The Psychology of the Simpsons Book Review
The book features a variety of well written essays that consider various aspects of the Simpsons and apply psychological concepts to the show. For instance, much has been written about how the Simpsons reflects and portrays the American family from both sides of the issue. Its critics have long contended that the show has contributed to the breakdown of the traditional authority of the family unit, while others show how the dynamic of the nuclear family is the centerpiece of the show.
The essay in The Psychology of the Simpsons comes down firmly on the side of the argument that suggests that William Bennett cannot possible be considered for the position of arbiter of American virtues since he so completely missed the point that the Simpsons does not attack the idea of the family unit, but consistently upholds it.
Another chapter looks at the effects of substance abuse. Even casual viewers know that Homer Simpson spends a lot of time at Moe’s bar, and that Barney Gumble is a recovering alcoholic. Not only does this chapter illuminate some of the psychology behind these characters, but it provides some pretty good lessons to anyone who might be dealing with substance abuse themselves, or with a friend or family member.
The book is accessible to fans of the show, but also covers the gamut of psychology. Which is to say it goes beyond Freud to consider elements of the show as they relate to such psychological schools of thought as cognitive, evolutionary, and abnormal psychology.
My favorite chapter is “Can Bart or Homer Learn” which takes up the issue of conditioned responses as it relates to learning. With the Pavlovian response at the poll booths in the last election showing clear evidence that massive groups of people can be conditioned to believe anything provided no one is there to present evidence to the contrary, I have come around to the idea that most people can be manipulated fairly easily to do anything anyone in power wants them to do. This chapter presents a fascinating treatment of the psychological idea of conditioning learned responses.
You don’t need to be a psych major to understand the actual psychology presented in this book, but you probably have to be a Simpsons fan to really enjoy it. While you can certainly learn from this book without knowing the Simpsons episodes the chapters reference, it definitely enhances the experience if you know whom I’m talking about when I say the names Troy McClure, Sideshow Bob and Lyle Lanley. The Psychology of the Simpsons is definitely deserving of space shelf alongside The Simpsons and Philosophy and The Gospel According to the Simpsons.
