Abstract
Abstract This study of the impact of fairy tales examined catharsis vs repetition compulsion hypotheses. Children with high‐or low‐trait anxiety, aged 6–9 (n = 132), listened either to a frightening story, a frightening‐happy end story, a pause story (for measuring anxiety), or a neutral story. They were tested for slate anxiety before and afterwards and their preference for a second hearing was evaluated. The procedure was repeated after three weeks. The findings show an increase in anxiety following the frightening story only. Preference and state anxiety correlated positively in the frightening story (repetition compulsion) and negatively in the pause story (catharsis), It was concluded that anxiety is elicited by (he frightening elements of the story, rather than the unconscious symbolic content.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 379-389 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 1993 |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Keywords
- Frightening stories
- anxiety
- catharsis
- preference
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