Heroes (2010) by Scott Allison and George Goethals

When

I read this early in my career at Whitworth.

Why

Once I decided to focus my scholarship (at least at present) on the intersection of supero media and moral development, I wanted to get a sense of what the data says concerns people’s understandings of heroes and villains more broadly.

How

This book gave me a good starting point for thinking about the psychology behind our understanding of heroes and villains more broadly. A psychology borne out through anecdotal experiences and apparent when I reflect on my experiences watching various media with clearly defined heroes and villains. Although not cited in my recent study on adults’ perceptions of moral transgressions committed by superheroes and supervillains, the findings reported by Allison and Goethals, as well as subsequent findings in similar studies, were influential to the study’s approach.