Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive All Theses and Dissertations 2016-11-01 Social Supers: A Content Analysis of Non-Physical Aggressions in Popular Superhero Movies Ian Trent Gillespie Brigham Young University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Communication Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Gillespie, Ian Trent, "Social Supers: A Content Analysis of Non-Physical Aggressions in Popular Superhero Movies" (2016). All Theses and Dissertations. 6127. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6127 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. Social Supers: A Content Analysis of Non-Physical Aggressions in Popular Superhero Movies Ian Trent Gillespie A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Quint Randle, Chair Tom Robinson Sarah M. Coyne School of Communications Brigham Young University Copyright © 2016 Ian Trent Gillespie All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Social Supers: A Content Analysis of Non-Physical Aggressions in Popular Superhero Movies Ian Trent Gillespie School of Communications, BYU Master of Arts In recent years superhero movies have skyrocketed in popularity, bringing with them plots and characters that tend to exhibit high levels of aggression. As social learners, humans often learn from what they observe, and especially emulate characters they admire – including fictional superheroes and villains. Consequently, this study content analyzed non-physical aggressions (verbal aggression, relational aggression, and violent ideation) in the top 25 highest grossing superhero movies between 2005 and 2015.