Dr. Bruno Bettleheim - The Uses of Enchantment: the Meaning & Importance of Fairy Tales

Grants | NHPRC | Programs | Midday | Topics | Arts & Culture | Special Collections | Minnesota Books and Authors | Types | Reports | Speeches | Connie Goldman Collection | Legacy Amendment Digitization (2018-2019) |
Listen: 26003.wav
0:00

Psychologist Dr. Bruno Bettleheim speaking at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. Bettleheim states that fairy tales are therapeutic. His most recent book is entitled "The Uses of Enchantment: the meaning & importance of fairy tales."

Read the Text Transcription of the Audio.

We have decided to talk. With you about fairy tales because that is a high-speed my latest interests. Yeah, I know. I just want to get senile has bananas won second child. Price to resuscitate or two. Levi has much of a childhood memory man can Was that really isn't the reason why I became interested in fairy tales. It was really I kind of have positive change event like so many things in life and in fairy tales. Unexpected situation for the most severely Disturbed children kind of literature that would be meaningful to them. Attached is fun. And hopefully of some positive maybe even set up utic impact. and we went to what was the normal type of children's literature and found it. gods of the Scavenging for passes today's children's literature appetite of a viper kayak stores It's almost seems alive provide enough songs about the music but very much. How much surprised if ounces does the old-fashioned ghost by the English name of hotels are useful official enough greater interests to this very disturbed young justice. Send any of sales literature that you possibly could use with them. And that's really on my retirement. I tried to do two things fell asleep. Try to understand better myself Rises with p. and secondly I try to make this experience more widely available. So the people would become aware of heart extremely important as it's kind of literature. Is it going up child? Doing so last few years in my undergraduate and graduate classes, and I'm sorry that my timing Skidmore because I would love to do it. I recall the fountain so fascinating. I asked my students to recall which fairytale MBA as having been significant pain Xavier children. Right now it is only a limited percentage of a student's record search fairy tales and many of them only as television performance software Disney movies or something like that. Add a step to ecologist s83 call it and it turned out to be kind of an interesting projective tests because after they record the story and asked him out to dry town shortly why they think that story made them and Other Stories set in total as children. And look at it and compare the memory of sisters was what I actually was contained in the stores and that to most of the students supposed to send us supplies because it will realize it's a remember to store is very very differently. And then to ask him to speculate why is it might have distorted the stores in the way they did. Enter found out a great deal about themselves from this very simple exercise or whatever you call it and surprisingly enough but it's also against the traditional folk tale which was more meaningful to them as it turned out. So most of the other stories are very surprising if I wouldn't expect because the change for example the sex of the main character. They thought that has a Venza I had several girls fight zampara remember Is it all Trey Christopher? something Garza why do maybe they are so brainwashed that they could only believes that two meals. Can I eat so maybe she didn't want to do that? Da baby I feel smoothies inside a member. For example, a girl who remember all activities and all initiative to to Hansel in this story as she recorded. And science lyrics the story and realizing what you have done it. She also realized that she had all her life right on the older brother to provide direction to her life. I had always thought that you resented it go to the Distortion of the story. Talk to you besides. Charlie a great desire Do I have to assume this road so that she wouldn't have to take any responsibility. I didn't particularly that she had remembered. I had put some Richard there because one of their traumatic events of her life when she was in college and her brother. Her mother had died and she had to arrange for The Cremation of her mother. And she didn't want to remember that she had to do that. And so what was another reason why she escaped to sold to her because she has to take care of the funeral arrangements for couldn't because it was about fairy tales. Are you spell everybody of the way things best to deal with a complicated psychological problems of the law since I cook makes this experiment with you. I cannot possibly tell you how some of you might have used fairy tales this way and I must talk about Simon a very general way. advantage of fairy tales has to do with a particular letter to it is it has been written down only a fairly recently complete history of fairy tales the oldest fairytale fun. BC over 5,000 years ago if you had a few years because we know about type of condition when a tail is being told it is incidentally story of a frequenter a topic because the two brothers and two sisters story speech about is a fairytale literature usually present. current ways very different ways of life Severus possibility one has to cope with life and usually one of the Brazos of a narcissist chooses every problem has a PetSafe stay at home solution is to solution supposed possible advantages and disadvantages DeSoto say to use as a child. I really shouldn't say the child because fairy tales of hope things. I never made for children. Of course, there are Just So Stories are told to entertain and to Enlighten an audience of all ages are most undesirable aspect of Sabrina gap of children today is that we believe in a separate literature for children. Chewable for adults has to do with the fact that you have split our existence in existence for adults and existence for children. And as you know, we have split it up into existence for teenagers in federal assistance. And for old people sent vocabu. I think that's why most undesirable psychological difficulties without parts. Of course. This has not yet taken place and I do not think that the last Society of your help your life. Show me between adults and children doesn't exist to the same degree fix the other 70 years ago before it was late talk show for everybody and it's a great house foods, for example. Bad for example dates for call beata French Finance Minister XIV