not give this book a five-star rating. As I said it wasn't an easy read, but it didn't help that this book was rife with typos and facts that would make Star Wars fans cringe. At first I noticed some facts that were inaccurate, like Obi-Wan's duel with Anakin took place on Coruscant instead of Mustafar, or calling Obi-Wan 'Ben' in the prequels (That fact can be debated). But as I kept reading, I noticed more and more typos and font irregularities. These should have been caught in the proofreading stage, because some are very evident. What this tells me is they rushed to get this book out quickly before 'The Force Awakens' hits the theatres so they can capitalize on the desire for more products. Everything considered, I would recommend this book more to readers who are interested in psychology who happen to be Star Wars fans instead of the other way around.