Get inside Lisbeth Salander's head

The Psychology of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

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The Psychology of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Understanding Lisbeth Salander and Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy

Edited by Robin Rosenberg, PhD, and Shannon O’Neill

Lisbeth Salander, heroine of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels, is one of the most compelling, complex characters of our time. Is she an avenging angel? A dangerous outlaw? What makes Salander tick, and why is our response to her—and to Larsson’s Millennium trilogy—so strong?

In The Psychology of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 19 psychologists and psychiatrists attempt to do what even expert investigator Mikael Blomkvist could not: understand Lisbeth Salander.

What does Lisbeth’s infamous dragon tattoo really say about her?
Why is Lisbeth so drawn to Mikael, and what would they both need to do to make a relationship work?
How do we explain men like Martin Vanger, Nils Bjurman, and Alexander Zalachenko? Is Lisbeth just as sexist and as psychopathic as they are?
What is it about Lisbeth that allows her to survive, even thrive, under extraordinary conditions?
How is Lisbeth like a Goth-punk Rorschach test? And what do we learn about ourselves from what we see in her?

Read Excerpts

Introduction: The Psychology of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Robin S. Rosenberg, Ph.D., Shannon O'Neill
Lisbeth Salander and the "Truth" about Goths
Robert Young, Ph.D., Lynne McDonald-Smith
The Body Speaks Louder Than Words
T. H. Eric Bui, Ph.D., Rachel Rodgers, Ph.D.
Lisbeth Salander as a Gender Outlaw
Misty K. Hook, Ph.D.
What to Say When the Patient Doesn't Talk
David Anderegg, Ph.D.
Mistrustful
Prudence Gourguechon
Sadistic Pigs, Perverts, and Rapists
Wind Goodfriend, Ph.D.
Broken
Joshua L. Gowin
Men Who Hate Women but Hide It Well
Melissa Burkley, Ph.D., Stephanie N. Mullins-Sweatt, Ph.D.
If Lisbeth Salander Were Real
Hans Steiner
Confidential: Forensic Psychological Report—Lisbeth Salander
Marisa Mauro
The Magnetic Polarizing Woman
Sandra Yingling, Ph.D.
Resilience with a Dragon Tattoo
Pamela Rutledge, Ph.D.
Lisbeth Salander, Hacker
Bernadette Schell
Salander as Superhero
Robin S. Rosenberg, Ph.D.
The Cost of Justice
Mikhail Lyubansky, Ph.D., Elaine Shpungin, Ph.D.

On Our Blog

Get inside Lisbeth Salander’s head: The Psychology of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Posted December 1st Comments Off

Each season we announce our new titles individually, each in their own post, to give you a little extra background behind the book. If you’ve missed any, you can check them all out here. Fall 2011′s intro posts are here.

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On December 21, 2012, the American film version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo premieres. I confess: I haven’t seen the Swedish version. I hear it’s pretty incredible. But at least judging by the trailer, this new version looks pretty incredible too:

In the months since the film was first...

The Psychology of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Giveaway

Posted December 14th | 243 Comments »

There’s only one more week until Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara hit the big screens in David Fincher’s new film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and I don’t know about you readers, but we can hardly wait to see it. What with H&M’s new movie-inspired clothing line launch, and all of the coverage leading up to the movie, we can’t stop talking about Lisbeth at Smart Pop, and we figure she’s probably on your radars too. In...

The Psychology of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Giveaway Winners

Posted January 4th | 1 Comment »

A few weeks ago we announced a special The Psychology of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-themed giveaway to celebrate the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie release. Over 200 of you, Smart Pop readers, entered to win, and the following ten have won the prizes listed here! (All winners were chosen with the help of random.org.)

Grand Prize Winner

BRONSON

Runner Up Winners

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What People Are Saying

The Psychology of the Girl with The Dragon Tattoo gets inside Lisbeth’s head in a more thorough and professional way than any fan or blogger could. Enjoy the American version of the movie...and then pick up a copy of this book for the fan, the literary writer, the psychologist in you or your family. It’ll add depth to your knowledge and understanding of our most favorite modern-day hero, Lisbeth Salander.

— Christine at Purple Car

One of the big reasons I enjoyed The Psychology of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is because the writing is engaging...I enjoyed the book and I felt it gave some additional insights into one of my favorite female characters in literature.

— Bibliophilic Book Blog