Characters on the Couch: Exploring Psychology Through Literature and Film

Providing intriguing insights for students, film buffs, and readers of various genres of fiction, this fascinating book delves into the psychology of 100 well-known fictional characters.

Our favorite fictional characters from books and movies often display an impressive and wide range of psychological attributes, both positive and negative. We admire their resilience, courage, humanity, or justice, and we are intrigued by other characters who show signs of personality disorders and mental illness-psychopathy, narcissism, antisocial personality, paranoia, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, among many other conditions. This book examines the psychological attributes and motivations of 100 fascinating characters that include examples of both accurate and misleading depictions of psychological traits and conditions, enabling readers to distinguish realistic from inaccurate depictions of human behavior.

An introductory section provides a background of the interplay between psychology and fiction and is followed by psychological profiles of 100 fictional characters from classic and popular literature, film, and television. Each profile summarizes the plot, describes the character's dominant psychological traits or mental conditions, and analyzes the accuracy of such depictions. Additional material includes author profiles, a glossary of psychological and literary terms, a list of sources, and recommended readings.

ISBN-13: 9798765115152

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Publication Date: 11-30-2023

Pages: 368

Product Dimensions: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.76d

Dean A. Haycock is a science and medical writer.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Tara Deliberto, PhD
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Character Profiles
Part 1: Mental and Personality Disorders
1.Neurodevelopmental Disorders
2. Psychotic Disorders
3. Bipolar Disorder
4.Depressive Disorders
5.Anxiety Disorders
6.Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
7.Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders
8.Dissociative Disorders
9.Somatic Symptoms
10.Eating Disorders
11.Sleep-Wake Disorder
12.Gender Dysphoria
13.Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders
14.Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders
15.Neurocognitive Disorders
16.Personality Disorders
17.Paraphilic Disorders
18.Other Disorders and Syndromes
Part 2: Positive Psychological Traits
Part 3: Negative Psychological Traits and Features
Part 4: Emotional Instability/Neuroticism
Part 5: Freudian Themes
Part 6: Psychologists in Films
Part 7: Psychological Growth, Development, Maturity,
Loss, and Aging
Appendix A: List of Characters and Their Psychological Traits
Appendix B: The VIA Classification of Character Strengths
Glossary of Psychological and Literary Terms
Sources and Recommended Readings
Index

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