Talking about Helping a Child Comprehend and Cope with Catastrophe | Psychology Today

One thought on “Talking about Helping a Child Comprehend and Cope with Catastrophe | Psychology Today”

1. A recent (and widely commented on) CNN.com article reports that some viewers of the film Avatar are so desperate to occupy the fantasy world of the film that the thought of having to return to day-to-day reality here on earth leaves them depressed or even suicidal. "When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed … gray. It was like my whole life, everything I’ve done and worked for, lost its meaning," wrote one young man on a fan forum.This may sound somewhat extreme, but this is simply an example of a common phenomenon I call "getting caught up" and which a number of psychologists have studied under the label "narrative transport." The fact is that it’s fairly normal for human beings, at least in our society, to become so immersed in stories that we feel like we are actually there. And if we really like the story we become caught up in, we don’t want to leave it-as when you don’t want to put down a book you’re reading, or don’t want it to end.

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