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UNDERSTANDING TREATMENT OF CHILDREN
THROUGH FAIRY TALE AND PLAY
In 1922, at the International Conference of Psychoanalysis in Berlin,
Jean Piaget presented a paper entitled "Symbolic Thought And The Thought Of The
Child." In this short paper he proposed that the whole of the thinking of the
young child, "being syncretic and prelogicaJ," functions as an intermediary
process between the inner feeling life of the child and rational thought.
Piaget's formulation is highly instructive, not only in the way he defines a
cognitive developmental marker (occurring at roughly 4-7 years of age), but
also in the way he describes the mechanics of a psychical process (which can
functionally be extended in time well beyond the developmental stage) – a process in
which the child's ego attempts to gain mastery over the elements of his or her
life. Piaget called this process symbolic imagination. The importance of this for working with children in therapy cannot be understated.
On the one hand, a child at such an early developmental stage, may not yet be fully able to differentiate the projections of his or her own inner processes from the rest of the outer world. And so the therapist must work with the child on these terms. On the other hand, it is the means by which the child's feelings move into consciousness, en route to forming insight and awareness -the underlying schemata by which the child learns to make its connections between feelings and thoughts. It can be called the vehicle for meaning itself because, if nothing else, the task in working with children is to help them find meaning in their experience, help them learn step-by-step to understand themselves better and thus relate to others in ways which are more mutually satisfying, as well.
Fairy tales are one voice expressive of this intermediary process, for they
speak the same symbolic language. Indeed, fairy tales provide a powerful
vision for the young child because they speak to the child's inner pressures in
a way which perhaps only the child can understand (i.e. in an unconscious or
"prelogical" fashion), reaching the child at the same level of his or her own
psychological and emotional life. The fictitious characters in the stories, their
trials and travails, become an effective mirror, allowing the child to explore
the seeming chaos of his or her affective experience, once removed, so to speak,
in the land of make-believe; that is, where the child's internal processes are
externalized in symbolic form.
Just as it is with fairy tales, much the same can also be said for the child who sets to work at play, perhaps even more so for the purposes of therapy. Indeed, symbolic play provides the opportunity for a more active, more outward expression of the child's complex needs and often unacceptable feelings or thoughts. Thus, while fairy tales well serve as a metaphorical guide to chart a course through the difficulties of growing up, play becomes, in reality, the arena for Piaget's symbolic imagination to be put to work.
FAIRY TALE AS A THERAPEUTIC METAPHOR
When the child enters the imaginative realm of the fairy tale, myriad unconscious feelings can be set to whirl. Indeed, the psychologist Verena Kast, in her work, uses fairy tales in therapy based on the premise that the narrative in such stories releases psychic energy. The beginning of the fairy story usually portrays a definite threat. Perhaps the main character has an overdependant attachment to a parent and is forced to set out on their own, only to become lost in the forest. Issues of separation may thus be addressed. Yet whether they be vengefully sadistic, oedipal in nature, or simply about the belittling of a caretaker, fairy tales remain true to the needs of the child: unconscious wishes are fulfilled," worries and fears are given tangible form.
Whenever the stresses and strains of the child's unconscious reveal themselves, they have the potential to overwhelm the child's budding personality. If he or she is to gain any grasp (not to mention control) of such inner strife, the child has to externalize it. And this is precisely the function of symbolic imagination which Piaget talks about. In the fairy tale the child's secret, often inexpressible desires are personified, allowing the child to at first meet such conflict outside themselves, represented in symbolic form. It thereby helps the child maintain equilibrium. As the fairy story unfolds, however, marvelous transformative events are proposed, holding out the added promise that it is possible for the child to similarly gain mastery over his or her own experience, as well. As such, symbolic imagination, as a process of enlightenment, bears meaning on many different levels. The story stimulates the child's imagination, helps to develop the intellect and gives clarity to his or her emotions. It allows the child to be attuned to hopes and
fears. Yet, in addition to helping the child gain a better understanding of him or herself (by the reflection of emotionalized attitudes), the fairy story also conveys a sense of acceptance, a full recognition of the difficulties faced in the young child's life, and it is done in a way which encourages the child to bring his or her own real self out into the open. In short, fairy tales relate to all aspects of the child's personality, and they do so on the level at which the child can relate. Indeed, the child understands at some level deep in the recesses of their mind that fairy tales speak in the language of symbols and not tbat of
everyday reality. Yet, reality becomes defined by way of the symbolic meaning attached to it, meaning which the child is encouraged to also find in the circumstances of his or her outer life.