story who told every evening a story to everybody assembled in the household. in the telling of the stores in the oral tradition everything that was not of universal importance feliway sure is we don't know how large it is is a 26 German Sky to make a collection of severe literature of fairy tales of folktales. All right. It's a beginning said to decide something could give each culture which language only one volume is this collection I-74 volumes and hardly begun to cover has a really us little choice of SeaWorld some effort to collect as completely as possible. For example of North Africa Morocco in Africa speaks of the pages. And then the Enterprise was give him up as impossible to complete and that's only natural because he's being invented oral literature is still alive. who tells the stories deep Schumann important gets lost and probably of every story that was invented maybe out of fun. The 501 and has come down to us today since the story of Two Brothers, which is really you might be familiar with later in the story of Joseph and his father and Joseph and Potiphar's life from the Bible. Now, you must have called a juice after all slaves in Egypt before The Exodus and I'll probably head out there in Egypt Egyptian Tale of Two it in terms of interest to submit the time. Let me tell you a little bit about the story of Joseph. It's president Asif and 45 wife straight forms of passive Welch's that the Lord has assigned him by the way, just a straight A Farm as a straight and narrow path and was swallowed up by the big bad wolf and violins Abuelo's the Bible tells us about Little Red Riding Hood in the belly of the world because when she was cut out of it she resolved. Is if your choice not to go on such escapades in the words, but if you talk sign about Joseph since I cannot tell you now. So to Brazos Egyptian story and you remember Joseph Joseph preferred watch preferred by Father which sentence siblings rivalry? Eye problems that still quite with us today and acted out. What is only the fantasy of many a child when confronted is a little girl to send him out again who needs him. So this incident place a great advantage of a folk fairy tales folktales of our children are not unique to them. I think it's the only problem is that nobody else has confronted with such difficulties or such vile thoughts as wanting to get rid of a little brother or sister the Torresdale set. This is universal since time immemorial people at such a situation such desires. And sometimes exit on demand that swells and so hot as long as you only had so desires and didn't act on them. Everything was alright the messages fairy tales implicitly tell all those who have ears to listen and the mind to comprehend Joseph a plan to kill him. Auto Sale jealousy Auto Sebring drive into Egypt So that is part of the two brothers and two sisters motive. They reflect two different ways of life, which I will illustrate in the Moment by the story of Sinbad as a seaman and sympathy support us with some of you might be familiar from thousand and one night, but I would like to talk to move over to the story of Joseph in 45, which is he more explicit in the ancient Egyptian tail from Joseph and forth of juice and sale for really doesn't necessarily can be expected to be equal if those of you that night I Prevail Tom Hanks Egyptians He went to the house of 45. 41st Vice fell in love with Joseph and try to seduce him. Joseph matalon here for 45. Joseph and Joseph in jail and so on and so forth and Zane balcer interpretation of Dreams be gypt and starving person had to come to him for a game for weed to prevent starvation which implicitly tiles that it's might not be such a hot idea to kill little brother because you never know when he might come in handy. Let's look at that for a moment at the stores of stories 41st wife story. Set Egyptian store is much more to the point to the point of what we Now Call of Duty problems are complex because they rise up. lives in the house of his order marriage process and the wife of this Plaza as what's typically these days and it's still doing many primitive Society. This is the wife of the oldest is like a mother. Does a guy stop the family conflict of the sun feeling said he would make a much better partner for his mother that the old man and of course your five the same thing for the girl who feels that she would make a much better partner for your father said the old lady is still more than likely to persist Cinderella stories have exactly is a topic daughter father relationship and if time permits I can tell you more about that. So you see what we have here is already. A sudden Amazon Prime plication adults and the father might have attachment to his partner is considered a substitute that is better put out of suede. This at all just a jealousy and a story which I which became. Much money does stand ever to us as inside teachings of fight versus called projection? According to the biblical story 40 first wife projects into Joseph unacceptable wishes to have sexual relations with the son of the house. But it's also possible that Joseph in the story. He tells his sexual desires acceptable to Joseph. He projects it into two of the most important psychological problems that are we going up human being and counters siblings rivalry and attachment to the parent of the other sex. and what's the solutions are advisor Solutions better be constructive ones such as destructive. Let me use the example again talking about a situation. Let me use the stories about the knight-errant and the Damsel in Distress Universal top goes out into the dark woods Center in captivity. And the young place a dragon and liberates and they live happily ever after no man should ever have any children? Because it's quite clear because a child who protects himself into this Fantasy Topless no intention whatsoever sex with his mother has no intention to shares a hard run away from him. So this incident we are reflected sound understanding what the early for complex is really all about that a popular misconception as it is they usually viewed as a as a child wanting to have sexual relations with Sofia dosi as a sex thinks it possibly could happen. Add sex to another child safely would be service Interruption off as a relation imaginable understanding of a Titan LED's really teach and you might get a song off of your text with you read about it. But that's only incidental the three came to say so interested in stories of because we found as they are such a tremendous you go up and I cooked the phone my students give you a 7 examples how some story sustained as I'm very difficult