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The Boy Who Never Grew Up Essay

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The Boy Who Never Grew Up
John C.W. Young
California Baptist University

Abstract
Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is used to explore Peter Pan and his inability to take his place in a responsible world. Freud’s Oedipus complex is discussed and used to determine the cause of the disconnect from his adulthood and the treatment in which Freud suggests that would able to correct the repressed childhood conflicts that are present due to fears and repressed memories as it’s contributing to Peter’s inability to grow limits him in his overall life and development.
Keywords: Sigmund Freud, Oedipus, Christian Worldview, psychoanalytic, childhood
The Boy Who Never Grew Up “I don’t ever want to grow up!”, has been a famous quote from the iconic storytelling of Peter Pan since his introduction in 1902 by Scottish writer James Matthew Barrie. He has been a character the encompasses a great deal of emotional distress. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is used to explore Peter Pan and his inability to take his place in a responsible world. Due to his lack of love and parental guidance he continues to stay in a childlike state which is prohibiting his overall ability to grow which has harmful effects when going into adulthood. The lack of nurturing and modeling prevents Peter from being able to remove himself from his childlike behaviors to adulthood in a successful manner due to his lack of exposure to assurances in which he would have been able to receive from his mother.

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