The Secret Superpower of Vulnerability

"In his book The Narrative Brain: The Stories Our Neurons Tell, he points out that most of the Grimm brothers' fairy tales center on the vulnerability of their heroes. This vulnerability is often borne out of an earlier trauma-abandonment or orphanhood, for example-which leaves its character hypervigilant to danger and presumably with a certain level of cunning at recognizing and responding to that threat."

"The key to the vulnerable character in fairy tales is changeability: that is, their identity is not yet fully formed and thus can be developed in positive ways. In fairy tales, vulnerable heroes, such as children or animals, face danger, are tested, and are either rescued or rise to the occasion, performing their own escape by outwitting danger with learned cunning stemming from earlier trauma or deprivation."

"Vulnerability is, at its core, being open to change. This receptivity, this emotionality, is held up by fairy tales as the key personal quality of humankind. Claiming one's vulnerability, Breithaupt argues, can be seen not as a sign of weakness but as an act of empowerment. Personal trauma, experiences of injustice, and the suffering of oppression can not only be openly discussed but also used to claim one's own power and influence."

Grimm-style fairy tales present vulnerable protagonists whose vulnerability often stems from early trauma such as abandonment or orphanhood, producing hypervigilance and practical cunning. Vulnerable characters remain changeable, with identities that can develop positively through tests, danger, rescue, or self-rescue by outwitting threats. Vulnerability operates as openness to change and emotional receptivity that supports growth. Claiming vulnerability can function as empowerment rather than weakness. Personal trauma, injustice, and oppression can be discussed and leveraged to claim power and influence. Prioritizing mental well-being in high-pressure contexts exemplifies vulnerability as an act of resilience.

Read at Psychology Today