Halloween Conspiracy Theory

This article talks about a concerned parent who has a son that wanted to dress like a princess for Halloween. She was concerned that people and other children would be judgmental of his choice of costume. The boy, Danny, did not want to dress like any characters most boys would choose, such as Peter Pan. Danny’s mom is not only concerned with the fact that he wanted to dress like a princess, but also that this phase is reaching the rest of his life as well. He likes many aspects that girls are associated with, such as playing with toy ponies. Danny does not have a father to look to for advice because he was killed before Danny was born. Danny was not introduced to the way in which boys are supposed to act and dress like. He had no clue that his choice of outfit was meant for a girl to wear. Danny did not care what other people thought about him and decided to not go with the social standard for boy’s attire. He proudly wore his princess Halloween costume to school. Danny’s mom was happy with the decision she made to let him wear the costume he wanted for Halloween.
In Danny’s case, his early development is vital to his identity as an individual. Since there is not a father figure present in this situation, Danny is looking to his mother for information on how to act. She is not teaching him the way he should act as a boy but rather letting him choose what he wants to do. As the author points out, “Psychodynamic theories assume that relationships, especially the earliest ones, are central to human development” (Wood, 47). Danny is learning that it is fine to dress however he wants. As this section also points out, children internalize what other people are doing around them. Danny went to school and saw girls playing dress-up. He was not taught that boys do not participate in these types of