FREE ESSAY ON ONCE UPON A PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY

ONCE UPON A PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY

Once Upon A Psychological Theory
An Analysis of Psychological Hypotheses in Fairy Tales and Their Affect on Childhood
Development
INDEX
I. Personal Statement
II. Introduction
III. Piaget
A. Childhood Development
i. Sensory-Motor Stage
ii. Preoperational Stage
ii. Stage Of Concrete Operations
iii. Stage Of Formal Operations 
IV. Erikson
A. Autonomy And Social Development
i. Theory
ii. "The Goose Girl"
V. Freud
A. The Id, The Ego And The Super Ego
i. Theory
ii. "The Three Little Pigs"
B. Oedipus
i. The Myth Of Oedipus
ii. Theory
ii. "Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs"
iii. "Cinderella"
iv. "Rapunzel"
VI. Conclusion
VII. Bibliography
PERSONAL STATEMENT
"The object of psychology is to give us a totally different idea of the things we know
best."
-Paul Valery 
"Once upon a time..", perhaps one of the single most famous phrases, the key that opens
the door to a world of fantasy, enchantment and entertainment, the world of fairy tales.
Fairy tales can mean different things to different people, each finds a different type of
sanctuary within the realm of the make belief. Children may like fairy tales because good
triumphs over evil; adults may favor them because they trigger childhood nostalgia; in
the end, everything boils down to the fact that fairy tales were written to be enjoyed,
and have become universally beloved.
For my personal project, I decided to take Paul Valery's notion of psychology's objective
to a universal level, by psychoanalyzing the effects of fairy tales. I chose psychology
because it's the field that I wish to pursue in post-secondary studies. The idea of fairy
tales naturally sprung into mind after my initial choice to do a paper on psychology, as
the notion of psychology and fairy tales was not completely inane, nor alien, and fairy
tales are a substance with which the majority of the population has had relations. I
decided to demonstrate, in depth, the hidden effects of fairy tales, to uncover a
different perspective of this timeless method of amusement. After thorough research of
Piaget's developmental psychology, I concluded the best way to illustrate the "alter ego"
of fairy tale repercussions was by outlining the fact that many of these mythical stories
are correlated with psychological theories of behavioral conduct, and how they affect
behavioral developments. Subsequently, I conducted a survey, of 75 adults and children,
to establish the most popular of the world's fairy tales, and from the results,
researched various psychological theories and where they were applied in the five
important fairy tales.
This project was also ideal in respects to the areas of interaction, as it encompasses
the principles of Homo Faber, Health and Social Sciences, and Environment. Fairy tales, a
manifestation of the human imagination, embraced the ideals of Homo Faber, as they are
original and created by man. In respects to Environment, fairy tales constitute an aspect
of a child's environment, as an environment is the external conditions or objects that
influence the development of a person. Psychology is the science of mental health, and as
it is the central theme of this project, the project directly falls into the category of
Health and Social Sciences.
INTRODUCTION
Developmental psychology is the study of the human mind across the life span. Unlike
other areas of psychology--personality, cognitive, social--developmental psychology is
explicitly concerned with how the rules of human behavior change over time. All of the
methods used in psychology can be, and are, applied to the study of development. These
range from neurobiological studies of the brain's growth to studies of the effect of
social context on a child's future behavior. 
There is currently no overarching theory of developmental psychology, but there are
several approaches to which researchers more or less adhere. One useful way of
categorizing these theoretical approaches is based on the way each theory passes the
developmental trajectory. Some theories, called stage theories, divide the life span into
qualitatively different segments. 
Jean Piaget introduced the most influential stage theory, in fact, the most influential
theory in developmental psychology, in books and papers written in the 1920s and the
decades after. Piaget suggested that children went through four stages of development
through their childhood, during which qualitatively different rules applied to their
behavior and growth. Although there were some similarities between the stages and some
rules of behavior that applied throughout the life course, Piaget argued that the best
way to understand development was by focusing on the qualitative differences between each
stage and the processes involved in moving from one stage to the next. Although stage
theories are less popular now than when Piaget introduced his; they still hold some sway
over developmental psychologists' explanations of behavior. 
