Questioning one’s capacity and integrity can lead to an overwhelming array of theories on personality. One such is Dowling’s response to the growing complexity of human predicaments and challenges, the Cinderella Complex.
For with freedom comes new demands: that we grow up and stop hiding behind the patronage of someone we choose to think of as “stronger”; that we begin making decisions based on our own values–not our husbands’, or parents’, or some teacher’s. Freedom demands that we become authentic, true to ourselves.
The Cinderella Complex is among the many theories that attempt to explain women’s weakness rising from fear to be independent.
“Traditionally, women have not been expected to confront fear and go beyond it. We’ve been encouraged to avoid what scares us, taught, from the time we were very young, to do only those things that allow us to feel comfortable and secure. In fact we were not trained for freedom at all, but for its categorical opposite–dependency. Up to a point, dependency needs are quite normal, for men as well as for women. But women have been encouraged since they were children to be dependent, and to a degree that contemporary society finds unhealthy. Thus, we’re stuck in a bind: the Cinderella Complex.”
Stories are effective means of propagating cultural views and values. Newfields explores on the extent that myths are used to maintain identity and power as they manifest common values and offer certain views about the world.
Even when these stories were made for children, they reflect the truth about how people view things (Newsfield, 63). In Cinderella, for instance, the consequences heaved to the poor orphaned girl reflect how societies accept individuals without no social bearing. The different versions of the story reveal variations on the ordeals and situations the girl goes through, depending on the society’s social structure.
As cited in Newsfields’ examination, values such as these can influence people’s thinking and behavior (Nelson, 1999). Sociolinguists have found evidence in relating myths as instruments for influencing roles, power and what is good and acceptable. In Newfileds’ paper, Japanese women’s roles adapt to the Cinderella image of having miserable lives until a man comes, marries her and saves her. Without regard of social status, women in Japan have subordinate roles opposed to men. The Cinderella myth of wishful thinking and fate is embodied in Japanese women’s devotion and service to men, in the light of being recognized and becoming more acceptable to society. Particularly relevant in the Cinderella story and Japanese culture is men’s glorified role as the hope of women to alleviate them from their woes.
The sensitivity issues in discussing gender roles are evidence that even until today, Japan subverts women in the Cinderella role (Newsfields, 40). Newsfields takes precaution in integrating psychology with teaching English as Foreign Language to his students and risk causing identity issues on the way.
Yolen tackles the variations folk story tellers have introduced into the Cinderella story. Historically tracing literary origin and evolution of Cinderella stories, tracking innovations of the godmother and talking creatures that embark magic upon Griselda’s fate, Yolen insists that American Cinderella neither instigates class issues nor personal inadequacies (). Instead, Griselda portrays the smart and enduring woman who gracefully perseveres through challenges until she recovers her social stand assuming the role of a dignified woman. It is erroneous to follow with the French influence disguising Griselda as ultimately genteel and selfless to the point of mending relations with her wicked stepsisters.
Literature is interspersed with culture and the symbolic representations that come along literary text, when used in misrepresentations can drastically alter the relevance of assumptions. Dowling inadvertently ignores these literary intricacies thereby investigating a limited, if not misrepresented, symbol of women’s weakness.
Dowling’s assumptions and theories, along with the women who believed her, were all along looking at the inappropriate version of Cinderella. This somehow displaces Dowling’s book employing pseudo-scientific measures to arrive at sweeping generalizations about women. Though, it may still be possible to carry on with a number of women, Dowling’s evidences and analysis lack specificity drawing its limits and keeping her hash inductions from confusing more women who have been thrown anxious believing they are beleaguered by the Cinderella Complex.
Medieval practice precedes the creation of Cinderella. Human history has considerably dealt with the overbearing dominance of men over women. The widespread splurge of influence of men’s power over women has pervasively become evident in almost every society. From America to the eastern continents, men have prevailed in dominating industries. Women, in recent years have, however, started to show dominance. Dowling can only serve to supplement the cultural influence that history has presented to women. It is reasonable to assume that identity, not dependence keeps women from pursuing goals. Dowling’s representations may be more crippling than enabling women who are at loss from the anxiety of confusing identity theories.
A superficial or external influence, nudging women to succeed, seems overtly reproachable. In dealing with women with the symptoms, Chong recommends adapting self-management skills which increase the individual’s confidence in their abilities (2007). Used as a measure for dealing with patients with chronic health conditions, self-management education includes skills enhancement and confidence building programs that enable patients to make self-assessments, set goals and address related issues or problems. This practice has given way to better clinical results of patients with chronic diseases.
Works Cited
Baum, R. After the Ball Is Over: Bringing Cinderella Home. Cultural Analysis, Volume 1, 2000.
Chong, E. The Cinderella complex: Could self-management be the cure? C P J / R P C. VOL 1 4 0 [ s u pp l 3 ] S 2 7, 2007.
Dowling, C. The Cinderella complex. Women’s hidden fear of independence. New York: Summit Books, 1981.
Newfields, T. Deconstructing Cinderella – Helping students explore their personal myths. 2nd Peace as a Global Language Conference Proceedings and Supplement. Toyo University, 2003.
Nelson, S. H. (1999). Controlling Metaphors, Myths, and Illusions. Retrieved from the World Wide web at www3.sympatico.ca/sharon.nelson/scandals.htm. [Accessed 14 Aug. 2004].
Yolen, J. America’s Cinderella. Dundes, A., ed. University of Wisconsin Press, 1988.
