EXPLORING THE DYNAMICS OF RELATIONSHIPS AND EMOTIONAL PROCESSES OF COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS FOR POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS IN FAMILY THERAPY: A CONTENT ANALYSIS APPROACH A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE TEXAS WOMAN’S UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, FAMILY STUDIES, AND COUNSELING COLLEGE OF PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION BY JOHN LLOYD, MS DENTON, TEXAS MAY 2020 Copyright © 2020 by John Lloyd DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my family, who have always provided the support I needed throughout my academic career. To my mom and dad who kept pushing me to finish my work. Also dedicated to my wife Laura who has been my support and cheerleader. You have given me the inspiration to help see myself through this project these last few years. To my grandparents who encouraged my education from a young age, while they are not alive to see what I have accomplished I keep them with me. Finally, to those who may benefit from the research, my hope is that I have helped create something that can be beneficial to those in need. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks and appreciation for Jaron Hataway who assisted in the coding process with me. I truly appreciate the time you gave talking to me about the project and even working with me on it. I want to thank my committee members Dr. Hwang and Dr. Muro who offered their time and expertise. To Dr. Ladd who has been able to stay patient with me throughout the entire process. Thanks for providing the encouragement and guidance when I felt lost or overwhelmed. iii ABSTRACT John Lloyd Exploring the Dynamics of Relationships and Emotional Processes of Comic Book Characters for Potential Implications in Family Therapy: A Content Analysis Approach May 2020 Engaging with clients who have difficulty in understanding and addressing their emotions can cause difficulty for therapists, specifically in working with adolescents who are likely to be resistant to therapy in general. Comic book therapy is an approach that can be utilized by a therapist to help an adolescent engage in therapy by processing through familiar emotions that the client observes in their favorite comic book characters. Using content analysis, the researcher coded a total of 14 graphic novels that were published by both DC and Marvel comics. The research presented in this dissertation indicates that there are a multitude of emotional expressions that are conveyed in comic books. Comic books also utilize an assortment of different mediums to convey emotion and utilize a variety of relational interactions to help characters express and convey their thoughts and emotions. The therapist can then utilize the examples provided by the researcher to aid in the breaking down of therapeutic and relational barriers to better improve a client’s overall emotional well-being. Over time, the practice of comic book therapy can be fine- tuned to better serve a diverse population of clientele. The researcher also intends for the research to be a starting point for a database to be created that benefits therapists and clients alike by identifying narrative themes that can be utilized within the context of therapy. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................... 2 Statement of Purpose ............................................................................................ 4 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 5 Background ........................................................................................................... 5 Bibliotherapy ............................................................................................. 5 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................ 7 Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) ........................................................ 7 Narrative Therapy .................................................................................... 8 Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) ............................................................ 9 Art Therapy ............................................................................................. 10 Anger ........................................................................................................ 11 Definitions ............................................................................................................ 12 Assumptions......................................................................................................... 13 Delimitations ........................................................................................................ 13 Summary .............................................................................................................. 13 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................. 15 Theoretical Framework ...................................................................................... 16 Theory of Psychosocial Development .................................................... 16 Cognitive Behavior Therapy .................................................................. 18 Narrative Therapy .................................................................................. 20 v Solution-Focused Therapy ..................................................................... 22 Bibliotherapy ........................................................................................... 23 Art Therapy ............................................................................................. 25 Comic Book Therapy .............................................................................. 27 Adolescents and Anger ........................................................................... 29 Summary .............................................................................................................. 37 III. METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................... 39 Research Questions ............................................................................................. 40 Procedures ........................................................................................................... 40 Sample Recruitment ............................................................................... 40 Sample of Comic Books .......................................................................... 41 Data Collection .................................................................................................... 41 Coding of Data......................................................................................... 42 Content Analysis ..................................................................................... 44 Reliability and Validity....................................................................................... 44 Summary .............................................................................................................. 45 IV. RESULTS ................................................................................................................... 47 Tables ................................................................................................................... 49 Themes ..................................................................................................... 49 Medium: Portrayal of Emotion ............................................................ 52 Interactions .............................................................................................. 56 Father/Son Themes ................................................................................. 59 Brief Overview of the Graphic Novels Included in this Study........................ 62 Spider-Man: The Last Stand (Marvel) ................................................. 62 X-Men First Class: The Wonder Years (Marvel) ................................ 64 X-Men: Magneto Testament (Marvel) .................................................. 65 Wolverine: Origin (Marvel) ................................................................... 67 House of M (Marvel) ............................................................................... 68 Trinity (DC) ............................................................................................. 70 vi Nightwing: Rough Justice (DC) ............................................................. 71 Batman: The Chalice (DC) ..................................................................... 73 JLA/Titans: Technis Imperative (DC) .................................................