The issue of why lies behind every developmental study or theory. Whether one studies
development observationally or experimentally, cross-sectionally or longitudinally,
within a stage-based or an incremental theoretical framework, the central question
remains: What is the source of development change? The answer to this question has
important consequences not only for our understanding of development but also for the
kinds of strategies we should pursue to solve real-world problems. The principle
solutions to the question of specifics in the developmental growth process are
explanations of gene-based characteristics, and environmental influences.
In contrast to gene-based explanations, many have argued that the environment is the
primary cause of developmental change. Support for this claim comes from the wide range
of studies that show that experience in the world is crucial for any kind of development,
and that differences in the environment can have enormous consequences for the direction
of development. Perhaps the most important part of the environment is the social
environment: the people or characters with whom the child interacts on a daily basis.
Many parents read fairy tales to their children, filled with dragons, witches, damsels in
distress and heroes; these tales stay vivid in the mind of children for years to come.
However these young listeners are getting much more than a happy ending. Fairy tales
reflect principles governing behavior, which are outlined in analytical psychological
theory. In fairy tales such as "The Goose Girl", "The Three Little Pigs", "Cinderella",
"Rapunzel" and "Snow White", one can find correlation to theories of social development,
as well as theories of the map of the mind and the controversial Oedipal complex. These
hypotheses present behavioral and moral guidelines, which influence and foster a child in
his development, if the story is a predominate factor in his upbringing. Within in every
fairy tale there lies a hidden lesson is psychology.
CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
Famed child psychologist Jean Piaget details that a child develops cognitively through
distinctively outlined stages; he details these stages as the Sensory-Motor Stage, the
Pre-Operational Stage, the Stage of Concrete Operations, and finally the Formal
Operations Stage. Within each stage, Piaget outlines that the child develops along a
pre-determined path, which can be moderately reformed along various supplemental factors
of influence, for example his environment .
Sensory-Motor Stage: Ages Birth Through Two
A newborn baby manifests only innate reflex behaviors, such as grasping, sucking and
random movement of the arms and legs. He does not really think, he reacts. Intelligence
is first displayed when these reflex movements become more refined. The baby now imitates
what he sees, and grasps on to his favorite things. 
The child's understanding of the world involves only perceptions and objects with which
he has had direct experience. Actions discovered first by sight are repeated and applied
to new situations to obtain the same results. If an infant wants a rattle, which is
dangling, above his crib, he will repeat the actions he saw of another taking the rattle,
and continue to grasp for it until these actions are coordinated into a plan.
Toward the end of the sensory-motor stage, the ability to form primitive mental images
develops as the infant acquires object permanence. Up to that time and infant doesn't
realize that objects can exist apart from himself. If a six-month old baby is shown a
toy, which is then hidden under a pillow, he will not search for it. At eighteen to
twenty-four months, however, the child can understand that even though he can't see the
hidden object, it still exists. 
This theory can be applied to interaction with fairy tales, as though a child will not be
able to fully assess the moral path paved by the fairy tale, due to frequent interaction
with the story he will become accustomed to it. Towards the end of the stage, the child
realizes that the story continues to exist long after it has been read, and he will begin
to ask for the specific book. This sense of comfort and attachment will then enhance
further development in the subsequent stages of cognitive development.
Preoperational Stage: Ages Two Through Seven
The child in the preoperational stage is not yet able to think logically. With the
acquisition of language, the child is able to represent the world through mental images
and symbols, but in this stage, these symbols depend on his own perception and his
intuition. The preoperational child is completely egocentric. Although he is beginning to
take a greater interest in the object and people around him, he sees them from only one
point of view: his own. This stage is the "age of curiosity", where the preschooler will
imitate whatever he perceives in his surroundings, and question and investigate these new
things. Since he knows the world only from his limited experience, the child will believe
what he is assessing to be a fundamental way, reason or law.
The attachment to a specific story during the sensory-motor stage creates a model by
which the preoperational child lives. He will imitate a character, scene or idea
portrayed in his favorite story, discarding the ways of the outside world. This
imitation, or hero-worship, both of physical and psychological nature, forms a basis for
the child's psychological development and his understanding of social norms.
