Title: Comics as Art Therapy.

Author(s):Mulholland, Matthew J., Ramapo College of New Jersey, US

Address:Mulholland, Matthew J., 34 South Street, Ridgefield Park, NJ, US, 07660

Source:Art Therapy, Vol 21(1), 2004. pp. 42-43.

Publisher:US: American Art Therapy.

ISSN:0742-1656 (Print)

Language:English

Keywords:comic books; therapeutic intervention; art therapy; social issues; developmental skills

Abstract:The article focuses on the use of comics in therapeutic intervention. It was not until the end of the 20th century that comics became an acclaimed artistic medium, with profound and relevant writing and technically strong and aesthetically pleasing visuals. Professionals began praising comics for tackling "weighty issues of racism and bigotry, war and envy, and friendship, as well as the individual sense of responsibility and balance in life." Some of the characters mirrored the same concerns of the everyday person, "developing skills, talent, and powers, and then using them in a responsible way." Comic books became deep and complex works because their creators began to put their real life experiences into the books, as opposed to simply making up fantastic tales of far-from-realistic beings. Artists and writers began to use events in their lives that had caused them joy, pain, fear, and envy, and in a cathartic process, used their creations to relieve themselves of heavy emotions. In a way, the works began to take on aspects of their creators and became possible forms of therapy as well as art. As a therapeutic tool, creating comics is a safe avenue of release for clients. Within the panels, the client can create a world in which the actions of his or her characters carry only the consequences that the artist chooses. Using comic book creation as a therapy tool can be especially useful for children because the comic book medium is familiar to them. In therapy, clients of all ages can express anything they wish through their characters. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

Subjects:*Art; *Art Therapy; *Psychotherapeutic Techniques

Classification:Art & Music & Movement Therapy (3357)

Population:Human (10)

Publication Type: Journal, Peer Reviewed Journal; PrintFormat(s) Available: Print

Document Type:Journal Article

Release Date:20041018

Accession Number:2004-12940-008

Number of Citations in Source:5

Database:PsycINFO

Title:A creative approach introducing meditative techniques through bibliotherapy.

Author(s):Christensen, Kristin Amy, Alliant International U, San Francisco Bay, US

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, Vol 65(5-B), 2004. pp. 2616.

Publisher:US: ProQuest Information & Learning.

ISSN:0419-4217 (Print)

Order Number:AAI3133468

Language:English

Keywords:meditative techniques; juvenile delinquency; treatment planning; bibliotherapy; treatment outcome

Abstract:There is a large body of research encompassing juvenile delinquency. It includes information about the causes and correlates of delinquency and the costs and effectiveness of interventions, preventions, and treatments. A number of conventional (behavioral or cognitive) and unconventional (mentor, retreats, meditation, or bibliotherapy) treatments are available to and utilized by adolescents. Although research suggests that treatment outcomes are quite similar for either type of treatment, an important dimension of treatment involves the use and effectiveness of personalized treatments for adolescents. This topic has often been cited in delinquency research; adolescents seem to participate more and show more favorable outcomes when interventions are personalized and the adolescents are interested in the intervention (Mulvey, Arthur, & Reppucci, 1993). This project explores the idea that an adolescents' interest(s) might best be established through his or her own personal research. That is, an adolescent could become interested on an intervention on his or her own. This idea is expanded by considering the recent popularity of bibliotherapy with adolescents and its positive research outcomes. Research suggests that bibliotherapy may be a suitable approach to introduce and educate adolescents about an unconventional treatment such as mantra meditation. This project involves the introduction of mantra meditation to juvenile delinquents using a comic book, a bibliotherapeutic technique. Participants found the comic to be readable and enjoyable and seemed to understand the underlying theme of the story. The participants commented on the good and bad characters in the book, and were able to follow the comic storyline. The consequences of the characters' actions appeared to make impressions on the participants (based on their feedback) and they seemed to relate to the moral of the story as well. Participants reported that they understood that meditation was being used as an alternative to fighting, and seemed to find interest in its use in the story. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

Subjects:*Bibliotherapy; *Juvenile Delinquency; *Meditation; *Treatment Outcomes

Classification:Health & Mental Health Treatment & Prevention (3300)

Population:Human (10)

Age Group:Adolescence (13-17 yrs) (200)

Methodology:Empirical Study

Publication Type:Dissertation Abstract; PrintFormat(s) Available: Electronic; Print

Release Date:20050404

Accession Number:2004-99022-250

Database: PsycINFO

Title:Critiques of gender ideology: Women comic artists and their work in Hong Kong.

