Calgary Public Library

The psychology of Joss Whedon, an unauthorized exploration of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, edited by Joy Davidson ; with Leah Wilson

eng

Includes bibliographical references

no index present

non fiction

The psychology of Joss Whedon

bibliographydictionaries

427510692

edited by Joy Davidson ; with Leah Wilson

Psychology of popular culture series

an unauthorized exploration of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly

First there was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"; then its spin-off "Angel"; then the cult hit "Firefly"; and its follow-up film, "Serenity." They all had two things in common: their creator, Joss Whedon ... and their surprising psychological depth. Revisit the worlds of Joss Whedon ... with trained psychologists at your side. What are the psychological effects of constantly fighting for your life? Why is neuroscience the Whedonverse's most terrifying villain? How can watching Joss's shows help you take on your own psychological issues?It's all the best parts of Psych 101-without Profe

OTHER TITLES IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF POPULAR CULTURE SERIES; Title Page; Introduction; MAL'S MORALS -- Evolutionary Pornography; Evolutionary Pornography; Darwinian Aesthetics; The Aesthetic of Character; Conclusion; "DARN YOUR SINISTER ATTRACTION" -- Narcissism in Buffy's Affair with Spike; Buffy Hates Being Killed; Being Undead: Buffy, Vampires, and Narcissism; "I can be alone with you here": Spike as Buffy's Shadow; FREE WILL IN A DETERMINISTIC WHEDONVERSE; The Feeling of Free Will; The Problem with Prophecies; The Compatibility of Free Will and Determinism; Using the IllusionFighting for FreedomTHE ADAPTIVE, THE MALADAPTIVE AND THE MAL-ADAPTIVE -- Personality Traits in Firefly; Personality Traits: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly; Personality Traits: Constant as the Northern Star?; Mal's Personality as Captain: Maladaptive or Mal-Adaptive?; Mal and Jayne: The Brains and the Brawn; Exploring an Alternate Dimension; Mal and Jayne: Petty Crooks or "Psychotic"?; What Ever Happened to Baby Jayne?; A Final Note; AN ANALYSIS OF SLAYER LONGEVITY -- Relationships on the Hellmouth; Relationships Are Stronger Than Death; Parents Are Sources of StrengthFriends Fight by Our SidesIsolation Leads to Darkness; Conflict and Loss Lead to Despair; Conclusions and Recommendations; HOW BUFFY LEARNED TO CONFRONT HER FEARS -- ... and Lived to Tell about It; TERROR MANAGEMENT ABOARD SERENITY; Terror Management Theory; Personal Identity Aboard Serenity; Close Relationships Aboard Serenity; Ideological Conviction Aboard Serenity; EXISTENTIALISM MEETS FEMINISM IN BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER; Buffy and the Surprising Problems That Aren't Solved by Power; So, Giles, You Just Watch?; Willow and the Question of LimitsSorry, Xander: Phallic Power Is Not Worth Much in Whedon WorldSpike: Even Immortals Endure Existential Dilemmas; Would You Murder for Immortality?; The Answer to the Problem of Existence?; DEALING WITH THE F-WORD -- Joss Whedon and Radical Feminism; "STRIPPING" RIVER TAM'S AMYGDALA -- Could the Alliance Create a Psychic?; What the Amygdala Does; Klüver-Bucy Syndrome; How Klüver-Bucy Syndrome Was Discovered; What River Would Have Really Looked Like with a "Stripped" Amygdala; In Conclusion; BUFFY THE VAMPIRE DATER; PART ONE; PART TWOMORE THAN ENTERTAINMENT -- Notes on a Spiritual Recovery and What Jossverse Gave ... Tips for Excavating Worms: What Shows Can Help Us Do; Reflective Empathy for Compare and Contrast; Backstory and the Realization That I Needed Some Work; Re-Evaluating Past Events to Heal: Icky Fates, Patriarchy, and Choices; High-Tech Tools for "On-the-Fly" and "Post-Show Review"; Realizing Leftover Biases and Introducing New Thoughts: Morality, Sacrifice ... ; Alternate Endings; Overcoming Fears: Prophecies, Prophecies Everywhere; The Meritorious Evils of Being a Fan; BUFFY'S SEARCH FOR MEANING