Popcorn Psychology

In this episode on Rob Reiner's 80s Classic: The Princess Bride we discuss Grief and loss and the different ways that people react to it. We primarily focus on the presentations of Buttercup, Westley, and Inigo and the different ways in which the deal with losses in their lives. We also discuss the concept of revenge fantasies and how they represent a classic McGuffin that drives many plots, but,...

The wait is over! In the second installment of our Harry Potter series we are discussing The Order of the Phoenix and The Half Blood Prince! This episode will largely focus on youth trauma and the various responses to it in youth as demonstrated by Harry, Luna, and Draco. We will also evaluate the healthiness of the responses to it by the adults in the films and how their use of information (or la...

Welcome back for Season Two! We are diving into a cult classic that has been requested several times by listeners and covering Heathers. We hit a variety of topics: bullying, Antisocial Personality Disorder, suicide, the effects of parenting, and the struggle of trying to find your identity as an adolescent. We also rip apart the movie’s example of a mental health counselor and provide more approp...

In this special Valentine's Day Episode we discuss the classic Millennial Rom Com 10 Things I Hate About You! We discuss Healthy Relationship development, Teen Social Issues, Adjustment Disorder, Family Systems Issues after a divorce, and boundary setting. Tune in to hear us analyze this modern retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and be sure to check our Facebook for a contest about...

In this fetch LIVE recording of Popcorn Psychology we debate the Queen of the Plastics: Regina George. Is she a Psychopath? In this episode we debate Antisocial, Histrionic, and Narcissitic traits displayed by Regina George in Mean Girls live from the Otherworld Theater in Chicago at the Women In Podcasting Festival. Tune in to find out what we think Regina's deal is! Become a supporter of this po...

In our final episode of Season 1 we discuss the life and trials of George Bailey and attempt to answer the question of whether "Wonderful" is a fair assessment. We debate whether George's symptoms are primarily based in depression or anxiety as well as debate the co-morbidity of depression, anxiety, and trauma. We detail the treatments available to help George as he faces his existential crisis. T...

To Smash or not to Smash??? In this very special episode we discuss the 2008's The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton with our friends at Capes on the Couch! We discuss the issues of Anxiety Disorder, Anger Management, PTSD, and Dissociative Trauma. We review the psychology of Edward Norton's version of Dr. Bruce Banner/ Hulk and in this episode cover it from the perspectives of an Individual...

This episode is from our first live show in which we discussed Silver Linings Playbook! Because it is from a live show it is a much shorter episode than usual and, therefore, less of a thorough discussion than in our other episodes. The majority of our focus is breaking down the fact and fiction of how this movie portrays Bipolar Disorder via the character of Pat. We will also be discussing how Pa...

[Content Warning: Discussions of childhood abuse and sexual abuse] How much do our childhood experiences shape who we become? In this episode we will be discussing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, particularly the characters of Creedence and Newt Scamander, and exploring that question. We will be tackling a variety of topics: childhood abuse, grooming, parenting, social skills, trauma, and...

CONTENT WARNING: CHILD ABUSE! In this episode we disuss the psychology of  THE classic horror slasher, Michael Myers, in Halloween (1978 & 2007 versions). We compare and contrast the depiction of Michael Myers as well as Dr. Loomis in the 1978 John Carpenter version with the 2007 remake by Rob Zombie. We review the Adverse Childhood Events Scale (ACES) as well as debate whether Michael shows sympt...

[Content warning for this episode: we will be talking about sexual abuse and the traumatic impact of incest, which may be triggering for some listeners.] Should a boy’s best friend be his mother? Join us as we discuss the movie Psycho and Dissociative Identity Disorder (previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder). We will also be discussing the traumatic impact of isolation, sexual abuse, e...

In Our first Halloween episode, we delve into M. Night Shaymalan's The Sixth Sense and discuss its impressively accurate portrayal of building a therapeutic relationship with a child client by Bruce Willis. We also explore the topic of psychosis and how Cole's experience of seeing dead people reminded us of our own encounters with clients who experience psychotic symptoms. We also discuss the impo...