Author(s):Wong, Wendy Siuyi Cuklanz, Lisa M.

Source:Journal of Gender Studies, Vol 11(3), Nov 2002. pp. 253-265.

Publisher:United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.

ISSN:0958-9236 (Print)1465-3869 (Electronic)

Digital Object Identifier:10.1080/0958923022000021269 

Language:English

Keywords:women comic artists; gender ideology; Hong Kong; historical context; creative strategy; dominant culture; personal themes; feminist work

Abstract:Comic books in Hong Kong have traditionally been produced primarily by male artists for male audiences. Over the past 30 yrs of comic history in Hong Kong, only 3 works have been critical of dominant gender ideology. This paper examines these works and their varying approaches to gender politics in Hong Kong. It argues that these artists made use of a creative strategy that took into account the rapidly changing historical context and female audience to create messages that reflected dominant culture while also either subtly or directly questioning source elements of dominant gender ideology. In the 1960s and 1970s, the fashionable and at times frivolous imagery of Lee Wai-chun's 13-dot cartoons gave a newly emerging group of young women workers and students a confident feminine heroine and model of modern womanhood. In the late 1980s, the direct critique of Chan Ya capitalized on a moment of political insecurity to briefly introduce her unattractive but insightful characters and outsider perspective. Finally, in the late 1990s, Lau Lee-lee's self-proclaimed feminist work has combined a subtle and at times ambiguous style with shocking, taboo, and intensely personal themes, bringing them directly into the political realm. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

Subjects:*Artists; *Feminism; *Human Females; *Sex Roles; *Sociocultural Factors; Creativity; History

Classification:Social Processes & Social Issues (2900)

Population: Human (10) Female (40)

Location:Hong Kong

Publication Type:Journal, Peer Reviewed Journal; Print Format(s) Available: Electronic; Print

Document Type:Journal Article

Release Date:20030115

Accession Number:2002-11378-004

Number of Citations in Source:24

Database:PsycINFO

Title:The Visual Semantics Stratum: Making Meaning in Sequential Images.

Author(s):Fei, Victor Lim, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Source:New directions in the analysis of multimodal discourse. Royce, Terry D. (Ed); Bowcher, Wendy L. (Ed); pp. 195-213. Mahwah, NJ, US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2007. x, 403 pp.

ISBN:0-8058-5106-2 (hardcover) 9780805851069 (hardcover)

Language:English

Keywords:discourse; theories; images; comic strip; advertisements; books; visual semantics; meaning; semiotics

Abstract:(from the chapter) The focus of this chapter is primarily to demonstrate, through an analysis using the theory proposed, the meaning that is made across a sequence of images, such as that found in a comic strip, a picture book, or a series of themed advertisements. The research and discussion of this aspect of semiotic resources can be located on the discourse semantics stratum of images in the IMM. In this chapter, the analyses of two comic strips demonstrate the workings of the systems on the discourse semantics stratum. Lim (2002) has also applied the systems proposed productively to an analysis of a picture book. Nonetheless, the attempt to understand how meaning is made in a series of visual text remains a research area that requires much exploration. The theories and conceptions made in this chapter represent a tentative step toward a better understanding of the nature of images. Further research could be made in the application of the theories and systems proposed in this chapter to these kinds of series of images in other genres, for instance, advertisements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

Subjects:*Imagery; *Printed Communications Media; *Semantics; *Semiotics; *Visual Displays; Advertising; Books; Mass Media; Meaning; Theories

Classification:Mass Media Communications (2750)

Population:Human (10)

Intended Audience:Psychology: Professional & Research (PS)

Publication Type:Book, Edited Book; Print

Document Type:Chapter

Release Date:20070604

Accession Number:2006-13418-006

Number of Citations in Source:27

Database: PsycINFO

Title:Culture and Stigma: Popular Culture and the Case of Comic Books.

Author(s):Lopes, Paul, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, US, plopes@mail.colgate.edu 

Address:Lopes, Paul, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY, US, 13346, plopes@mail.colgate.edu 

Source:Sociological Forum, Vol 21(3), Sep 2006. pp. 387-414.

