Reflection of fear in a child’s drawing

Abstract

The relevance of the research is due to the role of the image of fear in the modern psychological literature on art therapy and drawing techniques, which do not correspond to the new technologically determining trends in the development of the world and carry outdated information about images reflecting children’s fear.
The presented study reflects the manifestation of the image of fear in younger schoolchildren by means of an art-therapeutic method of work, conversation, and analysis of children’s drawings, revealing new images of fear and its sources due to the trends of the modern social world. The study of fear, in the modern interpretation of the changing world, is important for understanding its essence, the threats it carries, and the peculiarities of the manifestation and development of the personal potential of schoolchildren. Fear - as an indicator of a child’s development, it can reflect the level of development, the individuality of perception of the world, and the peculiarity of adaptation. The problem of the child’s fears reflects family well-being, revealing the relationship between parents and the child, their attitude to his development, and their position in social, interpersonal, and interethnic interaction affecting the orientation and adaptation of the child in the socio-cultural environment.
The study involved 50 primary school-age students of the Nur–Sultan gymnasium. In the course of the article, three main sources of fear were identified, and a new image of fear in the children’s drawing was revealed, reflecting the external influence of the Internet space on primary school-age students. The results obtained allow us to conclude that primary school age is one of the most difficult age periods in which neurotic fears may appear, which subsequently worsen the emotional state of children.