Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight

By Travis Langley

A journey behind the mask and into the mind of Gotham City’s Caped Crusader, timed for the summer 2012 release of The Dark Knight Rises

Batman is one of the most compelling and enduring characters to come from the Golden Age of Comics, and interest in his story has only increased through countless incarnations since his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 in 1939. Why does this superhero without superpowers fascinate us? What does that fascination say about us? Batman and Psychology explores these and other intriguing questions about the masked vigilante, including: Does Batman have PTSD?  Why does he fight crime? Why as a vigilante? Why the mask, the bat, and the underage partner? Why are his most intimate relationships with “bad girls” he ought to lock up? And why won't he kill that homicidal, green-haired clown?

• Gives you fresh insights into the complex inner world of Batman and Bruce Wayne and the life and characters of Gotham City
• Explains psychological theory and concepts through the lens of one of the world’s most popular comic book characters
• Written by a psychology professor and “Superherologist” (scholar of superheroes)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wiley
• Release date: May 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9781118239513

Travis Langley

Travis Langley, PhD, is a distinguished professor of psychology at Henderson State University. He has been a child abuse investigator, courtroom expert, Wheel of Fortune game show champion, and popular keynote speaker. Author and editor of fourteen books, he speaks regularly at events throughout the world, discussing the psychology of heroism and the power of story in people’s lives. The New York Times, LA Times, Saturday Evening Post, CNN, MTV, and hundreds of other outlets have covered Langley’s work. He has also given interviews for several documentaries, including AMC Visionaries: Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics, Superheroes Decoded, Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics, Legends of the Knight, and Hulu’s Batman & Bill. Follow Travis Langley as @Superherologist on Instagram and Twitter. Join him as he investigates the best and worst in human nature through his Psychology Today blog, “Beyond Heroes and Villains,” and through the Batman and Psychology page at Facebook.com/BatmanBelfry.

Reviews for Batman and Psychology

[switchknitter · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I, unfortunately, already know too much psychology for this book. I'm a senior psych major, and the armchair analysis of Batman villains is too simplistic. Oh well.