fields of by fantasizing about the story of concentrating on these stories. Let me give you just one example of a little boy Not yet six hose mother had to go to the hospital for serious surgery and stories every evening for cheese selected. And as soon as he must have to go to the hospital for the gasket to tell him the story of Rapunzel and every day until she went to the hospital. She had to tell him the story of Rapunzel versus Choice. Should I explain to her children have a greater distress or however great may be behave. Symbolize using our own body as a means of our deliverance also because as you know, this is folktales the same motive give me the same story is repeated several times so that you will get it twice the first time such a prince can climb up on her longtime. This is that is part of your own body provides the satisfaction. She needs and desires end of the story. If you remember the stories of Princess blinded and Sarah is also a message saying why he's blinded and it is a tiers of Rapunzel. Set you of him of his plant. So she has in her own body, you know your own salvation in the salvation of see if she just knows how to use it because he's liking entrust I didn't honestly because he on the slide climbs up and cheats. So to say instead of openly declaring himself and the same goes for a Rapunzel story implies. If you read between the lines that it is great to do this thing. So just fly you and everybody else suffers if you do so And of course a happy ending shows that you also have is in your power to change to redeem yourself, but I would like a little time sorry I've left because it's an unending topic to suggest probably the most famous collection of city-states. But yeah, I would like to tell you something else which I found out. I didn't know before about traditional Hindu psychiatrist you like 1/4 medicine which to call it according to a practice of traditional Hindu folk medicine. If somebody suffer suffer from a serious psychological emotional Affliction, I want you all to do to pick you up to get help is to go to a wise man or Google and tell the story of his Affliction to this wise man. Whatever you may call him. like your good psychoanalyst wise man listens carefully result interrupting to as a story that does is Afflicted person has to tell let me Ponder sit. And after the pain. But the Man Loves a Woman is told him about the emotional Affliction Indian stores of which of course a new mover ones. It's still makes him select the appropriate story and then he asked his person for two or three days and nights to stay in the Holy precincts and to ponder. This story has been told. In Soviet or after the women of the man has funded story for 2 or 3 days. He finally recognizes in some of the figures answer problems of sister has his own recognizance solution said to his problems and he goes home and does so cute. Not come to this most famous a collection of folktales under the other title. Give me to the rest of the world thousand and one night baby. I need or other Indian origin and that's why I told you about Indian psychiatrist called Arabian because the Western world became aware of his collection of story in an Arabian translation pure chance. Thousand and one is an arbitrary figure, but it's not quite as obvious as you may think because in Turkish and Arabian 1001 mean simply innumerable, they could count to a thousand percent. Never counted Beyond 1000 and everything for Ian 1000 bus in Yuma so Thousand and One means just simply in Europe. What's the most important I mentioned before for example sympathy CSA Lansing path supporter consist of for example, and many others but essentially Sinbad the Sailor has the most incredible Adventures as you know. Be really honest Adventures experience everything we know for my own Dreams and Nightmares. You spell Security provide animals. Practically / Siamese Factory staff today. This is written by monsters as he would be a horse carry. By shoot spirits up in the sky. He's nearly Swallowed a Fly shoot snakes and we'll tell you all the nightmares of mankind happened to him as events offense e n g comes home you and always says the greatest treasures of the most beautiful women and both have you sold the most anxious anxiety creating fantasy since the most fulfilling fantasies represented infant bath. Foods that support dogs. The other hand is a hard-working man results much excitement as a bribe life of great toilet. Add exhaustion. So you see the two come together and two stories of sympathy seem and it's impossible to tell us. It's actually two alter egos, if you like says it to aspect of the personality. I Prevail tour fantasy most anxious and wish fulfilling and this is story tells each one alone is incomplete. Justin Bieber realistic life of hard work and a little imagination is an unsatisfactory as a livable as the life of the wild imagination of sympathetic system. So the story by showing his two aspects of our life suggested or ninja combination do they make for a full life is only the truth in pots together, but that's only stores of Thousand and One Nights. Unfortunately something that is in the more popular edition or not repented. Although it's clearly the most important which alone gives us all just stories that deeper meaning and that is a frame story elements of shahrazad stores to Plaza sportswear Kings in Faraway countries. At one day one of the two brothers in a deep depression and it's a most beautiful clinical description of a deep agitated homicidal depression. We going to eat a Max of 60 passengers can cops this Plaza him to tell him finally it types of his side story and he By chance came home much earlier than had been planned and they found his most beloved of his wife's betraying him a Slave. And of course the kids. Sam, but that was the end of his happiness and she lost all will to live to this deep depression and homicidal rage international student. What's the black man of great sexual prowess who's more attractive to the white lady of the house and wants to seduce her as a storage unit that I was slavery in the Americas house because this story was written down in India about 600. Long before there was slavery in the United States. The king of course is deeply moved and shook as a story of his brother and it doesn't leave him in peace. And so he arranges for the hunt. And declares that you will be gone for several days and return some of course you can already guess what happens if I put beloved wife has an affair with a black slave owner details because he's so useless device in for one that ain't going to happen to me ever again. And