Why Kids Love to Hate Villains

Storybook villains have multiple roles. First, because children find themselves unable to express negative feelings toward the adults in their lives upon whom they depend, villains allow them to project their aggressive or violent impulses onto these separate and enchantingly “bad” characters. In this manner, the child can remain in the “think but don’t dare do” mode, and conform to socially conventional behavioral rules. 

Second, villains and the circumstances around their dreadful behavior help kids learn about scary or otherwise anxiety-provoking things in the world outside their imagination. Processing concepts such as good vs. evil or right vs. wrong, as well as increasing the ability for social problem-solving and coping with the world, are part and parcel of a child’s developmental tasks. The child can explore the consequences of unacceptable behavior without actually suffering the consequences themselves, and figure out what behaviors to avoid in order to be successful in the world. It is easier to explore this through character development and anxiety-provoking or frightening events in the safety of a story, because the stakes are low.

Third, experimenting with obnoxious or outright noxious behaviors (which wicked characters are good at) can be very appealing to children, who are typically constrained by societal expectations and internal moral compasses (-slash superego). Storybook villains commit wrongdoings without those constraints, personifying the ability to selfishly rule the world, making them more interesting and powerful. They actually do things that all children think about but mostly don’t dare do. Becoming another “persona” can be fascinating and freeing to children, and allows them to appreciate the character’s chutzpah and vicariously live through them. What child has not fantasized about being unsupervised, free from behavioral constraints or consequences?

    — Dr. Hope