Child psychopathology and power abuse in selected classics of Nigerian children’s fiction

Emmanuel Esemedafe
Keywords: Child psychopathology, Nigerian children‟s classics, Child abuse, Othering, Existential realities.
Tropical Journal of Arts and Humanities 2021 3(2), 15-24. Published: May 11, 2022

Abstract

The classics of Nigerian children‟s novels identify various sources of child psychopathology. This article focalises the adult role in the etiology of child psychopathology. Viewed from the critical lens of postcolonialism as enunciated by Edward Said, the article avers that the abuse of power by adults is a major cause of psychopathology in children. And from textual exhibits, it proves that child psychopathology may be remediated through a reorientation and conscientisation of the adult on the centrality of the child. This is achieved through a juxtaposition of the ideal and the flawed in the adult-child relationship.