Making sense out of turmoil, after all, is the child's task at hand, a process by which pre-logical thoughts and unconscious feelings are brought forth through symbolic imagination. What were previously tumultuous, forbidden matters, can now be openly expressed. After all, the child does not need to keep secret feelings about what goes on in the fairy tale, or feel guilty about enjoying such thoughts. They are recognized and given tangible form. And as the story unfolds, the child may even begin to integrate an understanding - even embed the schemata, to use Piaget's terms - of the process itself. Fairy tales make such development attractive for the child to address. Their growth may begin filled with an unconscious desire for more autonomy, as one example, only to be met by the contradictory conflict of the fear of growing up, but, in the end, when the child ultimately finds his or her own image reflected in the symbolic mirror, just as in the fairy tales, events are brought to a satisfying conclusion.
THE CHILD AT WORK IN PLAY
Fairy tales thus depict an imaginative story which presents much of what also comes to the fore when the child sets to work at play. Indeed, unconscious material is engaged through the same process of symbolic imagination. The therapeutic potential of play is different from fairy tales, however, because unlike fairy tales, which hold out the hope for solutions, the child actually finds the solutions for him or herself in play.
Virginia Axline, in her work with children, likens this action to the image of a kaleidoscope turning, its bits and pieces tumbling madly about. The child may need help (in the form of appropriate therapeutic interventions) to make sense out of such a whirling tumult, but the process itself is one already disposed to some new order coming about. "Everything is relative and the pattern is a changing, reorganizing sort of thing... as you turn the tube, the pattern falls apart and reorganizes itself into something
quite different... the personality is 'structured' by the reorganization of these
'bits.’” l
The beauty of such a simple analogy is that it depicts play as an end
unto itself, approached in a manner relatively void of any structure. It frees
the child to express him or herself in whatever way that is required, with the
trust that things will work out. Just as when fairy tales illustrate the most
egregious of behaviors, the child can similarly "bring forth his 'bad' feelings
as well a his 'good' feelings and not be fearful [of disapproval or rejection.]"2
And in the spontaneity of such a free-for-all, much like in free association, the
darndest of things can pop out, with unconscious schemes discovered in the
connections the child makes to him or herself. Play thus becomes the vehicle
for integrating reality into the growing ego, with the child allowed to assimilate the process of such growth without being hampered by the need to accommodate any restrictions imposed by adults.
Symbolic games, of course, involve imagination and make believe of a sort in which there is a distinct continuity between the child's play and the therapeutic work. Dolls and puppets are but two of many different toys which can be effectively employed. As symbolic creations, however, they carry multiple meanings, borrowing their means of expression not only from the dynamics at work in the child's family at home, but also holding content related to the rest of the child's world. Indeed, the fictitious characters that the child invents come to life only in so far as they provide either a sympathetic audience for the child or a mirror for the child's fledgling ego.
According to Piaget, "symbolic games imply representation of an absent object, since there is a comparison being made between a given and an imagined element. The games also imply make-believe representation, since the comparison is distorting assimilation."3 That is, a subjective experience arises. For instance, a child pushing a box and imagining it as a car, is symbolically representing the car by the box, and the child is satisfied with the pretense because "the link between the 'signifier' and the 'signified' is entirely subjective."4
Take a different example. When the child ascribes actions or feelings to a doll, they are more likely than not the child's own feelings or desires. Symbolic imagination becomes but the instrument for the game, whatever it may entail. The child may beat up the mother doll, bury a baby in sand, or curl up on the floor and drink from the baby's bottle, even though he is beyond the age for that. It's no matter, for it is the child's affective life that is being evoked and considered through the symbol, and the symbol has meaning beyond the immediate play at hand. It is a multi-faceted affair. On one level, the scheme of suckling at the mother's breast from the child's own infancy may be re-enacted. It can also relate to the fact that the child is vengefully jealous of the attention being given to a new baby brother at home, while at the same time enraged by his mother's seeming rejection. Moreover, the child may also be pretending to be a baby him or herself, in order to express the need or desire to be given the same tender, unending care as the new baby receives in his place.
Thus, the symbolic nature of the child's play moves closer to reality. Unconscious pressures are brought to awareness and defined. As they are the mass of contradictory feelings loses its distorting grip on the chi1d. The bits and pieces of the kaleidoscopic whirl have merged, constellated in a way to bring meaningful order to the inner chaos of the child. In the process, the child has come to better understand him or herself, experiencing the means by which emotions, imagination, and inte1lect come together in mutual support to stimulate his or her own adaptive resources. Beyond any particular presenting problem, it is perhaps the greatest lesson for the child to learn in therapy: how to read the road map, as it were, a functional schemata in symbolic form with which the child can navigate similar future difficult problems and better cope with the world.