In this episode we discuss the psychology of the Harry Potter series in the first of 3 episodes we will devote to this topic. We discuss growth and development, social development, trauma, family dynamics, group dynamics, and bullying. We discuss our house membership (Can you guess which one each of us belong to?) and the impact being sorted into houses has on the social structure at Hogwarts. Tun...

In this episode we examine Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, the film that started a revolution of superhero movies and bringing them into a realistic world. In this episode we discuss the themes of finding your identity after a trauma, coping with survivor's guilt, and overcoming grief that are presented in the start of The Dark Knight Trilogy. We focus largely on Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne/ B...

Do you know what role you play in your family? Listen as we discuss the different roles that each superhero plays in the Avengers Family in the film, Captain America: Civil War. We also discuss anger and identity which both play roles in the division of the Avengers as well as the complicated consciousness of an entire galaxy. Who do you think plays the roles of Mom and Dad in this movie? How does...

This Episode won't be ignored! In this fan requested episode we discuss the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder demonstrated by Glenn Close in her depiction of Alex Forrest in 1987's Fatal Attraction. We also debate whether or not the character of Dan displays traits of Narcissitic Personality Disorder or simply Narcissitic Personality. Be sure to listen in to hear our analysis of this cla...

SPOILER ALERT!!! In this episode we cover Martin Scorese's 2010 film Shutter Island. We discuss the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and Psychoses displayed by Teddy/ Andrew. We also debate the ethics of the treatment provided by the Psychiatrists that run the treatment team and evaluate the question of innovation vs conventional when dealing with treatme...

In this episode we discuss the symtpoms of Major Depressive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Caregiver Fatigue displayed masterfully by Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in the 2017 film Logan. We also explore the impact of Dementia in loved ones on Caregivers as displayed by Logan and Caliban as they care for their declining mentor Professor Charles Xavier. We also explore the impact caring...

In this episode we discuss the movie Anchorman:The Legend of Ron Burgundy and how the characters demonstrate multiple symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder, Narcissitic Personality Disorder, and Histrionic Personality Disorder. Tune in to hear us discuss these diagnoses, debate which one we feel is best represented by Ron Burgundy, and how being "kind of a big deal" can lead to an emotional...

The movie we breakdown in episode 4 is, "Call Me by Your Name". This movie gives the audience the pleasure of watching two people fall in love in the beautiful setting of 1983 Northern Italy. It is adapted from the book by the same name and won an Oscar for the screenplay. Listen as we discuss the importance of family acceptance,grief, sexual identity and the trials and tribulations of being a 17...

In this episode we review and discuss Disney's "A Wrinkle in Time". We breakdown the role of grief, loss, depression, and finding your identity. We focus primarily on the journey Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace, but will also cover the story and emotions of the adults. We discuss the symptoms of grief and depression as well as treatment approaches we would offer if these characters were to walk i...

In this episode we examine all 3 films in the Fifty Shades Trilogy. We explore the depiction of Kink and BDSM, the health of the relationship between Christian and Anastasia, and the trauma and abuse experienced by Christian and it's impact on him. We also explore the facts vs fiction in BDSM and the culture of safety and consent and evaluate how it was presented in these films. Fifty Shades of Gr...

Three Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors review Star Wars: The Last Jedi and cover the topics of Trauma, PTSD, and Abusive Relationships and how they impacted the plot and characters of Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader Snoke, and Rey. We discuss the impact Trauma symptoms and abusive relationships have on the characters and discuss how it is represented in the film, how it may look...

This short episode offers a brief introduction to the Podcast as well as into hosts Ben Stover, LCPC, Brittney Brownfield, LCPC, and Hannah Espinoza-Reimus, LCPC, AMFT. We discuss why we created the podcast, our clinical backgrounds, our treatment philosphies, and our favorite movies. QQtMvLU7nMieThACDusL Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/popcorn-psychology--3252...

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