Bettelheim on Fairy Tales

1. Bettelheim on Fairy Tales What do children need? What do fairy tales do? Period 6

2. What do children need? • Need something to believe in • Need symbolic suggestions (story, FT) about how to grow up safely into maturity and deal with issues • Need reassurance offered by image of the isolated FT hero who is nevertheless capable of making meaningful relations with the world around him • Need to understand what’s going on in his conscious self so he can handle what goes on in his unconscious • Need to prove themselves by facing obstacles and meeting challenges; need to learn from these scary experiences • Need to learn that struggle is PART of LIFE • Need not to be overly protected • Need to understand that life is not perfect • Need to learn that if they overcome those challenges, they will be successful/victorious • Need to understand that death comes for us all

3. What do fairy tales do? • Communicate msg that struggle against difficulties is unavoidable • Reassure that if one meets hardships and does not shy away from the obstacles, one will master all obstacles and emerge victorious • Confronts kids with basic human predicaments • States the problem briefly and pointedly so the kid understands what is going on • Gives kids hope that even the meekest (lowest) can succeed in life • Teach kids that if one can find true adult love, then death won’t be so scary and life will be meaningful • Provides kids with images of heroes who go out into the world and find the right places by following the right way • Teaches inner self-confidence • Takes big human problems/questions very seriously • Allows kids to imagine he is the hero; he lives through everything the hero lives through and emerges victorious with the hero (practice for life) • Shows that good people win and bad people lose (don’t get what they want) • Give examples of mentors and those who can guide • Prepares kids for falling in love and having strong relationships with others • Helps kids decide who they want to be, who they want to be like • Prepare children for life’s transitions