The Hero Paradox: How Pop Culture Revitalizes Mental Health

By Felix Morton IV, PhD, LCMHC-QS

January 2026

When my client referenced Spider-Man’s anxiety attacks to describe their panic disorder, they revealed a powerful truth about modern heroism: Our greatest strengths often emerge through acknowledging our vulnerabilities. Today’s pop culture no longer demands that heroes — or humans — maintain an illusion of invulnerability. Instead, it offers something more valuable: authentic representations of psychological struggle, resilience and growth.

As mental health professionals, we often overlook one of our most powerful therapeutic allies: our clients’ relationship with media. From Marvel movies to TikTok, clients use pop culture to process emotions, understand identity and build community in ways traditional counseling alone cannot provide.

Modern Storytelling and Healing

Today’s serialized narratives offer unprecedented depth for counseling work. Shows such as WandaVision explore grief across entire seasons, while Ted Lasso examines depression while challenging toxic masculinity.

These aren’t just stories about mental health — they’re frameworks clients use to understand and process their own experiences.

The streaming era has fundamentally transformed how people process emotions. Binge-watching allows deep immersion in character development, while social media creates spaces for collective meaning-making and community support. When clients discuss these stories, they’re often working through their own challenges through metaphor and shared understanding.

Clinical Applications

This cultural shift creates new opportunities for counselors:

• Characters provide safe distance for processing difficult emotions: A teenage client might discuss Iron Man’s symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder before opening up about their own trauma.
• Visual storytelling makes abstract psychological concepts tangible: When clients reference Elsa’s anxiety about her powers in Frozen, they’re describing fear that their own emotions might harm others.
• Fan communities offer informal support networks: Clients discover coping strategies through online discussions about how fictional characters handle depression or anxiety.
• Diverse narratives create multiple entry points: A young Black woman might see herself in Issa from Insecure, who navigates professional anxiety, while a client exploring their identity might connect with Steven Universe’s journey of self-discovery.

However, clinicians should watch for warning signs, such as:

• Escapism versus genuine processing: When clients use media to avoid real-world responsibilities rather than process emotions.
• Unhealthy parasocial relationships: When clients feel personally betrayed by character deaths or plot developments.
• Over-identification with fictional characters: When clients define themselves entirely through fictional identities rather than using characters as one lens for self-understanding.

Working with Pop Culture References

Clinicians don’t need encyclopedic media knowledge — authenticity matters more than expertise. Instead, counselors can consider the following approaches:

• Stay curious about clients’ chosen narratives: Ask “What draws you to that character?” or “How do you see yourself in their story?”
• Use character arcs as metaphors: If a client admires how Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender transformed from villain to hero, explore what personal growth might look like in the client’s own life.
• Validate pop culture connections as meaningful: A client’s connection to a character’s journey with depression in BoJack Horseman represents genuine emotional processing, not frivolous pop culture consumption.
• Be strategic: Ask deliberate questions such as “What shows have you been watching lately?” or “Have you been thinking about any characters?” When clients reference specific scenes, explore the emotional resonance: “What did you feel when that character made that choice?”

Quick Pop Culture Assessment for Counselors

Use these questions during intake or when clients make media references:

• Media engagement: “What shows, movies or online content have you been drawn to lately?”
• Character connection: “Do you relate to any characters or find yourself thinking about them? What resonates with you about their story?”
• Emotional processing: “How does this content make you feel? Do you find yourself thinking about your own life differently?”
• Community impact: “Do you discuss these stories with others online or in person? How do those conversations affect you?”

You can follow up with these probes:

• “What would you want that character to do differently?”
• “If you could give that character advice, what would it be?”
• “How is your situation similar to or different from theirs?”

Be aware of any indicators of “red flags,” such as avoidance of real-world responsibilities, distress when content ends, feeling personally betrayed by fictional events or defining identity solely through fictional characters.

The Power of Collective Stories

Modern media creates what counselors strive for: normalization, universality and hope. When clients see others relating to the same character struggles, they realize they’re not alone. Online discussions about character growth and healing extend counseling conversations beyond office walls.

This collective meaning-making is particularly powerful for marginalized communities. Black clients might connect with T’Challa’s leadership struggles in Black Panther, while LGBTQ+ clients might find validation through Steven Universe’s identity exploration. Neurodivergent clients often create their own interpretations of characters due to limited accurate representation, finding connection in characters coded but not explicitly portrayed as neurodivergent.

These shared narratives create cultural bridges across generations. For example, Latino families might process immigration trauma through the generational healing themes in Encanto, or grandparents might connect with grandchildren through Marvel movies. However, cultural sensitivity requires understanding that not all pop culture resonates universally. Our role is to follow our clients’ lead, understanding what stories matter to them and why.

Looking Forward

As storytelling evolves through virtual reality, interactive narratives and artificial intelligence, new possibilities for counselors emerge. Yet the fundamental truth remains: Humans heal through stories. Whether through traditional counseling or superhero movies, narratives help us process experiences and connect with others who share similar struggles.

Here lies the true hero paradox: Our clients’ greatest strengths often emerge through their vulnerability to fictional narratives. They’re not escaping reality through pop culture — they’re processing it, finding language for experiences they couldn’t otherwise articulate and building resilience through characters who mirror their struggles.

The next time a client references or relates to a character’s journey, remember they’re showing you their capacity for growth, their search for meaning and their innate wisdom about what helps them heal. Our job isn’t to dismiss these connections but to recognize them as evidence that clients are complex, resourceful humans — just like the characters in the stories we love.