Publisher:Germany: Springer.

Other Publishers:Oxford, United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing

ISSN:0884-8971 (Print) 1573-7861 (Electronic)

Digital Object Identifier:10.1007/s11206-006-9022-6 

Language:English

Keywords:popular culture; stigma; comic books; status

Abstract:This paper argues that a better articulated conception of stigma can enhance the analysis of popular culture. Beginning with the work on stigma by Erving Goffman and other scholars, the article contends that the stigma sometimes attached to the production and consumption of popular culture is distinct from the low status associated with certain forms of popular culture. Unlike low status, stigma discredits cultural forms and practitioners often rendering them problematic. This reassessment of stigma is applied and developed further through a study of comic books, showing the various ways stigma can operate in popular culture. The analysis suggests that stigma significantly impeded the evolution of the comic book as an art form, illustrating the potential negative effects of stigma in popular culture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)(from the journal abstract)

Subjects:*Popular Culture; *Status; *Stigma; Books; Culture (Anthropological); Mass Media

Classification:Mass Media Communications (2750) Culture & Ethnology (2930)

Population:Human (10)

Publication Type:Journal, Peer Reviewed Journal; Electronic Format(s) Available: Electronic; Print

Document Type:Journal Article

Release Date:20070730

Accession Number:2007-03013-001

Number of Citations in Source:52

Database: PsycINFO

Full Text Database: SocINDEX with Full Text

Title:Book Reviews: The Violent Woman: Femininity, Narrative, and Violence in Contemporary American Cinema; Wonder Women: Feminisms and Superheroes.

Author(s):King, Neal, Virginia Tech, VA, US

Source:Gender & Society, Vol 20(3), Jun 2006. pp. 422-424.

Publisher:US: Sage Publications.

 Reviewed Item:Neroni, Hilary (2005). The Violent Woman: Femininity, Narrative, and Violence in Contemporary American Cinema; New York: State University of New York Press, 2005, 203 pp., $73.50 (cloth), $22.95 (paper)
Robinson, Lillian S. (2004). Wonder Women: Feminisms and Superheroes; New York: Routledge, 2004, 148 pp., $70.00 (cloth), $18.95 (paper)

ISSN:0891-2432 (Print)

Digital Object Identifier:10.1177/0891243205283658 

Language:English

Keywords:contemporary American cinema; narrative; violence; psychoanalytic theory; protofeminism; comics; superheroes; popular culture

Abstract:Reviews the books, The Violent Woman: Femininity, Narrative, and Violence in Contemporary American Cinema by Hilary Neroni (2005); and Wonder Women: Feminisms and Superheroes by Lillian S. Robinson (2004). Hilary Neroni's work uses psychoanalytic theory to interpret Hollywood movies, while Lillian S. Robinson charts the development of protofeminism in the comics she read and enjoyed for decades. Both books provide examples of humanist interpretation of texts, both are theoretically informed, and both engage with feminism in popular culture. Robinson provides the more satisfying and convincing study because her interpretations are driven by the experience of a feminist scholar and fan attentive to the complexities of her chosen texts rather than by the desire to elaborate schematic theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)(from the journal abstract)

Subjects:*Feminism; *Films; *Narratives; *Psychoanalytic Interpretation; *Violence; Culture (Anthropological)

Classification:Social Processes & Social Issues (2900)

Population: Human (10) Female (40)

Publication Type:Journal, Peer Reviewed Journal; Electronic Format(s) Available: Electronic; Print

Document Type:Review-Book

Release Date:20060522

Accession Number:2006-05726-006

Database: PsycINFO

Title: Informing policies in forensic settings: A review of research investigating the effects of exposure to media violence on challenging/offending behaviour.

Author(s):Steward, Joanne H., Psychology Department, Ashworth Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom, JLIreland1@uclan.ac.uk  Follina, Franco, Psychology Department, Ashworth Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom

Address:Steward, Joanne H., Division of Clinical Psychology, The Wheldan Building, Quadrangle, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, United Kingdom, L69 3GB, JLIreland1@uclan.ac.uk 

Source:British Journal of Forensic Practice, Vol 8(2), May 2006. pp. 31-46.

