Psychology And Fairy Tale
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Psychology And Fairy Tale
Many parents read fairy tales to their children. Young people are able to use
their imaginations while listening to these fantastical stories. Filled with
dragons, witches, damsels in distress, and heroes, these tales stay in the mind
children for years to come. However, these young listeners are getting much more
than a happy ending. Fairy tales such as The Goose Girl, The Three Little Pigs,
Cinderella, and Snow White one can find theories of psychology. Erik Erikson`s
theories of social development as well as Sigmund Freud`s theory of the map of
the mind and his controversial Oedipal complex can be found in many fairy tales.
Within every fairy tale there lies a hidden lesson in psychology. In 1963,
psychoanalyst Erik Erikson developed one of the most comprehensive theories of
social development. The theory centers around eight stages of psychological
development. One of the stages, autonomy versus shame and doubt, occurs between
the ages of one and a half and three years old. In this stage toddlers develop
independence if freedom and exploration are encouraged. Autonomy itself means
having control over oneself. At any given moment, our behavior, including this
sense [autonomy], is influenced by the outer environment and our inner
psychological state (Restak 268). If they are overly restricted and protected
they develop shame. Shame is the estrangement of being exposed and
conscious of being looked at disapprovingly, of wishing to bury one`s face or
sink into the ground. (Blake 115). The key to developing autonomy over shame and
doubt lies in the amount of control. If parents control their children too much
the children will not be able to develop their own sense of control in the
environment around them. However, if the parents provide too little control the
children will become overly demanding. Gaining autonomy from one`s parents is
the topic of a once famous Brother`s Grimm story, The Goose Girl. The story is
of a beautiful princess who is to be married to a prince chosen by her mother.
The girl along with her maid was sent to the castle of the prince. On the way
the princess gave her maid a golden cup and asked for a drink. The maid took the
cup and told the princess she would no longer be her servant. Again this
happened and this time the maid realized her power over the princes and forced
her to switch horses and dresses and to tell no one. Upon arrival at the castle
the maid was married while the true princess was force...
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