so he bets down every night. I was a Belgian and you know, if his kingdom and spends the night before and has her decapitated next morning before she can cook with Cuz I tried on for many years, but I can come in and out of new Bible verses. sailboat only one left answer one question and a doctor of the Prime Minister and of course time Minister didn't want to sacrifice his beloved daughter to be decapitated after one night of giving pleasure to the king and he tries to prevent her but she's a highly moral person says, she said tells him he's up and deliver the doctor's office in Muslim supposed to have perished before the two New Orleans the stories all the shapes of all the wise man that started all the things of the philosophers and support and what have you And of course you have to play and you know what the plan was why she came to the king and the King to put it in the polite language of Skidmore College to cry his pleasure and was well pleased and experience with those time to go to sleep and socialism and asked whether he was a pleasure morning. Anyways about two different. And she said I evening. And it would like on this. Probably the last night of my life to do as a gift and every night. I would like to tell you a story and so soon after the prime minister of living in the Palace of a thousand and she explained and explained. She has Charizard won't you tell me a story tonight as he's okay and Charizard Elsa story until she stops in the middle and two kinky so intrigued and wants to hear the rest of the story. So his Spirit was this night and this goes on as you know for A Thousand and One Nights At The King. And I don't laugh at the story of two scaffolding sales. And since I guess that you don't know the story again, very shortly softer much longer can use this story. It's in India after midday midday today afternoon, and he explained sensor say go to the Sea at the beach Siesta a genie and you know, Genesis supernatural beings with great power, but also potentially quite dangerous. Ancestry callus on his back as he comes out of the sea a huge coffee and traveling salesman hide and watch what's going on what's going on is seeds with 7 seats and breaks the seals and takes out another one. Anyways about 7 conference with Seven Seals and out of the last comes a beautiful woman. Any games is genius genius, you know being of Supernatural power can easily do takes his pleasure has a beautiful woman and I am kind of tired and think it's time to take a nap. But before he takes his nap, he puts a beautiful woman in the first Kaufman season 7 season II and song you can draw an Ulta store as long as you like finding the sentence and I stalled on the beach and Fort to sleep each one seems to Seven Seals. Then after she has done so the traveling salesman who was alive Sky Map for the three and height. 7 coffees with Seven Seals and wakes up antiques Lotus heavy Kaufman his back and departs. Nobody clever Salazar's electricity V story Twin Creeks. Akane and turn back on qlink him office homicidal maniac chili just play the story tells the king. Look is that even happens to Supernatural all-powerful Genie? What do you have to have to complain if the same thing happens to you since the first message and the second message is as long as the genie doesn't know about it. He's not the visor for attention doesn't suffer. Child support as many men suit stores to the king and of course telling all these stories eventually curious secane and at the end of the thousand one nights entertainment frame story takes up with leftover little Charizard Charizard and solutes happily ever after. A psychoanalytic treatment to place under the couches today only for 7 days a week. Six days a week and not three days a week but seven days a week and it took a thousand one nights or days, you know, nothing bad time length of time for the cycling to cure of a homicidal chili and depression also known a long time ago. Why because these are figures in a Never Never Land. In which we can project ourselves and we can see as much as our problems as we wish severity name of forces us problems of Sam. Bertolli sauce with one time we can deal with it some young people who has children found a hotel room for two for one reason my phone to same-store in adolescent offering a solution to the difficulties and problems for entirely different. Please set out to the point and they always have a happy ending so never let the person down that his case is hopeless and as you know, if your Beats a flush toilets are children, most all over things happened today hero But you all just get rescued and practically always so his own efforts. Sure, he gets help you get tired from sources other Supernatural from somebody has animal from some old wise man or woman can count us but you always gets help and help is able to rescue himself and his family so that everybody is much better because of it. Well, I could go on and on but I realized as I have to be very patient, I bet the stuff 9th give you a chance to ask whatever questions you want and I thank you very much. In the question-and-answer session that followed him, did on the effectiveness of television as a conveyor of fairy tales fix the Nations which are really necessary to fast. The great value of literature is and ask for elevation or explanation. It doesn't permit your own imagination to take place. For example fairy tales with monsters dragons. It was up to the listen to Imagine This monster with the head of a dog that pack the team snap the team with the face of the man who bought out. Other father, you know who was very critical of him. What is the monster in Monster imagination could be killed in the monster that make life monsters to one at this moment. A visual performance doesn't pinch to search Freedom. You have to accept the image of sea monsters the person you know. Visually describes him as long as she doesn't see Cinderella Cinderella looks entirely different. I'm here. And so it goes doctor bettelheim also responded to a question on violence on television. Because of Arthur's this discussion talks about this a time story. So the rest of the shooting himself as a news. Because that's the valence that episode next door when you least suspect is that you think you're safe? Say violence is a fairy story happened to Never Never Land in a long time past. From us and most of all it always have a happy ending. So actually what is most damaging and I wouldn't suggest two children, but your Society is large. Is it continuous depicting of the violence in everyday life? No, it's part of his story that everybody knows is a story.

