Psychology & the Movies

Overview of Approaches Psychology and the Movies

This web page is designed to provide links to resources on psychology and the movies. These resources are grouped into two broad approaches to using the movies in connection with psychology:

First, movies are often used as part of an educational or psychoeducational process. This is best represented by Dr. Danny Wedding's book Movies and Mental Illness. Dr. Wedding is a well known speaker on using movies to teach people about mental illness. However, he is also concerned with the portrayal of mental illness in the movies. For example, he is concerned that mental ill individuals are often presented in an inaccurate negative light in some movies. Additionally, he is concerned that mental health professionals are often presented in an inaccurate or negative light in the movies. His work helps to correct these misconceptions and inaccuracies. His work is an extremely important contribution to the psychological community and those suffering with mental illness.

Second, movies can also be understood as symbolic of many aspects of our psychological existence. As such, they often reflect many important aspects of culture and psychological existence. My interest has primarily been in this second approach to psychology and the movies. The majority of the relevant web pages I've developed fall into this second category.

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