hink you know the characters of Buffy, Angel and Firefly? Think you understand the inner workings of the Scoobie gang or the affects of the Master, Wolfram & Hart and the Alliance on those who fight the good fight? Well think again, because they might just be a group of psychopaths, narcissists and victims of antisocial behavioral disorders. Don't believe me? Luckily the research has already been done for us and now we can sit back and enjoy looking at our favorite characters and universe through the psychological perspective of those more qualified. Our beloved, yet flawed - which is why we love them - Joss Whedon characters are open to psychological examination by no less then 21 psychologists, professors and anthropologists.
A clinical observation, 256-pages worth, in the form of a new book: The Psychology of Joss Whedon: An Unauthorized Exploration of Buffy, Angel and Firefly by author Joy Davidson, PhD and published by BenBella Books. What is most enjoyable about the Psychology of Joss Whedon are the authors inclusion of humor, which is such a key element of the Whedonverse, as in the footnote of Chapter 3 where Thomas Flamson recaps the Sahjhan storyline in Angel and follows with a comparison in Firefly where the character Tracey smuggles both parts within his own dead self, Tom comments, "I said it was less-mystical, not less weird." But the psychology insight we receive from reading the Psychology of Joss Whedon offers new fodder for thought on a 'verse that will never be satiated, at least not by its clinical fans and critics alike.
Chapters in the Fireflyverse ~
- Predisposed Evolution
- Adapting to the Mal-adapted
- Terror Management on Serenity
- River's Amygdala and the Sum of Her Parts
While we get to enjoy delving into the Whedonverse via a multitude of psychological theories and practices you won't need a University degree to follow the panegyric of essays which reflect upon the characters and 'verses of those established by Joss Whedon. It will however benefit you to be well versed in the Whedonverse, that of Buffy, Angel and Firefly as many of the characters and episodes are touched upon by name, title and personality, as well as some of your favorite quotes. Being well versed in the world of literature won't be too bad either as references to the Count of Monte Cristo, Shakespeare and a quote from Theroux are commonly tossed about. We open with Malcolm Reynolds and look at his character as defined by nobility, loyalty and morality and why we are psychologically drawn to such individuals.
Eaton and Krueger take a Criminal Minds approach to looking into the psyches of Firefly's Malcolm and Jayne. From Antisocial Personality & Psychopathic Disorders to situational variable and stable personality traits defined by "Maladaptive possibilities" and "Pathological properties." Phew! What that is really saying is easily described by Eaton and Krueger in their analysis of Mal and Janye by the essence of who they are. Undeniably the most well defined characters in the Whedonverse, despite their brief existence. Firefly offered us a wide spectrum of characters just begging for deeper analysis (which follows later in the book) but this was done exceptionally well here.
Wind Goodfriend examines how the lives and relationships aboard Serenity are affected by the threat of constant death in turn creating a state Mortality Salience. She examines the personal identities of Mal, Jayne, looks into the close relationships between Mal & Inara, Simon & Kaylee, Simon & River, and Wash & Zoe and examines the differences of how this 'existing on the edge' affects them in different ways. She also focuses on the ideological conviction of Shepherd Book and how his not-so-pastoral past helps to provide us with an even deeper salient being.
For the first time we come into debate with what Joss has created and the real psychological world. Bradley Daniels, through Neuronpsychology, covers the characteristics of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and psychic ability, which may not be the cause of the Alliance ablating River's brain (Amygdala to be precise), but are shown to be her most outgoing traits. While this and Mal's Morals rival to be the most technically engrossed chapters in the book; pull out your dictionaries kids, we get another very interesting look into River of Firefly via Neuroscience and how we exist as part of and outside of the brain. Ed Connor gives us an introspective as to why and how River functions duelality in a reality not quite her own. Connor states, "River epitomizes this synergy of neuroscience and soul, by taking control of her own explosive neural potential and turning it into something miraculous and powerfully human."
