Dr Sharon Lamb of the University of Massachusetts compared the comic book heroes of previous generations, like Superman who fought for social justice and had a day job as a reporter, with the new wave of movie superheroes, such as playboy millionaire Iron Man.
Dr Lamb told the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, 'Today's superhero is too much like an action hero who participates in non-stop violence; he's aggressive, sarcastic and rarely speaks to the virtue of doing good for humanity. When not in superhero costume, these men, like Iron Man, exploit women, flaunt bling and convey their manhood with high-powered guns.'
In a separate presentation, Dr Carlos Santos of Arizona State University examined the ability of 426 middle school boys to resist stereotyped images of masculinity. He found boys' ability to resist macho images declined as they moved into adolescence.
'Helping boys resist these behaviours early on seems to be a critical step toward improving their health and the quality of their social relationships,' he said.
With thanks to www.nurseryworld.co.uk
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