In Session with Iron Man and Spider-Man with Dr. De Los Reyes

September 17, 2020

With great podcasting, comes great responsibility. Dr. Sam and Dr. Fran take a detour from discussing a single show or movie and instead attempt to tackle an entire universe. Join us as we discuss the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), including the personality traits and potential diagnoses for Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Peter Parker (Spider-Man). Iron Man is a self-declared narcissist, but is he actually? Peter Parker on the other hand is a shy adolescent. But that’s only when he’s not wearing a mask!

This week, the doctors are joined by their first guest—Dr. Andres De Los Reyes, a professor of psychology at the University of Maryland at College Park and the editor of the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. Dr. De Los Reyes discusses mentorship through the lens of Tony Stark and Peter Parker’s relationship. He also uses the MCU to discuss navigating conflicts and compromises.

Finally, listen to discover which Marvel characters and movies are our favorites. We can’t tackle the full MCU in one week’s session so we may have to use an Infinity Stone to time or space travel and cover additional MCU movies in the future… or past?!

Glossary of Terms

Anxiety attack – a term used in the general public to describe a panic attack, though not a formal diagnosis or an official medical term

Panic attack – an intense period of fear characterized by a specific set of symptoms, including increased heart rate, shaking, chills, and chest pain.

Narcissism – personality trait characterized by a pattern of grandiosity, lack of empathy, and a need for admiration

National Institutes of Health (NIH) – primary agency in the U.S. responsible for conducting and funding medical and public health research

Imposter syndrome – unfounded set of thoughts and feelings centered around fears that one will be exposed as a “fraud”

Curriculum vitae (CV) – written overview of academic work including publications, qualifications, etc.

References

We were honored to host Dr. Andres De Los Reyes on the podcast this session! He shared some excellent insights from his book The Early Career Researchers Toolbox. Preview Chapter 1 here and purchase anywhere you normally get your books (including Amazon)!

Dr. De Los Reyes is also the Program Chair for the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology’s (JCCAP) Future Directions Forum – an annual meeting that focuses on providing early career researchers with advice on all elements of academic work. Check out the official website to preview 2021’s programming!

We loved refreshing out knowledge of the Marvel characters with Superhero Origins by Robin S. Rosenberg. Check out this book and other work by Dr. Rosenberg here.

Dr. De Los Reyes recommends a few books for aspiring researchers: Randy Olson’s Houston, We Have a Narrative: Why Science Needs a Story and Paul J. Silva’s How to Write A Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing.

Dr. De Los Reyes refers to Moffit and Caspi’s seminal work on the impact of nature vs. nurture in child development. Learn more about their research here and here.