Stage of Concrete Operations: Ages Seven Through Eleven
The stage of concrete operations begins when the child is able to perform mental
operations. Piaget defines an operation as an interiorized action, an action performed in
the mind. Operations permit the child to think about actions which he previously had to
perform physically.
The primary characteristic of operation thought is its reversibility. The child can
mentally reverse the direction of his thought; he realizes that things can be altered to
come to new conclusions. The child is able to do so with only tangible things; operations
are labeled concrete because it is applicable to those objects which are physically
present; the child still maintains psychological notions that were learnt during the
first two stages through imitation.
At this pivotal stage, the child retains few of the characteristics which he developed
during his first two stages of cognitive thinking. The child begins to reform all which
he practiced at early ages, and conforms it to socially acceptable actions and thoughts.
In relation to environment, as oppose to the direct imitation expressed in the
Pre-Operational Stage, the child now demonstrates environmental conditioning by
conforming the hallowed imitations of his early youth to the social guidelines learnt
from his interaction with the outside world. 
Stage Of Formal Operations: Ages Eleven Through Sixteen
The child in the concrete operational stage deals with the present, the here and
now; the child who can use formal operational thought can think about the future, the
abstract, the hypothetical.
Piaget's final stage coincides with the beginning of adolescence, and marks the start of
abstract thought and deductive reasoning. Thought is more flexible, rational, and
systematic. The individual can now conceive all the possible way a problem might be
solved, and can look at a problem from several points of view. The adolescent searches
for a solution in a systematic fashion. Although he claims he lacks brains, the Scarecrow
in The Wizard of Oz is able to reason in such a deductive manner. When faced with the
problem of crossing a huge mountain crevice he reasons, "We cannot fly, that is certain,;
neither can we climb down into this great ditch. Therefore, if we cannot jump over it, we
must stop where we are." 
The adolescent can think about thoughts and "operate on operations," not just concrete
objects. He can think about such abstract concepts as space and time, and can question
the policies taught to him earlier on in life. He develops an inner value system and a
sense of moral judgment, and no longer imitates that which he did in his younger years.
The final stage in developmental thinking represents the child's shedding his skin, or
his childhood beliefs. The child begins to think outside the box, and sheds many of the
outdated ideals he learned through his imitation of the fairy tale, in many cases,
modified behavioral traits planted by the fairy tale continue to play roles in the
child's life.
AUTONOMY AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Theory
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, is first experienced 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 . 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.' 
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. The child's environment is perhaps
the quintessential basis for the choice of autonomy over shame, however, if the parents
provide too little control the children will become overly demanding.
"The Goose Girl"
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 for herself and told the princess she would no longer be her servant. Again this
very same situation happened and this time the maid realized her power over the princess
and forced her to switch horses and dresses and to tell no one. Upon arrival at the
prince's castle the maid was married while the true princess was forced to tend to the
geese in a pasture. In the pasture while tending geese with a boy she let her pure gold
hair down. The boy wished to grab it; however, the princess summoned the winds and would
not allow the boy to touch her hair. The boy called the king to witness this daily event,
this revealed the truth and the maid is killed. The true princess married her prince and
they ruled their kingdom in peace.
This tale shows the consequences of a childish dependence clung to for a long time. The
princess trusts her mother who then sends her off to get married. Because she was
protected as a child she did not develop autonomy. She was very dependent on her parents;
her dependence is then shifted to her maid who robs her of her title. The princess fears
the maid and goes along with her lies. When the princess is in the pasture herding geese,
her partner wishes to touch her hair; she then stands up for herself and will not allow
this. The boy degrading her is the turning point in her life. The happy solution came
about by the girl asserting herself and her dignity in not allowing the boy to touch her
hair. The Goose girl learned that it is much harder to be truly oneself, but that this
alone will gain her true autonomy and change her fate. 
A child raised on this story will have a strong primitive sense of social autonomy, as it
is the predominant theme in the fairy tale. The child will be roughly independent, and
will strive to excel without dependence on others, as through the story, he perceives
this as the superlative way to lead his life.