Chapters in the Buffyverse ~
- Narcissistic Buffy
- Free Will vs. Determinism via Prophecy
- Slayer Longevity via Family and Friends
- Confronting Fear & Living To Tell About It
- Existentialism and Feminism
- B-Harmony
- Buffy's Search for Meaning
I don't think it's difficult for any true Buffy fan to agree with Carol Poole that Buffy has narcissistic tendencies. Poole makes some pretty clear observations and relative connections between Buffy's self-loathing and her attraction/addition to Spike. While many fans where on the fence in their acceptance of this relationship, if that's what it could be called, Poole points out many narcissistic traits to tie the two together and give us unique insight into why Buffy treats her friends the way she does, how she looks upon herself, and why she needs Spike, of all people, just to feel again. Buffy and death have an interesting relationship as well which also flirts on the boundaries of her "inner" issues. Ironically stated in "Conversations with Dead People," (7-7) when Webster offers his psychoanalytic observation that Buffy has a, "superiority complex and an inferiority complex about it." Previously, even the Scoobies themselves have pointed this out in "The Yoko Factor," (4-20) when Xander stated, "Just because you're better than us doesn't mean that you can be all superior!"
Thomas Flamson gives us food for thought that in the Whedonverse there may be no such thing as free will. "Decisions made which were thought to be free had actually been predetermined but the predestination was only possible because of the attempts to escape it." While he offers great examples as in Buffy's attempt to avoid the Prophecy of her being killed by the Master, Buffy fans are all to familiar with predestination, thanks to Giles for one, who at the end of "Graduation Day - Part Two," (3-22), when Buffy and the Scoobies have saved the world, again, he tells her, "There is a certain dramatic irony that's attached to all this. A synchronicity that borders on predestination, one might say." Flamson also shows that with all knowing 'Gods' in the mix, our own counter-measures to avoid Prophecy tend to be the determining factor to bring it about in Buffy and Angel. Where as Firefly you're dealing more with the human condition and can take actions unaccounted for by predicting your opponents' next actions.
Certainly Joss has created a unique network of support for Buffy which dramatically stands out against the Slayer linage, considering Joss himself created both it's ironic that he would openly contradict this main character's heritage, but without it we wouldn't get the chance to see how this support system affects Buffy. Gleason and Weinfield provide us the psychology base for Buffy which makes her a different and better Slayer and explains why she has outlived her destiny. A key factor being that one of Buffy's main strengths is her friends as they explain, "[her] greatest successes were shared with and dependent upon her friends while her greatest failures came when they were apart." They offer comparisons of Buffy's support system and Slayer structure to those of Kendra and Faith (and their subsequent failures) to show the psychology upside of 'friends with benefits.'
While it goes without saying that demons are the central metaphor behind Whedon's cause and affect, the affect as unfolded here by Rabian and Wolff is Buffy's ability, over the seven years we've followed her life, to face them and succeed in becoming a more viably healthy and mature person. The meaning of life and how Buffy and Scoobies justify their existence is placed under the microscope this time by Bardi and Hamby Not so easy a task in the Sunnydale when death stares you down on a daily basis but we get a chance to see how Joss established his characters, especially Buffy, in this neo-feminist world to combat the questions of Existentialism. Bardi and Hamby take a unique psychological assessment of Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander and Spike. Giles faces his lessening status and importance in Buffy's world as she soon grows out of her Watcher needs, Willow faces an onslaught of overwhelming new power and her addition to control/deserve it, while Xander struggles with the basic question of his significance. Still, even for the undead there is no rest as even with Spike there is meaning, and desire, after life, or unlife as the case may be.
So you live in Sunnydale, you work hard vanquishing the world vampires and stop the occasional Apocalypse, but just can't seem to find the right man in your life? Naficy and Panchanathan explore some psychological reasons through the Elektra Complex (the female equivalent of the Oedipus Complex), why Buffy dates who she does. One, among the many reasons being, her absente father verses someone to father her children. Fans can easily find the obvious argument in the Buffy/Riley relationship where Buffy's own inability to let herself be taken care of, keeping the good guy at arms length so she doesn't get hurt (nor does he in the physical sense), and quite possibly her reluctance to see a future that historically doesn't exist.
