My friend was actually the one who gave me the idea for this post, she told me (and subsequently gave me the link) about a documentary discussing the psychology of Batman and told me I had to watch it. This show, "Batman Unmasked", talks about many different types of motivation of Bruce Wayne and the villains of Batman; in the first ten minutes the commentators (usually psychologists) talked about fear and perceived choice. Wayne, as a child, was very fearful of bats which acted as a motivator for him, he wanted to avoid situations where bats or what he perceived as bats were involved. When Wayne was an adult he used a technique often used by psychologists, exposure, to overcome his fear. He stood in a room full of bats until he no longer felt fear and anxiety.
Another really interesting concept talked about was about identity. There is an argument about who is the real person: Bruce Wayne or Batman. Some believe that Batman is the real identity and Wayne is the identity used around others as a mask. Others believe that Batman is the true mask while Wayne is the true identity. Although the argument is not extremely relevant, it helps to show what Reeves talks about with roles in the textbook. Reeve states that a person holds many different roles and what role is chosen by a person is dependent upon the situation (p. 280). That is clearly seen with Wayne/Batman. While out in public Wayne acts a certain way, as a playboy and spoiled heir. When in his own house or around people who know the real him, Bruce acts very differently than he does in his public role. When in the role of Batman he is a protector and fighter, something that also very different from both his public and personal roles.
Other topics discussed included Jung and the unconscious/conscious mind, hero complex, anger, power, narcissism, and choice among many others. For me, the most interesting part was the discussion about the enemies of Batman, especially Harvey Dent or Two-Face. If you have about 45 minutes I strongly encourage you to watch the entire documentary, it is really fascinating. This is a link to the first part of the show (just ignore the subtitles): Batman Unmasked
I thought this documentary on the psychology of Batman was pretty sweet as it definitely incorporates numerous themes within motivation and emotion of which we have studied this semester. I have never really thought of Batman within a psychological framework but after watching this he really is a fascinating study—especially concerning his extreme popularity within our culture. As the clip states, Batman and Bruce Wayne are two complex and contradictory individuals. These two identities, brought about by his fear of bats and his parents death, drive his psyche seeking a purpose in life, full of anger and pain (all emotions surrounding psychological well-being). For Batman, this trauma induced personal growth which helped him find his core values and fundamental beliefs. He became the ultimate social activist, deriving strength from his motivation to counter evil in the world. Part of this movement involved incorporating fear through his reputation directed at those who desired to bring evil to Gotham City. Fear is a universal emotion used by everyone as psychological motivation dependent on the situation. The website listed below discusses the psychology of fear and its attributes. It discusses some interesting aspects, including why people love Halloween even though it’s a holiday predicated on our enjoyment of fear. Also, it talks about treating phobias like the one Bruce Wayne had about bats. Wayne underwent flooding to cure his fear of bats, which is a controversial technique, but one that can be quite successful. In flooding, the client is exposed to a vast quantity of the feared object or situation until the fear diminishes. A more accepted method is systematic desensitization in which the client would be gradually led through circumstances where they would be introduced to the stimulus eliciting the fear.
Overall, awesome post! I would definitely recommend watching the documentary on YouTube (the link is listed in the original post).
http://phobias.about.com/od/introductiontophobias/a/psychologyfear.htm