thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This book is such a weird little Venn Diagram of my interests.

First off, it took me a minute to switch from hot, Ice Planet Barbarian porn, to uni-level, Nerd Girl theory, but once I did, I rather enjoyed myself.

Second, I really enjoyed the deep-dive into character psyches. Is the Doctor suffering from PTSD? Are the Daleks morally evil? How do the companions handle fear/grief/abandonment?

I loved the quotes (both from Doctor Who players, and renowned psychologists) and the variety of contributors.

I don’t think the best way to read this is from cover to cover. Flipping through to your favourite character (or your favourite disorder) is probably the better way to go.

Thanks to NetGalley and Turner Publishing for this interesting ARC.

I’m hesitant to give a star rating as this ended up being a DNF for me. I am a huge Dr who fan, so I was really looking forward to the opportunity to delve deeper into the world. I’m not sure if the formatting, which was the biggest issue for me, was due to sending to kindle or if there were larger issues overall with it, but it made it difficult to read. It may be more enjoyable in printed book format. Since this was a DNF for me, I have not rated it on my social media platform.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book*

I recently rewatched all NuWho and was thus quite excited for this book. Sadly, I found it a bit underwhelming because I had expected a bit more depth and academia, it's quite superficial, which is good for readers who are not academics. As an academic myself, I was disappointed because the topics could've been explored in more depth.

2.5 stars

This is a really fun and unique collection of essays and chapters combining Doctor Who with the study of psychology.

I liked how there was a really good amount of new, useful psychology information. I felt like there was a good back and forth between the content being psychology-first and Doctor Who-first. This would be a good read for both a Who fan and someone curious about psychological concepts in general.

I'll admit, I am a new-Who-only fan, and have not watched any of the first 8 Doctors, so there were a lot of references that I wasn't familiar with, but they still did a good job of explaining those concepts as they related to them. Also it was nice to see additions made all the way up through the newest 13th Doctor.

I think this would be a very giftable book for the Doctor Who fans in your life! I'm considering buying a copy for my Dad, a previous college psychology major who I introduced to Who a few years back (he's watched all the vintage episodes so he may enjoy it even more than I did!)

I will say, the eARC format was EXTREMELY poorly formatted which did make it quite difficult to read, which is what kept me past the deadline to finish this book, but I'll leave extra notes about that to the publisher as well.

Travis Langly has brought a Psychology 101 class to readers with his Popular Psychology series. Each book contains several essays by psychologists that address a variety of topics and discuss them in easy- to-understand language using the characters in popular media. This book explores psychology using the Doctor, his companions and his enemies as examples. The first essay in the book asks the reader “Are you a dalek?” and discusses mob mentality. Another early chapter analyzes personality types as exemplified by the various Doctors. Those are only two of the topics addressed. The book also includes a few interviews with some of the actors from the show. This book is a second edition of Doctor Who Psychology with additional essays to include the most recent Doctor and bring readers up to date for the sixtieth anniversary. If pop psychology is of interest to you and you have watched the Dr who series at all, then I recommend this book. “Doctor Who” premiered in 1963 and I have been a fan since PBS started airing the show in America in 1978. I was thrilled to read an advanced review copy through NetGalley. If you are also a “Dr. Who” fan, then this is a must read.

Doctor Who Psychology is an interesting text that bridges the gap between pop culture and the science of psychology. Written in an easily accessible format for the lay person, it relates key psychological concepts back to Doctor Who.

From personality analysis of each of the Doctors to what makes the Weeping Angels the most terrifying creation; from PTSD to the relationships within the series, to gender and identity, from Amy's crack in the wall to Bill's transformation to cyberman, this book uncovers the many different psychological layers to the timeless show.

This is an updated version of the title, including references to the Thirteenth Doctor.

Utterly fascinating, and will require a second read to really grasp some of the theories.

~ Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

This review is based on an uncorrected e-galley of this novel.

This was a fantastic read. Not only did I learn about psychology, I learned some things about Doctor Who that I didn't know too! Definitely a recommended read for Doctor Who and psychology fans alike.

