The information environments that modern society requires us to master and engage in are based in literacy and digital communication. Mediated information not only passes through our brains, it alters and rewires them. Since our environment, to a large extent, is shaped by the way we perceive, understand, and communicate information, we can even think of mental disorders as symptoms of maladaptation to our media environments. This book uses this "media ecology" model to explore the effects of media on mental disorders. It traces the development of media from the most basic forms--the sights and sounds expressed by the human body--to the most technologically complex media created to date, showing how each medium of communication relates to specific mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and autism. As the digital age proceeds to envelop us in an environment of infinite and instantly accessible information, it's crucial to our own mental health to understand how the various forms of media influence and shape our minds and behaviors.

The latent symbolism in film imagery can be psychoanalyzed just like the imagery in dreams. This work applies to film the psychoanalytic techniques of Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Joseph Campbell, Otto Rank and Rollo May, providing a fundamental understanding of film symbols and structure. It offers a comprehensive and eclectic approach to film analysis, using a broad variety of theories and examples from both classic and contemporary movies, from Dracula (1930) to American Beauty (1999). The final chapter applies all the previously discussed techniques to one film, Malcolm X (1992). The work boasts a filmography and bibliography and is illustrated with film stills.

The Digital God explains how spiritual experience evolved, how it has changed over time, and how it continues to change. It's the first book to explore the influence of media on spirituality, and the only book that predicts the impact of the digital environment on our experience of the spiritual world. The title refers to the possible future of spiritual experience, a future in which our perception of God is forged out of a digital interface between our own internal image of the divine, virtual reality technology that produces real perceptions, and neurological devices that stimulate specific areas of the brain that are associated with spiritual perceptions. The media that we use to perceive our world molds our perception of everything, even our perception of the spiritual. As 21st Century humans charge full-speed ahead up the vertical slope of technological innovation, the new media of the Digital Age will reshape our perception of our world, ourselves, and our God. This book traces the history of the development of spiritual experience, and takes a peak into the future to reveal the next possible stage of spirituality, a future in which digital and neurological technology combine to create an experience of the divine for the new age... a ""digital god.

Archetypal symbols in ancient myths as well as the folktales, nursery stories, and fairytales of the Middle Ages are the blueprints of modern fantasy literature. This book explores the modern dreamscape of present-day fantasy, using the ancient myths and traditional fairytales as guides and shining the light of psychological insight onto every symbolic figure and theme encountered. Chapters are dedicated to all of the significant archetypes: heroes and princesses, fairy godmothers and evil witches, wizards and dark lords, magic, and magical beasts are all explored. The analyses and interpretations are informed by classic psychoanalytic studies; the fantasy literature examined in this book include the most popular and influential works in the genre.

Western films are often considered sprawling reflections of the American spirit. This book analyzes the archetypes, themes, and figures within the principal mythology of the western frontier. Western themes are interpreted as expressions of cultural needs that perform specific psychological functions for the audience. The chapters are devoted to the frontier hero character, the roles of women and Native Americans, and the work of the genre's most prolific directors, Anthony Mann and John Ford. The book includes a filmography and movie stills.