Bibliography

"Hulk (Bruce Banner)." Marvel Universe. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. <http://marvel.com/universe/Hulk_(Bruce_Banner)>.

Pace, Eric. "Benjamin Spock." On This Day. The New York Times, 17 Mar. 1998. Web. 4 Oct. 2012.
<Pace, Eric. "Benjamin Spock." On This Day. The New York Times, 17 Mar. 1998. Web. 4 Oct. 2012.>

Cherry, Kendra. "Sigmund Freud - Life, Work and Theories." About.com Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. <http://psychology.about.com/od/sigmundfreud/p/sigmund_freud.htm>.

Benjamin Spock

Benjamin Spock researched childhood care.  He believed that a permissive approach to raising a child would have a more successful result which would produce successful, confident adults.  He encouraged parents to be loving, flexible and supportive.  He would have taken interest in Bruce Banner's poor parental guidance.  He could have used Bruce's family as an example to show that poor parenting will result in an unhappy child.  Bruce lived his life constantly stressed and angry, a result of his father's abuse and mother's death.  Spock would have seen this result, which would support his theory.

Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud was the founder of Psychoanalytic Theory.  He believed that our childhood experiences are stored in our unconscious mind and we are normally unaware of these memories but they can have a powerful impact on how we function.  He would've taken interest in the Hulk and Bruce Banner's pent-up childhood anger and abusive memories.  He would've seen Bruce Banner as a victim of this abuse wherein his memories were the cause of these outbursts of the Hulk's rage.  These two personalities can be seen as Bruce Banner as a representation of the Ego, and the Hulk as a representation of the Id.

The Hulk's Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is the state of having inconsistent thoughts as relating to behavioural decisions and changes.  The Hulk displays this often.  When Bruce Banner initially begins transforming, he does not like that he cannot control his mind as the Hulk.  But as time goes on, he realizes the brawn he has acquired and begins to enjoy it.  This leaves Banner with cognitive dissonance because he is torn between these two forms and cannot figure out what to do.  At times we see him minimizing his stress, the trigger of the transformation, to avoid changing, but other times we see him encouraging these factors to change forms.

Learning Theory

Throughout Bruce Banner's childhood, his father displayed various acts of anger.  These acts were portrayed in each aspect of his life.  As a young child Bruce acquired these traits, which worsened with age.  When Banner underwent his transformation, the Hulk become a representation of this anger that he had been carrying through his life.  The Hulk was an amplification of these feelings wherein he would destroy anything as an outlet.  His anger was not always properly conveyed and he would become a threat to society.  However after seeing the destruction he left as the Hulk, he learned to use his abilities for good, in a way that would help society.

Behaviourism

After struggling for a while with his two forms, Banner met Doc Samson who helped him to make peace with himself.  Doc Samson believed he could control Banner's behaviour by identifying the factors that motivated his rage to begin with.  Through hypnosis, Samson tapped into Banner's subconscious and reached his inner spirit.  In doing this, Banner was forced to face his inner demons and the roots of his problems- his issues with his abused childhood and the murder of his dear mother.  Ultimately, Banner's multiple personalities merged and Banner was now able to control his mind while having the strength and body of the Hulk.

Psychoanalytic Theory

Bruce Banner transforms into the Hulk in times of stress and becomes a menace to society.  When in this state, the Hulk loses his connection to his conscious mind and becomes uncontrollable.  Due to Banner’s troubled childhood, he was left with anger and rage issues buried deep inside his unconscious mind.  When undergoing a time of stress, and transforming into his other form, the Hulk acts from his Id, losing the relationship of his Ego and Superego completely.