Resilience, the ability to bounce back from adversity, is an essential skill for the development and well-being of pre-adolescents. Fairytales, with their heroes facing challenges and their initiatory journeys, offer fertile ground for cultivating this precious quality.
The power of stories in building resilience
According to the work of Dr Ann Masten, a pioneer in resilience research at the University of Minnesota, children develop resilience through “ordinary adaptive systems”, among which relationships, learning and storytelling play a central role (Masten, 2014). Stories allow young people to discover different coping strategies and visualise pathways to success, even in the face of adversity.
Research into narrative psychology, particularly that carried out by Dan McAdams (2001), shows that our ability to construct and understand narratives directly influences the way we deal with challenges. For preadolescents, fictional characters become role models who provide concrete examples of how to overcome obstacles. This developmental period is particularly conducive to learning by example and integrating new ways of thinking.
The unique role of storytelling in emotional learning
Stories have a number of characteristics that make them particularly effective tools for learning about resilience:
- They create a reassuring emotional distance that allows difficult subjects to be addressed
- They offer memorable metaphors that resonate long after the book has been read.
- They offer a variety of identification models adapted to different personalities
- They allow a progressive exploration of complex emotions
How storytelling builds resilience
- Identifying with the characters
The work of Paul Tough (2012) in “How Children Succeed” highlights the importance of concrete examples in learning to persevere. Story characters going through hardships allow children to :
- Visualise different problem-solving strategies
- Understand that difficulties are part of the journey
- Develop a sense of self-efficacy
- Observe how emotions can be managed constructively
- Discover the importance of social support and asking for help
The strength of fictional characters lies in their ability to show that failures and difficulties do not define a person, but are opportunities for growth and learning.
- Normalising failure
Psychologist Carol Dweck (2016) has demonstrated the importance of a ‘growth mindset’ in the development of resilience. Storytelling, by presenting failures as stages of learning, contributes to:
- De-dramatising mistakes
- Valuing effort and perseverance
- Encouraging measured risk-taking
- Developing an optimistic view of the challenges
- Building confidence in your ability to adapt
Dweck’s research shows that the way we perceive failure directly influences our ability to persevere. Storytelling provides an ideal framework for transforming this perception.
- Developing adaptation strategies
Through the adventures of the characters, children discover different strategies for coping with challenges:
- Searching for creative solutions
- Asking for help and working together
- Managing difficult emotions
- Perseverance in the face of obstacles
- Adapting to unforeseen changes
Practical classroom applications
To maximise the benefits of storytelling in building resilience, here are some detailed strategies based on positive psychology research (Seligman et al., 2009):
Analysis of heroic journeys
- Identify the obstacles encountered by the hero
- Examine the strategies used
- Thinking about the resources mobilised
- Analysing moments of doubt and overcoming them
- Exploring character transformations
Guided discussions
- Exploring the emotions of the characters
- Making links with personal experience
- Devising alternative solutions
- Sharing similar experiences
- Reflect on the lessons learned from the tests
Creative activities
- Rewrite part of the story with your own solutions
- Create a “survival guide” inspired by the hero
- Illustrate the key moments of transformation
- Design a map of the character’s resources
- Invent the rest of the story
Examples of specific activities
The hero’s diary – students keep an imaginary diary of the main character, detailing his or her thoughts, emotions and strategies for dealing with challenges.
The resilience toolbox – collective creation of a collection of strategies inspired by different fairytale characters.
Reflection circles – structured discussion sessions where students share their own experiences in relation to the storytelling themes.
The importance of the teacher’s role
The teacher plays a crucial role in this process by :
- Choosing stories adapted to the developmental level of the pupils
- Facilitating discussion and reflection
- Creating a safe environment for the expression of emotions
- Making links between stories and everyday life
- Encouraging the application of strategies learned
Conclusion
Stories offer much more than simple entertainment: they are a powerful tool for developing resilience in preadolescents. Drawing on narrative psychology and positive psychology, teachers can use these stories to help their pupils build their own resilience. This approach not only strengthens young people’s ability to adapt, but also gives them valuable tools for their future development.
References
Dweck, C. S. (2016). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books.
Masten, A. S. (2014). Ordinary Magic: Resilience in Development. Guilford Press.
McAdams, D. P. (2001). The psychology of life stories. Review of General Psychology, 5(2), 100-122.
