Psychology and fairytales : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

Fairytales have been popular children's stories for generations, but they are more than just entertaining tales. This thesis explores the use of psychology in fairytales as an aid in child development, as well as the use of fairytales as therapeutic tools in psychology. As fairytales have also been investigated by many other disciplines, the paper briefly discusses fairytale use in the areas of feminism, education, and spirituality. Finally, the paper concludes with the author's interpretation of the fairytale "The Young Slave" using ideas mentioned throughout the thesis, as well as the author's unique perspectives.