THE ROLE OF THE THERAPIST
When the child enters the therapist's office it can be experienced much like entering a fairy tale; the young child is set off on the adventure of finding him or herself. It's required, of course, because the child has reached an impasse, as if he or she was the victim of some fairy tale curse. Perhaps the child even understands as much at some deep intuitive level - that is, the work to be done in the therapist's office. Such a beginning can be perceived as a threat. Who is this new person set before them? How much
can they be trusted? They pretend to be so kind,. But could very much - in the child’s eyes - turn out to be some wicked witch. Or a giant ogre. Though they could just as easily turn out to be a friendly dwarf. Maybe, instead, the child has come to nibble down the therapist's office, a different kind of a gingerbread house. The variations are unending.
In the case of symbolic, unstructured play "the basic concept is that the less you intrude, the more the child will tell you."5 The play itself becomes the way for the child to connect with their therapist. Often a projective, non-verbal process it must be respected,. as something of boundary. The therapist thus picks up on defenses first, taking it slow with the child, for it is better to be less involved than too involved lest the child lose their sense of safety. That's not to say that the therapist remains forever impassive and. Yet, just as it destroys the value of the fairy tale for the child if someone explains its meaning to them, the therapist must not act prematurely. At first, providing a haven of acceptance for the child's feelings, and the permissiveness to release these feelings is enough. "It is always intrusive to interpret a person's unconscious thoughts, to make conscious what [is at yet] preconscious,. and this is especially true in the case of the young child."6 And so the therapist observes.
Significant, repeated play can be noted as indication that something is starting to move. Symbolic imagination is beginning to set to work, And when the child is ready, they'll appreciate the light ready to be shed by the therapist, much like the fairy tale character’s joy at finding their way out of the dark forest. "It is interesting to note how [the child] releases... feelings of deeper significance as he receives recognition of each feeling that [is expressed]."7
Finally, there will come the time when the child has gained all that he or she can from the game at play, or even therapy itself. Having grown in experience and grown in understanding, with a healthier sense of identity, internal structure and balance, the child's personality is set back on track. The child has completed the tasks prescribed for the fairy tale's hero.
A mother once told me of a technique she once used to engage her own child's symbolic imagination, holding up a pair of play eyeglasses for her young child to try on. She said, "Sometimes when you put these on, you see the way things are. And sometimes when you put these on, you see the way that things can be."8 Treatment of the child in therapy can similar1y be as much
of a science as an art.
End
SYMBOLIC IMAGINATION
Full Citations Follow
FOOTNOTES: Full Citations
Symbolic Imagination
- VirginiaM.Axline,Play Therapy. (Ballantine Books: New York, 1969), pp. 10-11.
Ibid. p. 94.
Jean Piaget, Play, Dreams and Imitation In Childhood. (W. W. Norton & Company: New York/London, 1962), p. 111.
Ibid. p. 112.
Stanley I. Greenspan with Nancy Thorndike Greenspan, "Conducting the Interview with the Child" in Psychotherapy Book News: A Journal of Essays & Reviews.
Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment, The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. (Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 1985), p. 18.
Virginia M. Axline, Play Therapy. p. 99.
As related to me by my sister.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Antioch University Los Angeles / Course Reader. PSY 567 Treatment of Children and Adolescents. Janet Woznica. Marina del Rey, 2000.
Axline, Virginia M. Play Therapy. New York: Ballantine Books, 1969.
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment, The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985.
Fromm, Erich. The Forgotten Language: An Introduction to the Understanding of Dreams, Fairy tales and Myths. New York/Toronto: Rinehart & Co., Inc., 1951.
Greenspan, Stanley I., with Nancy Thorndike Greenspan "Conducting the Interview with the Child" in Psychotherapy Book News: A Journal of Essays & Reviews.
Johnson, James H., Rasbury, Wiley C., Siegel, Lawrence J. Approaches to Child Treatment, Introduction to Theory, Research, and Practice, Second Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1997.
Kast, Virginia. Folktales as Therapy. New York: Fromm International Publishing Corporation, 1995.
Oaklander, Violet. Windows to Our Children. Highland, NY: The Gestalt Journal Press, 1988.
Piaget, Jean. Play, Dreams and Imitation In Childhood. New York: W. W. Norton & Company,1962.
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