As someone who took a break from DW in 2016, I was excited to revisit the series through Doctor Who Psychology. Since I hadn't been watching the series for a few years, I do admit that I was lost on some references, but I could see what Langley was trying to do.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The above is my honest opinion.

If you’re a diehard Doctor Who fan like me, consider this your next immediate read. I thoroughly enjoyed this read as it highlights some of my favorite aspects of the show, including representation and history. I love that so much of the background for the show (even in early Doctor Who airings) holds enough gravitas to be discussed and intellectualized 60 years later.

I especially enjoyed the interview questions with actors who have portrayed the beloved Time Lord character and their insight into the mechanisms of the show and characters.

Like every other Whovian, I am not so patiently anticipating the return of Doctor Who with the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors this fall and winter. Frankly, the date of the first Sixtieth Anniversary special still feels a little too far away for my liking. I started Doctor Who Psychology for its promise of interviews with past Doctors but stayed for its well-researched and clever essays on Doctor Who, its titular Doctors, and its many well-loved companions and alien species. Not only are the cast interviews outstanding but the articles and essays are incredibly thought-provoking and well-written. This collection is a must-read for all lovers of Doctor Who.

Though some of the essays and interviews appealed to me more than others, each was written with depth, understanding, and a true appreciation for Doctor Who. Below I’ve listed just five of my favorite essays and articles, along with a brief description of their subject matter, in hopes that one of these might appeal to you as well.

“Time Lords to Time Ladies” by Travis Langley and Billy San Juan – An essay about gender, Missy and the Master, Bill Potts, the Twelfth and Thirteenth Doctors, Cybermen, and how it all might connect with the Tardis and Judoon. Hands down, this is my favorite in the entire collection. It’s such a smart article with angles I had never even considered.

“Behind Two Hearts: Grief and Vulnerability” by Janina Scarley and Jenna Busch – An article in which the grief and compounded losses of the Doctor, particularly the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors, is examined.

“Post-Time War Stress Disorder” by Kristin Erickson and Matt Munson, with Travis Langley and Stephen Prescott – An analysis of a potential diagnosis of PTSD in the Post-Time War Doctors using the DSM-5 definition and criteria. A tremendous analysis that was far more interesting than it sounds.

“Who Makes a Good Companion?” by Sarita J. Robinson – An examination of the Doctor’s companions and their skills to determine what the Doctor looks for in his companions and what makes a “good companion.”

“Love on Board a Big Blue Box” by Travis Langley – An essay in which Langley shows that “[t]he Eighth Doctor starts all the kissing,” and that not every companion is the Doctor’s hot young lover, despite what the Tardis has to say on the matter.

The interviews within the book were also outstanding. Multiple Doctors and fan-favorite characters were interviewed for the book, some for longer-form interviews than others. Matt Smith, Alex Kingston, David Tennant, Jodie Whittaker, Christopher Eccleston, Michelle Gomez, Peter Davison, and Sylvester McCoy each appear in interviews within the book, and former companion Katy Manning pens the forward. I don’t want to spoil too much of the interviews, but I will say that the interview with Christopher Eccleston, which is new to this 2nd Edition of Doctor Who Psychology, is especially endearing. Eccleston was an exceptional interviewee; his interview had me pausing to contemplate Hamlet and the loneliness of the Doctor, laughing at his description of the Slitheen, and recalling the best of the Ninth Doctor as Eccleston recounted his favorite scenes and lines. This interview was utter perfection and was a great way to close the book.

Rating: 5/5 Stars.

A special thanks to the publisher for an early copy of the book for review. All the above thoughts are my own. Find my full review at: https://backshelfbooks.com/2023/11/06/doctor-who-psychology-times-change-an-updated-2nd-edition-for-modern-and-classic-whovians-alike/

Why not add psychology to one of my favorite shows?