THE ID, THE EGO AND THE SUPER EGO
Theory
One of Sigmund Freud's theories centers on the map of the mind. He divided the mind into
three parts. The three parts are the id, the ego, and the super ego. The id centers on
the pleasure principle. He believed our entire physical activity is bent upon procuring
pleasure and avoiding pain. The id only wants to seek pleasure. It is mainly concerned
with discharging built up energy. The second part is the super ego. The super ego keeps
control over the id by causing guilt for being bad and pride for doing good. The third
part is the ego. The ego is also known as the reality principal. It regulates the
interactions of the person with their environment. The ego allows us to express the
desires of the id in a socially acceptable way and within the boundaries of the super
ego. Freud believed these three things were in all minds and were in constant
interaction. 
"The Three Little Pigs"
The fairy tale of the "Three Little Pigs" centers around three pigs who are told they
must live on their own. The first two pigs make weak homes and then celebrate until the
wolf blows their house down. They travel to the oldest pig's home, which is made of
sturdy bricks. There they live in peace. This tale deals directly with the ongoing battle
between the id and the super ego. The pigs must choose between the pleasure principal and
the reality principal. The two pigs that built weak homes chose to side with the pleasure
principal and seek gratification. They were not thinking of the dangers of reality. The
oldest pig learned to behave in agreement with the reality principal or the super ego.
Instead of acting out of desire, he acts on his ability to predict what may occur in the
future. Thus, Freud's theory of the map of the mind deals directly with the three little
pigs.
A child who finds comfort in "The Three Little Pigs" will often take on characteristics
of the third little pig, who represents the ego. Instead of acting out of pleasure, he
will assess each situation and pick the practical, intelligent route which will overpass
any obstacles or hurdles. Throughout his early stages of life, the child will often seek
to find the shortest distance between two points, rather than stop and smell the roses.
OEDIPUS
The Myth Of Oedipus
The myth of Oedipus begins with a pregnant queen of Thebes. The local prophet told the
anxious king that his soon-to-be-born son would kill his father and marry his mother.
When the child was born he was given to a royal servant. The servant was to abandon the
child. However, the child was found by a shepherd and was later adopted. One day the
child, now known as Oedipus, traveled to the prophet. The prophet told him he would
murder his father and marry his mother. Horrified at the prediction he refused to return
home to his adoptive parents. He wandered around and was struck by a chariot containing
his birth father. Oedipus killed his unknown birth father and the driver. Unconcerned
with what he had done, he came to Thebes where he found a sphinx guarding the city. The
sphinx would not let anyone into the city unless they answered a riddle. After hearing
Oedipus answer the riddle correctly, the sphinx killed herself. The citizens were so
happy they offered their queen to Oedipus. He then married the queen who was his unknown
birth mother. After having four children the city was plagued with famine. The gods
claimed they were plaguing the city because a son killed a father and continued to live
among them unpunished. The truth was revealed and the queen hung herself. Oedipus was
blinded and left the city to go into exile. 
Theory
Sigmund Freud's theory of sexual development contains five stages. This theory has faced
opposition from many critics, as Freud went down deeper, stayed down longer, and came up
dirtier than anyone else did. The third stage or the phallic stage occurs from the age of
two until the age of five or six. During this stage children suffer from what is known as
the Oedipal complex. The Oedipal conflict for a girl centers on her father. She wants to
be with her father and give him children. She views her mother as an overpowering or evil
force that prevents her from being with her father. In the Oedipal conflict, a young boy
resents his father for standing in his way of the mother's full attention. The boy wants
the mother to see him as the hero. He wished to get the father out of the way. However,
he needs his father to protect him. He also fears the father will castrate him. This fear
forces the child to repress his desire and his hostility. When the repression is complete
the complex disappears.
"Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs"
The tale of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" can be directly related to the myth of
Oedipus. After the death of her father, young Snow White, orphaned by the death of both
her biological parents, is raised by her stepmother. The evil queen was very vain and
asked her magical mirror every day who was the fairest of them all. Once the mirror
replied "Snow White" the queen ordered her to be killed. This can be compared to the life
of Oedipus. His father believed his unborn son (Oedipus) was going to kill him and become
king. His jealously forced him to have a royal servant kill the young baby. The stories
become more similar as they advance. The royal servant in "Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs" is sent to kill Snow White but he could not kill such a beautiful creature.
