This year at the San Diego Comic Con I was extremely honored to be able to interview the cast of Supernatural, among them Jared Padalecki, one of the leading actors on that television series. Padalecki recently opened up about his struggles with depression and started the Always Keep Fighting Campaign, intended to spread awareness.
Category: Compassion
Psychology of Batgirl
There have been a number of heroic women who took it upon themselves to protect the city of Gotham as Batgirl. Among the first of these was Betty Kane, who was Bat-Girl (initially hyphenated, similarly to Spider-Man). Others, such as Helena Bertinelli (also known as the Huntress), also at one point put on the bat suit. However, the best-known superhero behind Batgirl is Barbara Gordon.
Psychology of Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers (X-Men: Phoenix Endsong Vol 13)
Warning: spoilers for X-Men ahead.
Psychology of Veronica Mars
If you’re a fellow Veronica Mars fan (a Marshmallow), then as soon as you saw the title picture, you probably started singing the theme song in your head:
“A long time ago, we used to be friends
But I haven’t thought of you lately at all…”
What makes this show so epic even years after it’s been cancelled? Simple – it touches on important life struggles of many young people.
Warning: Spoilers for Veronica Mars follow.
Psychology of ‘Inside Out’
‘Inside Out’ is a movie I’d been waiting for a year to see and, once again, Pixar did not disappoint. This is a movie I’m going to be assigning to many of my patients and doctoral students as a way to demonstrate important psychological principles.
Warning: some spoilers of the movie ahead
When a family member is suicidal – it can happen to anyone… it happened to me
When I woke up on Friday something felt wrong. It felt as if someone punched me in the gut repeatedly. Despair. Pushing away these emotions without taking the time to figure out why I was feeling them nor taking the time to provide myself with the compassion and comfort that I needed, I headed to Camp Pendleton, where I focused on my clients with PTSD.
Continue reading When a family member is suicidal – it can happen to anyone… it happened to me
Why being a geek is good for you
“Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.”
J. K. Rowling
I recently had the tremendous honor of attending, giving a keynote speech, and presenting a panel at MISTI-Con, a Harry Potter-themed conference that takes place once every two years. It was marvelous. Between the enchanted ball, the wicked murder mystery dinner, and the magical people that attended the con and put it together, it was an unbelievable experience.
Psychology of Juliette (Grimm)
This post initially appeared on The Mary Sue.
Juliette Silverton (played by Bitsie Tulloch) was initially the romantic partner to Nick Burkhardt, the leading character of the series and a Grimm. The Grimm’s job is to fight and destroy the Wesen, the humans who are also (to some extent) shape shifters, allowing them special abilities.
Psychology of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I initially wrote this post for The Mary Sue’s Column, Psychology of Inspirational Women, it is reprinted here with permission.
Going against the Hollywood stereotype of a powerless blonde girl getting ruthlessly murdered, the writer/director/producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer wanted to create a hero, someone with the special powers to kick butt and protect others.
Clark Kent: Superman’s Humble Hero
(Guest post by Asher Johnson, M. A.)
Ever since I was a child, I was strangely attracted to the way the good guys thought. I saw them as smart, self-controlled, kind, patient, and wise. I thought it was naturally harder to do the right thing, and found it fascinating how easily taken for granted heroes were. Now, to put things in perspective, I will need to age myself because the good guys I grew up watching are, in many ways, unlike the anti-heroes of today (e.g. Jax from Sons of Anarchy, Nurse Jackie, Walter White, Tony Soprano, or Kevin Spacey’s brilliant role as Francis Underwood).