Children's risky play from an evolutionary perspective: The anti-phobic effects of thrilling experiences

Abstract

This theoretical article views children's risky play from an evolutionary perspective, addressing specific evolutionary functions and especially the anti-phobic effects of risky play. According to the non-associative theory, a contemporary approach to the etiology of anxiety, children develop fears of certain stimuli (e.g., heights and strangers) that protect them from situations they are not mature enough to cope with, naturally through infancy. Risky play is a set of motivated behaviors that both provide the child with an exhilarating positive emotion and expose the child to the stimuli they previously have feared. As the child's coping skills improve, these situations and stimuli may be mastered and no longer be feared. Thus fear caused by maturational and age relevant natural inhibition is reduced as the child experiences a motivating thrilling activation, while learning to master age adequate challenges. It is concluded that risky play may have evolved due to this anti-phobic effect in normal child development, and it is suggested that we may observe an increased neuroticism or psychopathology in society if children are hindered from partaking in age adequate risky play.

日本語訳

この理論的な記事は進化論的視点から子供の危険な遊びをみて、特定の進化の機能と危険な遊びの効果による嫌悪感について述べている。非連想理論によると、不安の病因に対する現代的なアプローチに対し子供は特定の刺激からくる不安(高さや異常なこと)に対処するのに十分に成熟していない状況から彼らを守ることを、幼年期を通して自然に発達する。危険な遊びは、子供たちが以前恐れていた刺激を体験させることで、子供にとって爽快で前向きな感情を与え、子供たちにとってやる気のある行動を促す。子供の対処能力が向上するにつれて、これらの状況や刺激にならされ、恐れなくなる。このように、子供が年齢にふさわしい挑戦をし、学びながら、危険な行動へのやる気を子供のうちに経験することで成熟や年齢からくる自然な阻害による恐怖は減少する。

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Play with great heights

The most frequent form of risky play in great heights is climbing. Children climb on all climbable features, such as trees, playground climbers, big rocks, steep slopes, hillsides, etc. Jumping down from high places, incidents of hanging or dangling from heights and balancing close to drops are also common kinds of play with great heights

Play with high speed

Swinging with high speed, riding a bike at high speed, running at high and uncontrolled speed, or sliding down slides, hills, cliffs, etc. are common forms of this category of risky play.

Rough-and-tumble play

Typical activities in this category of risky play are fighting, fencing with sticks/branches, play wrestling and chasing

Play where the children can “disappear” / get lost

Both Sandseter (2007a) and Davidsson (2006) have found that children love to walk off alone and go exploring away from the eyes of adults. Children experience a feeling of risk and danger of getting lost on occasions where they are given the opportunity to “cruise” on their own exploring unknown areas; still, they have an urge to do it

Play with dangerous tools

Play with tools that are potentially dangerous included behaviors such as using a knife for whittling, a saw for cutting down branches, a hammer and nails for carpentering, and an axe for chopping wood

Play near dangerous elements

Play near dangerous elements in Sandseter’s (2007a, 2007b) study included play on top of high and steep cliffs, play near deep water by the seaside and tumultuous play near a burning fire pit.