Why are we so obsessed with vampires?

In this episode, I'm joined by psychologist and author David Cohen. We chat about his book The Psychology of Vampires (Routledge, 2019) and David unpacks what vampires really represent in the human mind—from repressed desires and forbidden sexuality to our deepest fears about death, power, and emotional dependency.

We delve into how Freud, Jung, and modern psychological theories help explain the vampire’s grip on our imagination—and why this mythical figure has evolved from a terrifying predator to a tortured, seductive anti-hero in today’s pop culture.

You can order a copy of the Psychology of Vampires directly from Routledge

Find out more about David's books and films here

And you can contact David on dcpsychologynews@gmail.com

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You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology

If you haven't listened to the previous interview episode with Dr Janina Scarlet on the idea of Superhero Therapy then instead get the cheat sheet with all the best bits here.

Also, I extrapolate from Superhero Therapy to Bandura's Bobo doll experiments from the 1960s, behavioural noise from Daniel Kahneman, and I also share a couple of super resources for you to dive into.

Resources

Superhero Therapy for Anxiety and Trauma by Dr Janina Scarlet: https://amzn.eu/d/1SX8xbv

Bandura's Bobo Doll Experiment: https://www.simplypsychology.org/bobo-doll.html

Noise by Daniel Kahneman: https://amzn.eu/d/jjm6eor

Our Superheroes, Ourselves by Robin Rosenberg: https://amzn.eu/d/d4SVYXU

Oxford Risk study (2021) into decision noise for financial advice: https://www.oxfordrisk.com/blog-posts/adviser-noise-in-retirement-income-advice

Hero Cards: www.loveherocards.com

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You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology

In this episode, discover the innovative concept of superhero therapy with Dr. Janina Scarlett. Her work with military personnel, adults, and children integrates pop culture heroes into evidence-based therapy to help individuals cope with anxiety, trauma, and other mental health challenges.

Links from the episode

Dr Janina Scarlet's website: https://www.superhero-therapy.com/

The Superhero Therapy podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NLrbC0hDBF4TPZe5t8G4a

Dr Scarlet's online courses on Pesi.com

Paper on the effectiveness of Avatar Therapy in people with psychosis

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You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology