Peter Pan

 Who was Peter Pan? 

Peter had grandiose tendencies, and lack of care for others, showing a lack of empathy and understanding for other people. These traits make him a danger to himself and others. 

Wendy met him for the first time when he was sobbing on the nursery floor. He couldn’t attach his shadow and denied that he had been crying, soon persuading himself that he had never cried.

 Peter deals with emotional conflict by pleasing himself at all times. Everything is either all good or all bad and he does not recognise the grey areas of life. This is a defence mechanism.  On meeting Wendy, he declared that mothers are ‘very overrated’ and that he had not the slightest desire to have one, although his vulnerability was apparent. While denying his need for mother, he appears on a deep level to realise he and the lost boys (a group of male children who have fallen from their prams and ended up in Neverland), need some kind of nurturing relationship, one that traditionally a mother would provide. 

He manipulates Wendy by suggesting that girls are much too clever to fall out of their prams and that one girl is worth more than 20 boys! It is interesting to note that in making such comments he was appealing to her vanity, a trait that is strong in him. He persuades her to go to Neverland, a place where there are no responsible adults and the children run wild. 

 

Peter requires a lot of attention and is easily bored, causing those around him to become exhausted by his demands. When Peter is not present, every day life functions more normally, the fairies spend more time on themselves, the beasts look after the young more efficiently, and the conflict between the pirates and the lost boys is all but forgotten. Wendy and her brothers too are far safer and more settled before Peter’s  arrival. 

Peter dislikes routine and can be quite contrary. Something he would find amusing one day becomes tedious the next. This is common in individuals with destructive narcissistic traits. It leaves those around him feeling confused, as there is no consistency. Peter did once return to his family home, but found the nursery window locked and barred and a boy in his place. He doesn’t admit it is likely he found this hurtful because he is so proud. 

Wendy Stokes  https://wendystokes.co.uk