Author | Alan S. Brown, Ph.D. Chris Logan (Editors) |
---|---|
Cover artist | Todd Michael Bushman |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Series | Psychology of Popular Culture |
Subject | Psychology, The Simpsons |
Publisher | BenBella Books |
Publication date | March 1, 2006 |
Media type | |
Pages | 240 |
ISBN | 1-932100-70-9 |
OCLC | 62593448 |
791.45/72 | |
LC Class | PN1992.77.S58 P89 2006 |
The Psychology of The Simpsons: D'oh! is a non-fiction book analyzing psychology themes in the television series The Simpsons . It contains content from several contributors, including psychologists, counselors and school therapists. The book was edited by Alan S. Brown, Ph.D., and Chris Logan, and was published on March 1, 2006, by BenBella Books. It has praise from reviewers.
The book was published on March 1, 2006, by BenBella Books, and is part of their "Psychology of Popular Culture Series," or "Smart Pop" for short. [1] Other books in the series include works which analyze psychology and pop culture themes as related to Superman, the X-Men, and The Matrix . [2] [3] [4] The BenBella psychology series was inspired by a similar pop philosophy series from publisher Open Court Publishing Company. [5] The editors of the book were Alan S. Brown, Ph.D., and Chris Logan. Brown is a professor of psychology, and Logan is a lecturer in the field. [6] The book is meant to appeal both to fans of The Simpsons , and academic students of psychology. [7]
The book contains content from twenty-nine contributors, including psychologists, counselors, teachers and school therapists. [1] It also includes content from Brown and Logan. [6] General topics discussed in the work include family, alcohol abuse, relationships, self-esteem, sex and gender, and personality. [1] Specific topics in the field of psychology include clinical psychology, cognition, abnormal psychology, evolutionary psychology, gambling addiction, Pavlovian conditioning and family therapy. [1] Contributor Denis M. McCarthy, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Missouri, analyzes risk factors for alcoholism presented in The Simpsons. [8] McCarthy cites Bart's passive-avoidance learning as a risk factor, and notes that Maggie is at a high risk for substance abuse due to violent tendencies. [8]
Though each chapter contains material comparing The Simpsons episodes to academic psychology themes, the chapter titles are less serious, including "Which One of Us is Truly Crazy" and "Looking For Mr. Smarty Pants." [6] Editor Chris Logan explained: "The book's content is very serious, but it's not presented in an overly serious way." [6] The Simpsons Archive also described the balance between humor and academia in the book, noting: "Fortunately, despite numerous references to various psychological theories and academic studies, the essays steer clear of becoming too serious, and manage to stay entertaining throughout the book." [9]
The book was received favorably in a publication of Southern Methodist University. [6] In the introduction to an interview with one of the book's editors, the interviewer noted: "Get past the goofy cover, with its illustration of Homer's beer- and TV-saturated brain, and you find analysis aimed at both TV viewers and students of psychology." [6] The book also received positive mention in The Times , where Andrew Billen wrote: "I can commend D'Oh!: The Psychology of The Simpsons and Reading The Sopranos, since both shows are sturdy enough to support the intellectual studies." [10] An article at The Simpsons Archive also wrote positively of the work: "The connection to the show and its events is solid and psychological points are illustrated using explanatory snippets from the Simpsons." [9]
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Homer was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of producer James L. Brooks's office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell but instead decided to create a new set of characters. He named the character after his father, Homer Groening. After appearing for three seasons on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpson family got their own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989.
Abraham Jebediah "Abe" Simpson II, better known as Grampa Simpson, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He made his first appearance in the episode entitled "Grandpa and the Kids", a one-minute Simpsons short on The Tracey Ullman Show, before the debut of the television show in 1989.
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"The PTA Disbands" is the twenty-first episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series, The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 16, 1995. In the episode, Bart Simpson manipulates Edna Krabappel into organizing a strike of Springfield Elementary's teachers union to protest Principal Skinner's miserly school spending.
"Brother from the Same Planet" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 4, 1993. In the episode, after Homer is late to pick him up from soccer practice, Bart turns to the program the Bigger Brothers, and is assigned a man named Tom. Out of jealousy, Homer gets himself a little brother named Pepi. Meanwhile, Lisa becomes addicted to the Corey hotline, a phone service where television fans can listen to the voice of a fictional actor based on Corey Feldman and Corey Haim.
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