Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight

Having been a Batman fan for nearly 30 years, I've come to form some concrete opinions on the character. Through his various iterations on TV (both live-action and animated), film, and in the comics, Batman has had core elements that make up what is Bruce Wayne/Batman. In his aptly titled 'Batman and Psychology,' Dr. Langley examines these core elements (and a few of the variables or fringe elements the character has picked up along the way as well) in a detailed, professional, and entertaining way. I've read some other great "superherology" books like `Wisdom from the Batcave' and 'The Psychology of Superheroes,' and Langley references them both in his book. However, Langley's book is the first in-depth professional psychological analysis of Batman and the Batman "universe" or mythos that's ever been published. Langley is an unabashed Batman fan, but in the book he takes a look at Bruce Wayne from an objective psychologist's perspective and draws some interesting conclusions--some of which may change the way fans look at the character--about Batman in all of his iterations from the first comics Bob Kane and Bill Finger put out in 1939 all the way to Christopher Nolan's 2012 film `The Dark Knight Rises.' However, Langley is a professional and he doesn't come to his conclusions lightly. He goes in to great detail with his analysis and makes sure his conclusions are on solid footing. The man has 40 pages (Forty!) of listed references, so this book isn't simply some collection of fanboy riffing or factless, opinion fueled blogging. And not only is this book great for Batman fans, it's also a wonderful primer for the study of psychology. What is PTSD really? How much of a factor is fear in shaping our decisions? Langley delves in to these aspects of psychology and so much more while using Batman as his case study. How would Piaget, Freud, Erikson, or Kohlberg all rank the Caped Crusader on their developmental scales? Langley attempts to find out. And if you've no idea who any of those guys are, Langley does a great job of introducing their theories to the uninitiated in an entertaining way. Another great aspect of this book is that Langley recognizes no man is an island, and Batman is influenced and changed by the people he interacts with. Batman's relationship with all of his various sidekicks and mentors are examined by Langley in the book as well. The positive people who influenced Batman are not the only ones to get review either; peppered throughout book are 12 intriguing mini-case files on all the great villains from Batman's Rogues Gallery. Langley's book is a fun, fascinating read and one I'll go back to again and again. This is a must have for any Batman fan!

I have read a lot of criticism of this book in online reviews. Most of them complain that this is not what the reader expected or the psychology was a basic intro level. To that I have one response: If it never occurred to you to actually research the book before you bought it, then this is the wrong type of book for you. As for the book itself, it is more than a mere "intro to psychology" . The author does evaluate Batman, to an extent. He explains the emotional and psychological differences of Batman at different point of his existence, from his very beginning as a mere comic book detective to his campy turn at a 1960's TV icon through the torrential movies of the 1990s, his various cartoon incarnations and arriving at the Christopher Nolan films. Along the way we get small psychological briefs on various members of Batman's rouges gallery and even discuss how different love interests have influenced his emotional state. It was a fascinating read for me and should only be considered by those looking for something along the lines of a psychological biography and not a "hero beats up the villain" story.

A nice and fun read introducing the reader into psychology and psychiatric concepts via the Batman and Gotham mythology. No major discoveries or diagnostics but nicely put and executed, though may seem much theoretical at times.

Yes, Batman is a fictional character in a fictional world, but he is human like us in many ways. I am sure many of us have at one time or another wished we could be like Batman, a man of high moral principles willing to lay his life on the line for the people of Gotham. In this book the author helps us to understand what could cause Bruce Wayne to don the cape and cowl and become Batman. He also sheds light on the Rogues Gallery, and if anything these characters become more disturbing when a psychiatrist analyzes them and we find that even the Joker is not someone who fits the legal definition of insanity. As evil as he is, he knows what he is doing, and he does it anyway. If you are a fan of Batman this is a great read, and even if you are just interested in psychology this is a very approachable way to learn about many psychological concepts.

I was totally pleased with "Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight". But the question is, will you? As the title says, "Batman and Psychology", you need to appreciate both if you're going to enjoy it. The book is a psychological take on the Batman universe. Erik Erikson, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Jean Piaget, and B.F. Skinner are just some of the names and what they believed that can be found in this book. The reader is given a basic understanding of what mental illness/disorder will be addressed or what this or that theorist would say than the book delves into a specific character(s). The only non-fictional case study is Dr. Fredric Wertham and his novel, "Seduction of the Innocent" (1954) - it discusses the impact Wertham had on comics in general and Batman comics in particular. Langley does point out differences between what would happen in the real world vs the world of Batman - for example, some villains who are sent to Arkham Asylum would be sent to a prison in the real world, mental illness or no mental illness. For the Batman portions of the book, Langley incorporated the Batman world - comics, TV shows, cartoons, and movies - though he seemed to rely mostly on the comics and the Nolan movies. As the book was published in 2012, it does not include anything that took place after that year (such as Ben Affleck's portrayal of Batman). The villains who have case studies include: King Tut, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, Hugo Strange, Bane, The Riddler, The Penguin, Poison Ivy, The Mad Hatter, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Two-Face, and Ra's al Ghul. Catwoman and Red Hood (Jason Todd) also have case studies - though I would not classify them as "villains". If you don't like or aren't interested in psychology, I don't think you will enjoy the book. If you dislike or not interested in Batman, I don't think you will like this book. You don't need to LOVE Batman and/or psychology, but there needs to be some level of interest in both to enjoy reading this book.

This was my first audio book ever. I should've chosen something easier (Probably), considering their talking about psychology and my favorite character from the comics I grew up with, so when trying listen this while doing exercise.... Well, I got lost in the book, to be honest. It's so, so good! The narration was involving, I loved listening to Mike Chamberlain explain the reasons why Batman has PTSD or not. The idea of analyzing a character like The Dark Knight is brilliant, in my opinion, and Travis Langley did a phenomenal work. It's so interesting to think about that beloved character with a different light, to analyze the motivations and behavior of Catwoman, The Joker, The Penguin and many more is delightful. I just finished listening and I want to read the book, listen to this again, check more books about psychology... I'm officially hooked!!!

The book Batman and Psychology is very good, and a very interesting take on the subject of Batman. This book gives you a decently in depth history of Batman and most of the major villains ( Riddler, Joker, Catwoman, Bane, etc) , as well as a unique psychological study of all those characters. Ultimately this book looks to answer the question, is Batman crazy, and I think they do a great job of exploring the answer to that question. If you are a fan of Batman or psychology ( or both), I highly recommend this book!!

Whether you're a fan of comic books, or psychology, or both, this is a great read. The in depth analysis that Langley gives to Batman, as well as his foes, makes you view the characters in a different light. I had always thought this idea would make a great topic for a psychology thesis and lo and behold there's an entire book dedicated to the idea. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in psychology or otherwise.