Psychologists get inside the human (and superhuman) mind, in these insightful essays about Batman, Wonder Woman, and many more of our favorite characters.

Why do superheroes choose to be superheroes? Where does Spider-Man's altruism come from, and what does it mean? Why is there so much prejudice against the X-Men, and how could they have responded to it, other than the way they did? Why are super-villains so aggressive?

The Psychology of Superheroes answers these questions in a wide range of essays on topics from Aquaman to Arkham Asylum—exploring the inner workings our heroes usually only share with their therapists.