Publisher:United Kingdom: Pavilion Publishing.

ISSN:1463-6646 (Print)

Language:English

Keywords:media violence; behavioral effects; aggressive behavior; violence; inappropriate behavior

Abstract:This review collates the empirical evidence on the behavioural effects of media violence. It assesses the content of different forms of media to which patients in secure services could be exposed. Numerous explanations for behaving aggressively are examined, using a variety of theoretical backgrounds. The effect of viewing different forms of violence on individuals' behaviour is also examined. The review includes positive influences of exposure to media violence, though the main findings are that exposure to aggressive and violent material increases aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviour. The review presents research on violence depicted in films, video games, comic books and song lyrics, and assesses its impact on aggressive and inappropriate behaviour; it also addresses exposure to weapons. We conclude by outlining how this research could influence policy on the resources made available to forensic populations, advocating assessment of the suitability of presenting a particular piece of media violence to the individual rather than a whole population, and the possibility that individual responses to media violence can be a useful assessment tool. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)(from the journal abstract)

Subjects:*Aggressive Behavior; *Behavior Problems; *Mass Media; *Violence

Classification:Mass Media Communications (2750) Behavior Disorders & Antisocial Behavior (3230)

Population:Human (10)

Methodology:Literature Review

Publication Type:Journal, Peer Reviewed Journal; Print Format(s) Available: Print

Document Type:Journal Article

Release Date:20060807

Accession Number:2006-07825-006

Number of Citations in Source:67

Database: PsycINFO

Full Text Database: CINAHL with Full Text

Title:Entertainment psychology: Bypassing treatment resistance in emotionally disturbed adolescent males.

Author(s):Coon, Ryan, George Fox U., US

Source:Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, Vol 66(7-B), 2006. pp. 3942.

Publisher:US: ProQuest Information & Learning.

ISSN:0419-4217 (Print)

Order Number:AAI3183321

Language:English

Keywords:treatment resistance; entertainment psychology; emotionally disturbed; adolescent males; oppositional defiant disorder; conduct disorder

Abstract:Emotionally-disturbed adolescent males, particularly those diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder, are notoriously resistant to traditional forms of psychotherapy. Simultaneously, adolescent males are the target market for entertainment companies that produce products via multiple entertainment venues (e.g., comic books, card games, and video games). This dissertation is the first step in synthesizing psychotherapy with entertainment venues in order to bypass treatment resistance in emotionally-disturbed adolescent males. The entertainment venue of focus for this dissertation is a comic book series. The goal of the comic books is to entertain while promoting therapeutic healing. The therapeutic value entails having multiple cognitive behavioral interventions, which are supported by empirical research, as tools that the main character picks up along his intrapsychic journey towards a cohesive sense of self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

Subjects:*Conduct Disorder; *Emotional Disturbances; *Human Males; *Oppositional Defiant Disorder; *Treatment Resistant Disorders; Psychology; Psychotherapy

Classification:Health & Mental Health Treatment & Prevention (3300)

Population:Human (10)

 Methodology: Empirical Study

Publication Type:Dissertation Abstract; Print Format(s) Available: Electronic; Print

Release Date:20060417

Accession Number:2006-99002-146

Database: PsycINFO

Title: Fighting and Flying: Archival Analysis of Threat, Authoritarianism, and the North American Comic Book.

Author(s):Peterson, Bill E., Smith College, Northampton, MA, US, bpeterso@smith.edu  Gerstein, Emily D., Smith College, Northampton, MA, US

Address:Peterson, Bill E., Department of Psychology, Smith College, Northampton, MA, US, 01063, bpeterso@smith.edu 

Source:Political Psychology, Vol 26(6), Dec 2005. pp. 887-904.

Publisher:United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing.

