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Freud_Burlingham_1943_War_and_Children_k_text

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they knew about its wickedness. It will alsobe afraid of ghosts <strong>and</strong> bogeymen asreinforcementsof the realparent figures <strong>and</strong> of the innervoice.<strong>Children</strong> have a large list of dangers whichserve as convenient symbols for their conscience—they are afraid of policemen who willcome <strong>and</strong> arrest them, gypsies <strong>and</strong> robberswho will steal them, chimney sweeps or coalcarriers who will put them in their bags, dustmenwho will put them in their bins, lions<strong>and</strong> tigers who will come <strong>and</strong> eat them,earthquakes which will shake their houses, <strong>and</strong>thunderstorms which will threaten them. Whenthey receive religious teaching they may leaveall else aside <strong>and</strong> be afraid of the devil <strong>and</strong>of hell. There are many children who cannotgo to sleep in the evening because they areafraid that God will look in on them <strong>and</strong>punish them for their sins. There are otherswho receive no religious teaching who transferthe same fear to the moon. Theycannot fall asleep if the moon looks at themthrough the window; there are even childrenwho cannot fall asleep because their fears arebusy with expectations of the end of the world.For children in this stage of development oftheir inner conscience air raids are simply anew symbol for old fears. They are as afraid ofsirens <strong>and</strong> of bombs as they are afraid of30

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