Therefore he abandoned her in the woods. Luckily she found a home and lived with the
dwarves. Despite her stepmother's jealousy, Snow White not only survives but also finds
great happiness.
In correlation to this tale, the servant sent to kill Oedipus could not commit the
terrible dead and opted to leave him at a home in the forest. In spite of the king's
attempts Oedipus gains the crown. Both tales are of unwanted children who prevail in the
end. 
"Cinderella"
A tale such as "Cinderella" contains Oedipal overtones. Cinderella is the tale of a young
girl held captive by her dictatorial stepmother. Her stepmother tries to prevent her from
attending the royal ball and meeting Prince Charming. The prince can be compared to
Cinderella's father. The queen is standing in the way of Cinderella's desires for the
prince. Here the theme of the overbearing female figure of the Oedipus complex is
transferred into the stepmother refusing Cinderella the prince. 
"Rapunzel"
A similar female Oedipus complex is present in "Rapunzel". An evil witch traps the young
girl in a tower. A prince walking by the tower begins a relationship with Rapunzel. The
witch stands in the way of the young girl to be with the prince. This story also contains
a male Oedipal conflict. The prince wants to be the hero and save Rapunzel, just as the
Oedipal boy wants to be the hero to his mother. These two fairy tales are just few
examples of this dominating theme. 
A child who enjoys any of the aforementioned fairy tales often portrays a mild oedipal
complex, usually characterized in the "favoring" of one parent over the other, or a
closeness to only one parent. The child will often estrange himself, to a minor extent,
from the parent of the opposite sex, as they pose as a menacing factor in his life.
CONCLUSION
To read a fairy tale and to draw psychological conclusions from it is not an accepted
policy - in fact various opposing opinions have risen concerning the topic. Some think
fairy tales should be left alone, and not picked apart, as they offer no significant
insights in developmental growth, save divertissement. Psychologists feel the very
contrary; they believe the psychological theories present in the characters of common
fairy tales foster a child's personal development. Piaget detailed that the superlative
influence in behavioral development was one's environment, more specifically, the
psychological characteristics that are present and vivid in this environment.
Psychologists believe that everything must contain a psychological underscore, and
therefore we should never accept the fact that we have grasped the entire and ultimate
meaning of these narrations , that the tales of good triumphing over evil offer more than
a mere "happily ever after". Through outlining the various psychological theories present
in predominant characters in fairy tales, it is evident how this aspect of the prevalent
childhood environment can be recognized as an influential agent in the development of a
child's demeanor.
Bibliography
REFERENCES
Print Sources
Bettelhem, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment. New York: Vintage, 1976. 
Blake, Toni. Enduring Issues in Psychology. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1995. 
Feldman, Robert. Understanding Psychology. New York: McGraw Hill, 1990.
Gessell, Arnold, M.D, Ilg, Frances L. M.D, Ames, Louise Bates, Ph.D. The Child From Five
To 
Ten. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1946.
Heuscher, Julius. A Psychiatric Study of Myths and Fairy Tales. Springfield: Thomas,
1974. 
Lang, Andrew. Fifty Favorite Fairy Tales. New York: Nonesuch Press, 1964.
Luthe, Max. Once Upon a Time on the Nature of Fairy Tales. New York: Ungar, 1970. 
Miller, George. Psychology: The Science of Mental Life. New York: Bann, 1962.
Restak, Richard. The Mind. New York: Holt Company, 1988. 
Richmond, P.G. An Introduction to Piaget. London: Routeldge & Kegan Paul, 1970.
Velikovsky, Immanuel. Oedipus and Akhnation. Garden City: Buccaneer, 1960. 
Internet Sources
Fables and Fairy Tales l [December 1st, 2000]
Classic Theories Of Child [December 1st, 2000]
Tales of Wonder [December 1st, 2000]
Fairy Tales [December 1st, 2000]
Collected Brothers Grimm [December 1st, 2000]