There is an urban myth about a child who jumps from his bedroom window, wearing a towel as a cape, in pursuit of his superheroic dreams. In various retellings of the story, the child either dies or sustains permanent injuries.
There was, of course, no such child. It was simply a tale that was told and retold to serve as an example, a warning to impressionable children not to imitate the special powers of their superheroes.
Whatever form they take, whether as fables or entertaining yarns, we need and love stories. We also need and love storytellers. The global and heartfelt response to the death of Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee last week underscores this. Lee was widely heralded as an innovator in storytelling, spinning stories about superheroes with recognisable human and fallible qualities. During his time at Marvel, he brought us, among others, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk, timeless stories that have survived changing generations and eras.
The function and impact of such stories is something that psychologists and psychiatrists have a longstanding interest in. When comic books first became popular in the 1930s, there was, at first, alarm about the impact this medium might have on young minds. In 1954, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham published a book, Seduction of the Innocent, which attempted to spell out the psychological and societal dangers of comic books.
A bestseller at the time, it argued that comic books could have a detrimental impact on young minds and that they were a major cause of juvenile delinquency. The basic argument was that children imitated the behaviour they were exposed to and if that behaviour was violent and antisocial, the child’s conduct would be too.
Wertham’s arguments were a forerunner to the debates we have since had about violence in movies and on TV and our concerns about its presence in video games. These debates are ongoing and there remains a lack of consensus over whether antisocial behaviour is triggered by exposure to depicted violence and real-life aggression, but most studies are now centred on video games.
And while the 1940s and 1950s saw a shift away from the superhero format to darker comics depicting murder and illicit acts, David Hajdu, author of The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America, argued that while the storylines could sometimes be shocking and did not always serve as morality tales, comic books were popular because the protagonists were often outsiders, people denied entry to society because they lived on the fringes. "It was immeasurably important because comics of all kinds – even superhero comics – were explicit, overt, opulent in their portrayal of the pride of [their] outsider status," he told NBC News. "Superman was the ultimate immigrant. He was an immigrant from another planet."
That narrative – that comic book heroes are not lesser but more empowered by virtue of being outsiders – is a powerful one for any child who feels disenfranchised or left out.
And as long as there has been language, there have been stories. The most engaging stories, be they oral, print or digital, tend to be dramatic, emotive and filled with conflict. Storytelling is thought to trace its roots back to ancient Sumer more than 4,000 years ago, with the Epic of Gilgamesh, written in cuneiform on clay tablets and relaying the tale of a supernatural being on a path to wisdom, with adventures along the way.
In the Arab world, the professional storyteller, or hakawati, has always been revered in society. The historic oral tradition has given way to new forms of media but every culture and society has its stories and those who tell them.
_____________________
Read more from Justin Thomas:
Young people are vulnerable to loneliness too
Psychologists cannot afford to ignore our valuable digital data trail
Why teachers need help just as much as their pupils
_____________________
The universality of storytelling and the shared themes we find across cultures has led some psychologists, most notably Carl Jung, psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud’s one-time protege, to the idea that the protagonists represent archetypes; that is, shared aspects of our common psychological inheritance. In this view, superheroes and villains are contemporary manifestations of ancient elements of the human psyche: the hero, the shadow, the trickster, the mother.
Perhaps this psychoanalytic view helps explain our particular character preferences and obsessions. I have friends who have nearly come to blows arguing over the relative merits of Wolverine versus Captain America. Certain characters and storylines might speak to our particular psychological needs at different times in our lives, providing comfort and hope, along with a large dose of escapism.
It is also no coincidence that comic books emerged out of the Great Depression of the 1930s and peaked in popularity during the Second World War. The need for heroes, real or imagined, is never greater than in our darkest hours. In 1936, then US president Franklin Roosevelt said: “When the spirit of the people is lower than at any other time during this Depression, it is a splendid thing that for just 15 cents, an American can go to a movie and forget his troubles.”
In whatever form they are delivered, stories of superheroes are a powerful tool. They can be used for entertainment, education or to make a moral point. They can help us arrive at a deeper understanding of subjects that are difficult to communicate in a straightforward way. And they can be interpreted on different levels at different times. Some of their benefits might even lie dormant in our minds until a significant life experience allows us to see that story in a new light, perhaps helping us make better sense of a challenging situation.
Seen in this way, the storyteller can take the role of teacher, entertainer, moral instructor and perhaps even psychotherapist. The impact of Lee's creations will no doubt reverberate for many generations to come, on multiple levels.
Dr Justin Thomas is professor of psychology at Zayed University
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The%20end%20of%20Summer
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Salha%20Al%20Busaidy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20316%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20The%20Dreamwork%20Collective%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%20Twin-turbocharged%204-litre%20V8%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20625%20bhp%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20630Nm%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh974%2C011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20WonderTree%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20April%202016%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Waqas%20and%20Muhammad%20Usman%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karachi%2C%20Pakistan%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%2C%20and%20Delaware%2C%20US%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Special%20education%2C%20education%20technology%2C%20assistive%20technology%2C%20augmented%20reality%3Cbr%3EN%3Cstrong%3Eumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E16%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGrowth%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Grants%20from%20the%20Lego%20Foundation%2C%20UAE's%20Anjal%20Z%2C%20Unicef%2C%20Pakistan's%20Ignite%20National%20Technology%20Fund%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
