Science Fiction Builds Resiliency in Young Readers
Some interesting excerpts from the article:
*A 2016 article in Social and Personality Psychology Compass, a scholarly journal, argues that “connecting to story worlds involves a process of ‘dual empathy,‘ simultaneously engaging in intense personal processing of challenging issues, while ‘feeling through’ characters, both of which produce benefits.”
*Reading science fiction and fantasy can help readers make sense of the world. Rather than limiting readers’ capacity to deal with reality, exposure to outside-the-box creative stories may expand their ability to engage reality based on science.
*Science fiction and fantasy do not need to provide a mirror image of reality in order to offer compelling stories about serious social and political issues. The fact that the setting or characters are extraordinary may be precisely why they are powerful and where their value lies.
*Let them read science fiction. In it, young people can see themselves – coping, surviving and learning lessons – that may enable them to create their own strategies for resilience.
I love reading both science fiction and fantasy. (And I love those quotes you chose, too!)
ReplyDelete:) I love reading them, too. The stories can be tremendously engaging!
DeleteInteresting post. I rarely read sci-fi but I do love fantasy! :)
ReplyDeleteI love both genres and sometimes they blend together. The themes are the same as in any other genre, simply in different worlds.
DeleteInteresting article. I have never been much of a sci/fi and fantasy reader but it's interesting that the books I have read I've enjoyed greatly. So maybe I should explore those genres more often!
ReplyDeleteThey are two of my favorite genres--depending on the authors. :)
DeleteI enjoy both genres and particularly like how these books can sometimes help readers conceptualize real-life societal or political issues and work through them. And then again, sometimes they are just fun...fun to live in a different world for a little while, where magic may be real or aliens really exist, etc.
ReplyDeleteLiving in a different world for a while can be fun, and usually, the problems of life are the same in the past and will be in the future. Yes, to seeing societal and political issues remain the same as well, but sometimes giving us new perspectives.
DeleteI haven't ventured back to scifi in my reading, but I could watch it all day every day and be happy. I love the genre, and what it gets to teach us, and I cannot wait to teach my nephews about it!
ReplyDeleteFiction has a way of teaching that feels fascinating instead of pedagogic. Lucky nephews!
DeleteThat is a great article. Thank you for sharing. My daughter enjoys fantasy quite a bit, which I am grateful for. I agree with the article and the points you have highlighted here. Fantasy and science fiction is about more than just escape. So much more.
ReplyDelete(Thank you so much for your postcard! Mouse was so excited to get it.)