New Review: The Psychology of The Simpsons: D'oh!

The following is a brief excerpt from a review posted on PopandPolitics.com:

American pop culture is like an airborne virus. Once somebody gets it, they keep it for life and gleefully pass it on to anyone they know. Whether it’s music, TV, or movies, we entertain the world and the world (though some are loathe to admit it) just eats it all up. Everyone from the lowliest of citizens to dictators such as Kim Jung Il makes an effort to tap into a piece of American entertainment that suits their fancy.
So the question must be asked, "Why is it that a country that is allegedly so hated by the known world is the most sought after producer of entertainment goods?" It should follow that if the world hates the US, they should hate our music, TV, and movies. But as we all know, it doesn’t.

The reason is that the most beloved of American characters are the ones with universal appeal. While many of our favorite characters are distinctly American, the ones that transcend borders are the ones that relate to everyone, from Canada to East Timor to China. The very element that makes something work in America also makes it work far and wide.

That is why The Simpsons are so popular here and everywhere. Even though they are yellow and have four fingers, the characters that populate Springfield are very much consistent with real world behavior. Granted this is a satire cartoon program so there are limits, but the reason it’s worked for so long is that even though the situations tend to be absurd, those same situations carry with them threads of real life issues -- the kind of issues that every family and community deals with.

One issue that finds itself being both promoted and skewered on The Simpsons is psychology. Many times throughout the 16 seasons the characters play out scenarios that heavily rely on at least a cursory knowledge of psychology, pop or otherwise. We have Lisa quoting Freud, Bart getting diagnosed with ADHD, Homer becoming intelligent after removing a crayon from his nose/brain, family therapy with the late Dr. Marvin Monroe, etc.

It should come as no surprise then, that a group of practicing and teaching psychologists have compiled an anthology of essays taking modern themes of psychology and applying them to our beloved Simpsons sit-com. In much the same vein as “The Science of Star Wars,” “The Psychology of the Simpsons,” edited by Alan Brown, PhD with Chris Logan, looks at the Simpsons family and the larger population of Springfield through the prism of how these characters relate to psychological theory and practice. Continued