An Analysis of University Students’ Narratives in the Context of Creativity and Analytical Psychology: Fantastic Literature Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Anlatılarının Yaratıcılık ve Analitik Psikoloji Bağlamında Analizi: Fantastik Yazın

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UZUN Y.

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology, cilt.8, sa.3, ss.314-322, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)

Özet

Fantasy literature is a genre that blurs the boundaries between reality and imagination, offering readers aesthetic and psychological experiences. Such texts engage the imagination, develop symbolic thinking, and foster the creation of original, creative narratives through language. Therefore, fantasy literature can be seen as an ideal context for identifying elements of creative writing, particularly in analyzing students' narratives. In this context, the present study comprehensively analyzes twenty fantasy stories written by participants in terms of creative writing elements. During the analysis, the use of setting, originality, symbolic elements, and archetypal structures was the main criterion. The participants' written narratives were evaluated using content analysis, and the data were systematically examined using MAXQDA 2024. A multidimensional approach was adopted, considering creative writing components alongside archetypes from analytical psychology. The findings reveal that the participants utilized settings in both everyday and fantastical dimensions to reflect the atmosphere and the characters’ inner journeys. Traditional fairy-tale and mythological elements were reinterpreted in modern, original ways; through the use of symbols, psychological themes such as personal transformation, courage, fear, and wisdom were concretized. While the hero and wise old figure archetypes were central to the narratives, the shadow, anima/animus, persona, and helper figures functioned as secondary elements that supported the journey and psychological integration. The study demonstrates that fantasy stories can be an effective tool in educational contexts for fostering participants’ creative thinking, symbolic literacy, and emotional and psychological awareness.