Wishful Identification with Fictional Characters: An Assessment of the Implications of Gender in Message Dissemination to Children

Abstract This study is concerned with a comparison of male and female children's wishful identifications with fictional characters. The results of separate grade analyses revealed that kindergarten, second and fourth grade students have same-sex identifications (i.e., males identify with males and females with females). The results of a sixth grade analysis revealed females wishfully identifying with some male characters, and male sixth graders manifesting a high level of identification with the male. The study thus suggests a hypothesis of females departing from gender congruency around the ages of twelve to thirteen.