Getting in Character: The Psychology Behind Cosplay

When a cosplayer selects a particular costume, they are often tapping into a specific character — or combination of characters — because something about that role speaks to them personally, according to Robin S. Rosenberg, a clinical psychologist at the University of California, San Francisco.

Rosenberg, who has written extensively about how people interpret and embrace fictional characters, particularly superheroes, told Live Science that she became interested in studying cosplay after seeing cosplayers in convention centers where she was delivering talks.

"We know from psychology that we all play different roles through the day and week," Rosenberg said. "Different aspects of me — 'psychologist,' 'wife,' 'mother' — come to the fore in different contexts. I became curious about people who truly inhabit a role, and what's coming to the fore when you wear a costume."

Certain costumes offer some people a way of working through personal difficulties, Rosenberg said. Batman, for example, can be an especially meaningful cosplay choice for someone coping with trauma. The dark superhero faced devastating trauma when he was a child — witnessing the brutal murder of his parents — which he overcame to become a hero.

"When people are dressed as Batman, many talk about having [experienced] their own traumatic experiences," Rosenberg said. "He survived and found meaning and purpose from his experience, and that is inspiring to them."

Rosenberg noted that Wonder Woman is another enduring and popular choice that resonates with many women, partly because she holds her own in the male-dominated world of costumed comics superheroes. For those cosplayers, dressing as Wonder Woman is a way of celebrating and embracing her power, Rosenberg said.

Recently, a series of images on Instagram featuring a 3-year-old girl costumed as Wonder Woman quickly went viral. Her father, a photographer, said he not only "fulfilled my daughter's dream of becoming Wonder Woman" by creating an elaborate costume but also staged a photo shoot that placed his daughter in scenes from the upcoming movie, due in theaters June 2, 2017. Judging by the girl's expressions in the photos, she wholeheartedly embraced her new role as a superhero.

Cosplay is a type of performance; putting on a costume broadcasts a visible and public statement about the dresser upper's allegiance to a character or fandom, and it frequently moves strangers to approach the character for conversation and photos. So it surprised Rosenberg to discover from her conversations with cosplayers that many identified as introverts.

"When they wore a costume, they became much more socially outgoing," Rosenberg said. She explained that, sometimes, wearing a costume allows a person to tap into confidence they didn't know they had, and helps them overcome shyness in real life.

"When you do any kind of costuming — but particularly cosplay — on the one hand, it gives you permission to step outside yourself," Rosenberg said. "But on the other hand, it can summon something in you that doesn't usually come out."

Source: https://www.livescience.com/56641-why-people-cosplay.html