"The Path Of The Hero" In Age Periodization

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

I think that I am not the first to find similarities between the development of a child and the "path of the hero", which I briefly covered in previous works (article "The path of a hero in real human life. From the first raised sword - to returning home").

However, I never saw that any of the specialists talked about this directly, as if at least some, Freudians and Jungians from time to time are ashamed that they are sitting on "one bitch" in practice.

So, this article is an attempt to look at the "hero's path" from the perspective of a child development program.

The adventure begins, back to the future!

1. "Call"

The path begins from the moment of the contractions themselves - when "something incomprehensible and powerful" violates the serene peace of the child in the mother's womb and pushes him out - from the comfort zone.

2. Birth and death

In the development of a child, this stage is the very moment of birth. Something pushes him to another place, and he does not know how long it will go on.

Interestingly, you can stumble upon a similar setting while studying a person's fantasies about the afterlife. It is quite possible that therefore people with clinical death, according to the stories, see a picture where they travel through a maze to a white light.

3. Meeting with Mother

For the child, this is the first relationship with the mother or with the one who replaces her.

4. Difficult tests and the pot

At this stage, the child learns a number of very important skills - walking, holding a spoon, reaching the pot, etc. And these are real feats!

5. "Daddy!"

By the age of 3, a child begins to closely interact with his dad (or with another male figure) and, as it is believed, it is he who tells him what is useful to do, how to navigate in modern space, thus teaching him the life code.

As you understand, in modern life, a dad can carry more maternal functions, and a mom can carry more male functions.

6. "I am like Dad!"

When entering kindergarten and school, the child will have to put into practice those models of social interaction that he learned in the family, and at the same time cultivate new ones.

By this time, imitation of a significant adult idol begins.

7. "I know how"

The result of going through all these stages is "mental independence" in adolescence and semantic separation from parents.

The natural path of man tirelessly calls us to new stages of development, regardless of what we ourselves think about it - fate leads those who want, and drags out those who do not. But as you probably already guessed, there is a pretty big difference in this.

Recommended reading:

1. Freud. Essays on the Psychology of Sexuality

2. D. Campbell. A thousand-faced hero.