Through Existential Therapy Mikhail Lyubansky looks at the big issues Buffy faces on a daily basis: 'responsibility' and 'death' based on the premise that we all choose our own destinies. She exemplifies this by quoting one of my favorite scenes from the episode, "Choices" (3-19) where Willow instills in Buffy that she fights the good fight not because he has to, but because she wants to and that's what Willow wants to do too. Through Joss' most memorable quote from "The Gift" (5-22), "the hardest thing to do in this world is to live in it," we get to see all the reflective issues Buffy faces when brought back from death and what her, several, deaths have meant to her and her friends.
Chapters in the Angelverse ~
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"Obsession is trouble enough in a human. In a vampire it's… well, demonic."
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I don't think you could do a psychological study of the Whedonverse without looking into the most significant relationship in that 'verse. No, it's not Buffy/Angel, nor Buffy/Spike, but Angel and Darla. Joy Davidson gets the final and perhaps most reflective chapter of the book and she certainly saves the best for last. Joy takes us on an uninterrupted recap of Darla and Angel's relationship thru the ages, where each began and where each ended up. It's a wonderful reminder of their progression over their 250+ years from Europe to Sunnydale to L.A., from death and rebirth to undeath and death again in one running context of uninterrupted love, pain, horror, betrayal but ultimate sacrifice. This one true aspect of the psyche itself, beyond all other, which may be self-sacrifice best amplified by both these characters and so well (so often) written by Marti Noxon and Joss Whedon himself.
Chapters in the Whedonverse ~
- More than Entertainment
- Joss, the Radical Feminist
Every fan can provide a personal story where Buffy/Joss has helped them in life issues and Stephanie DeLuse steps aside from the typical psychological comparison to offer her own personal story and how reflecting on the Whedonverse characters and series helped her navigate her own Hellmouth and slay demons in the real world as best reflected upon her own personal growth.
An interesting territory that Misty Hook ventures into is that of Character Traits and Gender Reconstruction in the Whedonverse outside the confines of stereotypical roles. Since Joss has stated that he is a 'radical feminist' Hook looks into the reason why he would admit that and how he backs it up. She offers, "thru the behavior of his characters, Joss demonstrates the richness and strength of people who encompass aspects of both masculinity and femininity." While Angel can be the bad, brooding boy when he wants to be, he is also emotionally vulnerable and willing to cry if the need fits. The same is true for Buffy, her own persona is the result of Joss' radical feminism; this cute, young blond 'girl' is the only one with the power to slay a world infested with demons and vampires. On Firefly, Mal must struggle with his feelings for Inara while captaining his ship and crew with Reaver infested space.
"Here endeth the lesson." The Psychology of Joss Whedon: An Unauthorized Exploration is an excellent read. Not only is it insightful to the characters of Buffy, Angel and Firefly but more satiating is that this is also about Joss. We get to see inside the man through his characters and series creations via the explorations of Buffy, Angel and even Mal Reynolds and the hows, whys and whatfores behind them. Joss has delved so deeply into his own psyche via their creation that you'll enjoy this book so much more as better understand the multi-layered, continually flawed, and sometimes damaged characters who continue to rise above the never-ending apocalypse and find redemption.
There are several topics missing which might fall under the titles: "Father Issues Much?" and "Cogito Ergo Sum" (I think, therefore I am). For who in the Whedonverse does not suffer from father issues or there lack of same and a psychological look into Oz - that stoic, sardonic, monosyllabic introspective Wereself. Not to mention the Buffy/Faith dynamic, the alter-ego of good and bad, light and dark, protagonist and villain. While we do get glimpses of these topics, a full analysis is unfortunately not dedicated to them. And if you're covering the entire Whedonverse, Maleka Fray (the futuristic Slayer) is a must addition; certainly her brother's antics had some psychological impact upon her, but perhaps we can look forward to them in Book II.
Also available from BenBella Books:
Seven Seasons of Buffy
Five Seasons of Angel
Finding Serenity
Serenity Found
Written by CoA Writer, Kristy Bratton
Special Thanks to Michelle Niebur at Independent Publishers Group for her unending assistance of this review.
For more information on BenBella Books, visit:
BenBellaBooks.com
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