Directions: Answer questions 33 to 48 according to the text.

TEXT

WHY DO SUPERVILLAINS FASCINATE US? A

PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

---------------Why are we fascinated by supervillains? Posing

-----the question is much like asking why evil itself intrigues

-----us, but there's much more to our continued interest in

-----supervillains than meets the eye.

5---- Not only do Lex Luthor, Dracula and the Red Skull

-----run unconstrained by conventional morality, they exist

-----outside the limits of reality itself. Their evil, even at its

-----most realistic, retains a touch of the unreal.

---------------But is our fascination with fantastic fiends¹

10--- healthy? From a psychological perspective, views vary

-----on what drives our enduring interest in superhuman bad

-----guys.

---------------Shadow confrontation: Psychiatrist Carl Jung

-----believed we need to confront and understand our own

15--- hidden nature to grow as human beings. Healthy

-----confrontation with our shadow selves can unearth new

-----strengths (e.g., Bruce Wayne creating his Dark Knight

-----persona to fight crime), whereas unhealthy attempts at

-----confrontation may involve dwelling on or unleashing the

20--- worst parts of ourselves.

---------------Wish fulfillment: Sigmund Freud viewed human

-----nature as inherently antisocial, biologically driven by the

-----undisciplined id's pleasure principle to get what we

-----want when we want it – born to be bad but held back by

25--- society. Even if the psyche fully develops its ego

-----(source of self-control) and superego (conscience),

-----Freudians say the id still dwells² underneath, and it

-----wishes for many selfish things – so it would love to be

-----supervillainous.

30-------------Hierarchy of needs: Humanistic psychologist

-----Abraham Maslow held that people who haven't met

-----their most basic needs will have difficulty maturing. If

-----starved for food, you're unlikely to feel secure. If

-----starved for love and companionship, you'll have trouble

35--- building self-esteem. People who dwell on their deficits

-----may envy and resent others who have more than they

-----do. Some people who are unable to overcome social

-----shortcomings fantasize about obtaining any means,

-----good or bad, to satisfy every need and greed.

40-------------Conditioning: Ivan Pavlov would say we can learn

-----to associate supervillains with other things we value –

-----like entertainment, strength, freedom or the heroes

-----themselves. Behaviorist B.F. Skinner would likely argue

-----that we can find it reinforcing to watch or read about

45--- supervillains, but without knowing what's reinforcing

-----about them, that's a bit like saying it's rewarding

-----because it's rewarding.

---------------Our Motivations for Seeking Out Supervillains

---------------Throughout history, humans have been captivated

50--- by stories of heroes facing off against superhuman

-----foes³ . But what specific rewards, needs, wishes and

-----dark dreams do supervillains satisfy?

---------------Freedom: Superpowered characters enjoy

-----freedoms the rest of us don't. Nobody can arrest

55--- Superman unless he lets them (at least not without

-----kryptonite handcuffs). As much time as supervillains

-----spend locked up, they seem to escape as often as they

-----please, to run unconstrained by rules and regulations.

-----Cosplayers who dress like Wonder Woman and

60--- Captain America can't do any crazy thing that crosses

-----their minds without seeming to mock and insult our

-----heroes, whereas those dressed as villains get to go

-----wild. Supervillainy feels liberating.

---------------Power: Maybe you envy the power these evil

65--- characters wield⁴ . While that's also a reason to adore

-----superheroes, good guys don't ache to dominate.

-----Stories like Watchmen and Kingdom Come show how

-----heroes become menaces⁵ when they try to take over.

-----So when dreaming of superpowers, maybe you relate

70--- to characters who dream of power as well, from the

-----Scarecrow (who controls individuals' fears) to Doctor

-----Doom (who's perpetually out to dominate the world).

---------------Better villain than victim: Physiologically, anger

-----activates us and feels better than anxiety or fear. One

75--- who feels victimized and cannot figure out constructive

-----ways to stand up, be strong or become heroic might

-----twist the need for self-assertion into destruction.

-----Alternately, a healthy person simply might focus on how

-----all characters assert themselves in any given story.

80-------------Better villain equals better hero: A hero only

-----appears as heroic as the challenge he or she must

-----overcome. Great heroes require great villains. Without

-----supercriminals, the world's finest heroes seem like

-----overpowered brutes nabbing thugs⁶ unworthy of them.

85--- Through myths, legends and lore across time, we have

-----needed heroes who rise to the occasion, overcome

-----great odds⁷ and take down giants.

---------------Facing our fears: Instead of dreading the

-----darkness, you might reduce that dread by shining a

90--- light and seeing what's out there. Fiction can help us

-----feel empowered and enlightened without literally

-----traipsing into mob hangouts⁸ and poorly lit alleyways⁹

---------------Exploring the unknown: Our need to challenge

-----the unknown has driven the human race to cover the

95--- globe. This powerful curiosity makes us wonder about

-----everything that baffles¹⁰ us, including the world's worst

-----fiends. Knowledge is power, or at least feels like it.

-----When gritty details repulse us, exploring evil through the

-----filter of fiction can help us contemplate humanity's

100-- worst without turning away or dwelling almost

-----voyeuristically on real human tragedy. Even when the

-----fiction is about improbable people doing impossible

-----things, the story's fantastic nature reassures us that this

-----cannot happen – and therefore we don't have to turn

105-- away.

---------------Supervillains' Ultimate Purpose

---------------In the end, our interest in supervillains can be

-----healthy or unhealthy. Even the more maladaptive

-----reasons for such fascination tend to arise from

110-- motivations that were originally healthy and natural –

-----frustrated drives that went the wrong way.

---------------Remember, though, that superheroic fiction

-----ultimately begins and ends with the heroes. Comic book

-----writers and artists create supervillains, who move in and

115-- out as guest stars and supporting cast, first and

-----foremost to reveal how heroic the comics' stars can be.

(Adapted from https://www.wired.com/2012/07/why-do-supervillains-fascinate-us/)

Glossary:

1. fiend – an evil and cruel person

2. to dwell – remain

3. foe – an enemy

4. to wield – influence, use power

5. menace – threat

6. to nab thugs – arrest criminals

7. odds – probability

8. to traipse into mob hangouts – walk among places where gangs, criminals meet

9. poorly lit alleyways – narrow road or path with little light

10. to baffle – confuse somebody completely

In the sentence “when gritty details repulse us [...]” (line 98), the underlined word m...