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This entire volume is based on two premises. The first is that the fairy tale represents a basic struggle against severe difficulties which are overcome if one steadfastly meets, adjusts to, and masters all obstacles. This concept is presented repeatedly to the child in fairy tales as an intrinsic part of human existence. The second premise is that the child's need for magic enables him to conceptualize, via fairy tales, the emergence of good over bad as coming to fruition. The child can trust what the fairy tale says because it is consistent with his own world.
Bettelheim stresses the importance of externalization on the part of the child. In this, the fairy tale permits unusual clarity in the fantasy because “Long, long ago,” or “Once upon a time,” permits a safe and neutral ground for externalization. Since the fairy tale is presented in the language of symbols, the child can externalize not on the basis of tangible facts, but through the symbolic meaning that he attaches to them.
Bettelheim provides a logical and entertaining approach to the fairy tale as a psychological factor aiding the growth of the child.