2023, VOL. 9 ISSUE 2, PART D
Abstract:The immediate environment of growing children continuously impacts them [1]. A child possesses different types of fears and fantasies, some of which are completely imaginary; others may be acquired/ learned from the family, while some others may be experiential in nature. Sometimes the fears are just a passing phase, but at others, they can grow to be larger than life.
The aim of the study was to find the objects of fear and fantasy imbibed from the environment of children between 6 to 8 years of age. Parents of 80 children aged 6 to 8 years selected on incidental purposive basis were interviewed regarding their children’s favourite and fearful objects/figures from their child’s world of stories and television and the day-to-day surroundings.
Most of the figures of fantasy and favourite objects were found to be acquired through TV and are animated characters like Tom and Jerry, Chota Bheem, Doraemon, Ninja Hattori, Chin-Chan and Barbie. The most common fears in children as reported by mothers were fear of darkness, loud noises, animals, ghost, being left alone and burglars as well as that of being harmed by superhuman creatures.