ISSN:0162-895X (Print) 1467-9221 (Electronic)

Digital Object Identifier:10.1111/j.1467-9221.2005.00449.x 

Language:English

Keywords: archival analysis; economic threat; authoritarianism; North American comic book; aggressive imagery

Abstract:In this archival study, themes of authoritarianism (Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswik, Levinson, & Sanford, 1950) were content coded in American comic books. Comic books produced during years of relatively high social and economic threat (1978-82 and 1991-92) contained more aggressive imagery, more conventional themes, less intraception, and fewer spoken lines by women characters relative to comic books produced during years of relatively low threat (1983-90). Unexpectedly, speaking roles for characters of color did not differ due to the influence of threat. Discussion focused on the theoretical relationship between threat and manifestations of authoritarianism at the societal and individual levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)(from the journal abstract)

Subjects:*Aggressive Behavior; *Authoritarianism; *Books; *Society; *Threat; Social Influences

Classification:Political Processes & Political Issues (2960) Literature & Fine Arts (2610)

Population:Human (10) Male (30) Female (40)

Location:US

Methodology:Empirical Study; Quantitative Study

Publication Type: Journal, Peer Reviewed Journal; Electronic

Format(s) Available: Electronic; Print

Document Type:Journal Article

Release Date:20060103

Accession Number:2005-14557-003

Number of Citations in Source:31

Database: PsycINFO

Full Text Database: Academic Search Premier

Title: Review of Comics & Ideology.

Author(s):Paton, George E. C., Aston University, Aston, PA, US

Source:Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, Vol 18(1), 2005. pp. 120-123.

Publisher:Germany: Walter de Gruyter.

Reviewed Item:McAllister, Matthew P. (Ed); Sewell, Edward H., Jr. (Ed); Gordon, Ian (Ed) (2001). Comics & Ideology; New York: Peter Lang, 2001. 303 pp. $29.95

ISSN:0933-1719 (Print)
1613-3722 (Electronic)

Language:English

Keywords:comics; ideology; social power; humor; sociolinguistics

Abstract:Reviews the book, "Comics & Ideology," edited by Matthew P. McAllister, Edward H. Sewell, Jr., and Ian Gordon. This book of essays contains no less than twelve contributions from authors in the USA and Far Eastern countries predominantly. Their common theme of comics and ideology importantly redresses our ignorance of the many sociocultural functions comic books and comic strips reflect, centrally issues of social power and ideology as seen through diverse theoretical perspectives ranging from cultural studies to mythic analysis. The contributors furnish critical accounts of the various forms of comic art examined even where these are not normally of interest to the humor scholar. This book should act as a guide to inducting undergraduates (many of whom clearly are comic strip readers) into the serious, but not solemn, study of a number of humor-tinged areas touched on by the contributors, not least gender relations, organizational culture, and democratic political policy-making impact on society. For humorologists in particular, it should not only be required reading for their students in humor courses, but hopefully inspire more sustained studies of comic strips along sociolinguistic lines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

Subjects:*Cartoons (Humor); *Humor; *Sociocultural Factors; *Sociolinguistics

Classification:Literature & Fine Arts (2610)

Population:Human (10)

 Publication Type:Journal, Peer Reviewed Journal; Print
Format(s) Available: Electronic; Print

Document Type:Review-Book

Release Date:20050705

Accession Number:2005-06553-010

Number of Citations in Source:3

Database: PsycINFO

View:Citation

Title:Savage pastimes: A cultural history of violent entertainment.

Author(s):Schechter, Harold, Queens College, New York City, NY, US

Source:New York, NY, US: St Martin's Press, 2005. 192 pp.

ISBN:0-312-28276-1 (hardcover)

Language:English

Keywords:violent entertainment; children; popular media; movies; video games; television

Abstract:(from the jacket) Does violent entertainment rot our children's brains and turn them into zombies--or worse, criminals? In this cogent, thoroughly researched book, American pop-culture expert Harold Schechter argues that exactly the opposite is true: a basic human need is given an outlet through violent images in popular media. Moving from an exploration of early broadside engravings showing torture and the atrocities of war, to the depictions of crime in Victorian "penny dreadfuls," to scenes of violence in movies and video games, Schechter not only traces the history of disturbing images but analyzes the outrage they have inevitably provoked. By the twentieth century, the cultural watchdogs were out in full force, demonizing everything from movies to comic books and setting up a pattern of equating action-packed entertainment with aggression. According to Schechter, nothing could be further from the truth. He also blasts those who bemoan the alleged ultra-violence in media today and who conveniently scapegoat popular entertainment for a variety of cultural ills, including increased crime and real-life violence. Though American pop culture is far more technologically sophisticated today, Schechter shows that it is far less brutal than the entertainments of previous generations. Savage Pastimes is a rich, eye-opening brief history that will make you rethink your assumptions about what we watch and how it affects us all. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

Subjects:*Childhood Development; *Criminal Behavior; *History; *Mass Media; *Violence; Computer Games; Films; Television

Classification:Criminal Behavior & Juvenile Delinquency (3236) Mass Media Communications (2750)

Population:Human (10)

Intended Audience:Psychology: Professional & Research (PS)

Publication Type:Book, Authored Book; Print

Release Date: 20060821

Accession Number:2005-10075-000

Database: PsycINFO

Title:'Even an android can cry'.

