Dorks of Yore's video: Hero Therapy 2 - Spider-Man

Peter Parker's choice of a full face mask is explained by psychologist Dr. Larry Lewis. http://www.facebook.com/dorksofyore http://twitter.com/dorksofyore Many superheroes wear a half mask or no mask at all... so why does Peter Parker choose a full face mask in becoming Spider-Man? When you hear Dr. Lewis's explanation, the choice will make perfect sense. "Peter Parker is an awkward sixteen year-old boy. On a school field trip, he is bitten by a radioactive spider. Peter acquires the strength, reflexes and senses of a spider... and becomes Spider-Man. But when so many superheroes wear half-masks or no mask at all, why does Peter choose a mask that covers his entire face? First of all, remember Peter experienced this change in adolescence at the exact time where he is going through change in identity to become normal Peter Parker. That's a tough enough stage if your pre-adolescent development was healthy - there's no real traumas, your parents are firm but loving. When you add a major life-changing event like Peter Parker had, in which the very DNA of his being is being now altered, and he has a rapid ascension into basically manhood - he feels all of the primary and secondary traits of masculinity - increased strength, increased agility, increased awareness - there's no time for Peter to catch up. There's no time to find out who he is. He is not born this way; he wasn't raised this way. It's not like a person that has a handicap of some sort but doesn't know any different. Peter knew different. And I think probably the mask and the whole thing lets him come to grips with this character, and this alter-ego, and this persona in as safe a way as he can. It's much like a professional actor who might be nervous and insecure in a personal life when they're saying their own words, but reading a script in another character they be in front of millions of people, and it doesn't phase them. It's not them. They're playing somebody else. And I think Peter's assimilation of the Spider-Man identity needed this completely closed-masked persona."