Funders

Digitization made possible by the National Historical Publications & Records Commission.

This Story Appears in the Following Collections

Views and opinions expressed in the content do not represent the opinions of APMG. APMG is not responsible for objectionable content and language represented on the site. Please use the "Contact Us" button if you'd like to report a piece of content. Thank you.

Transcriptions provided are machine generated, and while APMG makes the best effort for accuracy, mistakes will happen. Please excuse these errors and use the "Contact Us" button if you'd like to report an error. Thank you.

< path d="M23.5-64c0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.2 -0.1 0.1-0.1 0.1-0.2 0.1 -0.1 0.1-0.1 0.3-0.1 0.4 -0.2 0.1 0 0.2 0 0.3 0 0 0 0.1 0 0.2 0 0.1 0 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.2 0 0.4-0.1 0.5-0.1 0.2 0 0.4 0 0.6-0.1 0.2-0.1 0.1-0.3 0.3-0.5 0.1-0.1 0.3 0 0.4-0.1 0.2-0.1 0.3-0.3 0.4-0.5 0-0.1 0-0.1 0-0.2 0-0.1 0.1-0.2 0.1-0.3 0-0.1-0.1-0.1-0.1-0.2 0-0.1 0-0.2 0-0.3 0-0.2 0-0.4-0.1-0.5 -0.4-0.7-1.2-0.9-2-0.8 -0.2 0-0.3 0.1-0.4 0.2 -0.2 0.1-0.1 0.2-0.3 0.2 -0.1 0-0.2 0.1-0.2 0.2C23.5-64 23.5-64.1 23.5-64 23.5-64 23.5-64 23.5-64"/>