Author(s):Nelson, Tim, NelsonDichmont@aol.com 

Address:Nelson, Tim, 30 Penrhyn Crescent, London, United Kingdom, E17 5BH, NelsonDichmont@aol.com 

Source:Journal of Gender Studies, Vol 13(3), Nov 2004. pp. 251-257.

Publisher:United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.

ISSN:0958-9236 (Print) 1465-3869 (Electronic)

Digital Object Identifier:10.1080/0958923042000287867 

Language:English

Keywords:comic books; superheroes; bodybuilding; masculinity

Abstract:'Even An Android Can Cry' is a short piece that uses a critical examination of a full-page illustration from a Marvel comic book to explore larger issues regarding the relationships between superheroes, bodybuilding and ideas of masculinity. The piece contrasts the ideal of the bodybuilder/superhero as male role model with the more ironic and ambiguous approach of the illustration, going on to suggest that the version of masculinity depicted by Marvel Comics during the 1960s offered a fuller response to the problem of growing up than the traditional approach of the superhero genre. The piece explicitly refers to Mark Simpson's arguments regarding bodybuilding from Male Impersonators, Sam Fussel's bodybuilding memoir, Muscle and Susan Sontag's 'Notes on Camp'. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)(from the journal abstract)

Subjects:*Masculinity; *Printed Communications Media; Body Size

Classification:Literature & Fine Arts (2610)

Population:Human (10)

Publication Type:Journal, Peer Reviewed Journal; Print Format(s) Available: Electronic; Print

Document Type:Journal Article

Release Date:20050103

Accession Number:2004-21286-005

Number of Citations in Source:5

Database: PsycINFO

Full Text Database: Academic Search Elite

Title:Comics as Art Therapy.

Author(s):Mulholland, Matthew J., Ramapo College of New Jersey, US

Address:Mulholland, Matthew J., 34 South Street, Ridgefield Park, NJ, US, 07660

Source:Art Therapy, Vol 21(1), 2004. pp. 42-43.

Publisher:US: American Art Therapy.

ISSN:0742-1656 (Print)

Language:English

Keywords:comic books; therapeutic intervention; art therapy; social issues; developmental skills

Abstract:The article focuses on the use of comics in therapeutic intervention. It was not until the end of the 20th century that comics became an acclaimed artistic medium, with profound and relevant writing and technically strong and aesthetically pleasing visuals. Professionals began praising comics for tackling "weighty issues of racism and bigotry, war and envy, and friendship, as well as the individual sense of responsibility and balance in life." Some of the characters mirrored the same concerns of the everyday person, "developing skills, talent, and powers, and then using them in a responsible way." Comic books became deep and complex works because their creators began to put their real life experiences into the books, as opposed to simply making up fantastic tales of far-from-realistic beings. Artists and writers began to use events in their lives that had caused them joy, pain, fear, and envy, and in a cathartic process, used their creations to relieve themselves of heavy emotions. In a way, the works began to take on aspects of their creators and became possible forms of therapy as well as art. As a therapeutic tool, creating comics is a safe avenue of release for clients. Within the panels, the client can create a world in which the actions of his or her characters carry only the consequences that the artist chooses. Using comic book creation as a therapy tool can be especially useful for children because the comic book medium is familiar to them. In therapy, clients of all ages can express anything they wish through their characters. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

Subjects:*Art; *Art Therapy; *Psychotherapeutic Techniques

Classification:Art & Music & Movement Therapy (3357)

Population:Human (10)

Publication Type:Journal, Peer Reviewed Journal; Print Format(s) Available: Print

Document Type:Journal Article

Release Date:20041018

Accession Number:2004-12940-008

Number of Citations in Source:5

Database: PsycINFO