The story of Peter Pan, in addition to being one of the most popular children’s stories that we tell children to get them excited about their adventures, gives name to several syndromes in the field of psychology to define certain types of personality. The Peter Pan syndrome is one in which an adult does not accept the roles and attitudes corresponding to her age, lacking emotional maturity and avoiding obligations and responsibilities.
At the other extreme is Wendy syndrome, which defines those people who dedicate themselves to caring for others –generally their partner–, performing a role similar to that of parents and assuming a significant mental overload. Both one and the other greatly condition the social relationships of those who present the syndrome and the people around them. In addition, to this list we must add the Tinker Bell syndrome.
Psychologist and sexologist Ana Sierra describes Tinkerbell syndrome on her blog as “an archetype associated with independent women, with high self-esteem and confidence. She’s charming but sometimes unbearable and can be manipulative at times.” Let’s remember that this magical fairy, Peter Pan’s faithful companion, often carried out toxic behaviors such as wanting to control the child, trying to hurt Wendy out of jealousy and carrying out manipulative behaviors to get what she wanted.
“Women who suffer from this complex, in most cases, do not feel loved by the people around them and live in a permanent state of anger. They have not felt loved by their parents and in this sense, they pay for this emotional emptiness with men”, adds Ana Sierra. “They think they are successful and superior, but many times this is just a facade since inside they feel just the opposite,” the psychologist remarks.