It's a very interesting take to the different mental states or personalities of the Doctor.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am biased because I have been watching Doctor Who for so long that I originally started by watching bootleg VHS tapes with friends in a basement. There are several articles about the psychology of Doctor Who, with topics ranging from personality type to morality. There are also numerous quotes throughout the book with the actors' takes on their characters.
So, for instance, one of my favorite parts was the morality of The Master, and the duology between The Doctor and The Master. These kinds of philosophical implications are what make Doctor Who so different to me, and that is the one way it has remained consistent throughout the decades. Is it a children's show? Yes. But it is so much more. I hope we get more of The Doctor for another 50 years.

As a psychology major and a massive Doctor Who fan, this is definitely right up my alley. The book contains a series of essays that make the fundamentals of psychological principles accessible to fans of Doctor Who. Even people well versed in psychology can gain something from reading. I especially loved the chapter on the Weeping Angels and archetypes. This is a revised version of a previous edition that I have not read, however I can tell this edition is fresh, with references to the thirteenth, fugitive Doctor, and even future regenerations to come in the specials coming out this November. Including biographies on all the contributors was also neat. A bit of a chore to get through, but definitely worth having around the house.

I requests this because I’m a huge Doctor Who fan, although I don’t know much about psychology. A lot of this was interesting in a “I’m not quite sure I understand all of what’s being said, but I kind of get it” and I enjoyed the Doctor Who parts of it!

You want to throw the psychobabble out the window when you read this book, but then you don't. It seems to be somewhat heavy handed giving the latest fashionable popular psychology theories as an analysis of Dr. Who. I mean it is aimed at kids and it is supposed to be entertainment. Why go overboard with analysis that is at best speculative about human behavior and broadly related to lived experience not made for the analysis of popular literature.

But you get a few pages in and then it hits you. This is a lovely way to explore the many changes and plot twists in this series that has now been going for over half a century, since 1963. Who can keep track of it all, does it make any sense? Well, this book by Travis Langley and a team of contributors does exactly that, it helps make sense out of it all.

The concepts used are tools to unpack the composite picture of what is Dr. Who. This is no mere Captain Kirk with somewhat trivial interests in life. Dr. Who changes based on experiences that can only be described as shocking and heart rending. People he loves and travels with, and we grow to enjoy watching, end up dead in the most tragic ways. The suffering of refugees and those affected by wars are just part of the massive weight of experience the Dr. must carry around with him.

In the end the book is little more than a look along a vast array of events and personality changes that is the Doctor. As such it is a brilliant masterpiece of fun and serious contemplation. How do we feel about these social events and psychological trauma that real people experience, that the Doctor and his companions are giving us a a picture of in this TV series? The book explores exactly this.

As simple as it looks, we have something here both to love and gain insight from. If you like Dr. Who, then this book gives you a more complete picture of the character and his companions. In this way it makes the experience of Doctor Who richer and more enjoyable. In another sense this book looks at series issues that we can relate to. In looking at this fanciful dream of a story we take what was mere entertainment and find it is a way to examine series issues extracted from the everyday.

Doctor Who Psychology is full of so many great facts and information. I really enjoyed reading this. If you want to learn more on characters, the cast of the show and people involved in the show, give this a read! My favorite was The Weeping Angels!

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley and Turner Publishing! All opinions are my own.

This updated edition will be published November 7, 2023. Turner Publishing Company provided an early galley for review.

I managed to make it through my college years without taking a single pyschology courses (my liberal arts credits mostly went towards literature and creative writing electives). Needless to say, what drew me to this book was mostly the intellectual property angle of Doctor Who, a show I've watched since the late 1970's.

Turns out, this was a fun way to look at the various aspects of the mind and human behavior through the use of familiar characters and story lines. Each of the essays/chapters are well written by very qualified professionals from the field of psychology. The exerpts from interviews with cast members also are enlightening. I enjoyed the analysis on the Weeping Angels as well as the Briggs-Myers scoring for each of the Doctors.

For those who like both psychology and Doctor Who, this will definitely be a must-read

There are so many great facts in this book. I've loved Doctor Who for years so this was a highly enjoyable read for me. Definitely give it a read if you're a fan.

Just really interesting and full of fun facts for the inner whovian in all of us.

Fun to read up on a favourite show through the eyes of cast and other lovers.