One must look to the characteristics of childishness in order to understand the meaning and the idea of it. Thus, I have chosen Satoshi Kon’s Paprika, where a man named Tokita is called both a “genius” and “a child” by his colleagues. For example, Tokita is a scientist who had the idea to create a machine that will allow people to share the dreams they have when they sleep. After he explains his invention to the detective, Kogawa, Kogawa mimics Tokita saying, “ Isn’t it a wonderful idea. To see a friend’s dream as if it were your own …” (32:13) but then states “such a silly thought…” (33:24). In this scene, Kogawa is talking to another scientist and colleague of Tokita, named Shima, who responds, “He’s a kid trapped inside the body of a genius.” Then, the antagonist, the Chairman, enters the scene and says, “It’s an adult’s responsibility to steer that genius in the right direction” (33:52). In this scene it becomes evident that Tokita’s childishness is characterized as contrary to a “genius,” and contrary to an “adult.” It seems that Tokita is called a child in this scene because of his “silly thought.” Therefore, it seems having silly thoughts is also a characteristic of childishness. So, given the Chairman’s words, responsibility is something that a child does not have, but an adult does. Moreover, it relays the idea that a child specifically lacks moral responsibility. In this case, a child is lacking the means to support himself/herself. In Matthew’s The Philosophy of Childhood, this concept of a child lacking the means, and an adult needing to “steer” is supported through Aristotle’s concept of a living organism and his/her “Final Cause” where the organism must reach maturity in order to fulfill his normal function (2). Aristotelian thought defines maturity as “that form or structure thought to enable the organism to perform its function well.” Therefore, to put it into perspective, “a human child is an immature specimen of the organism type, human, which, by nature, has the potentiality to develop into a mature specimen with the structure, form, and function of a normal or standard adult” (2), according to Aristotle. Matthew states that most people today have this Aristotelian outlook of childhood, which, leads many adults—whatever that may be—to feel “obligated to provide the kind of supportive environment those children need to develop into normal adults” (2). It seems this is the same kind of “responsibility” that the Chairman takes upon himself as an “adult.” However, it is ironic then, that in Paprika, the Chairman, though the most powerful foil character in the plot, assumes this adult responsibility by trying to control Tokita’s invention, the “DC Mini,” in a way that harms others, and is himself, lacking the moral responsibility needed to steer or guide himself or anyone else to make ethical decisions. This becomes evident when Paprika and the others realize that the Chairman was the culprit who stole the DC Mini and is using the power to harm others. Therefore, it seems adults can be seen as corrupt; whereas children like Tokita, in contrast, have motives that are innocent in its harmlessness—which, ironically, some would say is ethical, by definition, because what brings the least harm and the most good is most “ethical.”
Therefore, one can conclude that an adult can fail to accomplish his/her adult responsibilities—which makes him/her imperfect. Furthermore, if one were to assume that an adult has the moral responsibility that a child lacks to “steer in the right direction,” than it is less excusable for the adult and his/her failure because he/she should have the moral capability to make the right decision. And perhaps it is because the Chairman, as an adult, (or assuming himself to be one), ultimately pays the price of death because his unethical behavior of harming others to benefit his selfish gain is unforgiveable. As a child, however, Tokita is forgiven for his “immaturity” (35:45) possibly because of his childlike, harmless motives. One may also say that he has been forgiven for his “negligence and conceit” (33:56), because he is steered in the right direction by another adult named Chiba. Chiba assumes the role of the adult when she calls Tokita “just a kid inside” (28:42). She also assumes that role when she scolds Tokita for his “irresponsibility” of “doing what he wants to do and ignoring what he has to do” (37:38), and then takes it upon herself to save those trapped in the DC Mini dream. However, it can also be said that Chiba is not perfect as we see that she struggles to be truthful to herself and her feelings for Tokita. It is ultimately Paprika who saves everyone who is trapped in the dream that the Chairman uses to control others. Chiba separates herself from Paprika when she states Paprika is not her alternative-self and tells Shima to thank Paprika, not herself, for saving him. Thus, Chiba clarifies that she is not the hero, but rather, is herself saved, and counseled by the adult, Paprika, who tells Chiba to be truthful to her feelings for Tokita. Therefore, it seems that there is no perfect or complete adult except for Paprika, who saves everyone from the destructive Chairman and his dream. It seems that Paprika argues that everyone is himself/herself suffering from childishness, and thus, questions whether an adult can be both an adult, yet childish, at the same time. Also, given that Paprika, the only character that is created through the dream-world, is the one who saves everyone from the control of the Chairman and his dream, one may question what is required, and is it in the ability of a human being to correct anyone, whether adult or child, from his/her deficiencies. Furthermore, defining “childishness” as a state of deficit seems inaccurate if it is defined by the relation it has to being an adult, which is in itself, a state of imperfection. Therefore, the “deficit conception of childhood,” is at least to some degree, flawed. Thus, the analysis of society’s preconceived constructs of childishness and adulthood must be redefined to mean more than states of deficiency or incompleteness, and to have a relation between each other that is more than contrary.
Moreover, Matthew argues that children and their capabilities are underestimated. In some cases, children excel above adults. For example, he states, “Philosophical thinking in children can hardly be seen as primitive or early-stage efforts to develop a capacity that adults normally and standardly have in a mature form. Moreover, adults are less likely to think philosophical thoughts than children” (6). He associates child philosophy to child art, where children tend to have a “freshness, an openness, and a creativity in painting, which is the same case in philosophical thinking that is missing in most adults” (6).
Matthew states that the “philosophy of childhood” has gained recognition as an area of inquiry, inviting philosophical scrutiny, reflection, and analysis of the conceptions people have of childhood and attitudes they have toward children (1). However, the dilemma of “learned helplessness” can persist if an underestimation of children’s capabilities continues. Learned helplessness forces children to live under the expectations of adults. The dilemma that results occurs when children’s capabilities are overlooked, and thus, cannot progress any further than the expectations preconceived that the adults construct.
In this way, the act of labeling others as “childish” can be seen as a form of diagnosing. And if the perception of childishness is limiting and negatively skewed, then being labeled childish is like being labeled with a disability. In that, a person with a disability is perceived as a person of incompetency. For example, in Label Jars, not People, Douglas Biklen, Robert Bogdan, and Burton Blatt explain that calling people “ugly” is a form of labeling others with a disability, which is similar to the case of calling someone immature. In this reading, Biklen, Bogdan, and Blatt state that “diagnosing” others with this “disability” of “ugliness” allow the labelers to better address the person’s disability appropriately. In their research, they state that social media has constructed the perception of “ugliness” to not only refer to it as a physical misfortune, but to be “sometimes associated with criminality, [and] even monstrousness” (3). Similar to the case of labeling others as “childish”, calling others “ugly” allows certain behaviors to be attached to the idea of “ugliness” in a way where the person being “diagnosed” as “ugly” has some sort of condition where he/she is lacking in something—associating incompetency or disability as the condition. Biklen, Bogdan, and Blatt go on to say that initially, “disability labels such as mentally retarded, blind, deaf, physically disabled, emotionally disturbed have their origins primarily as descriptive terms” however, “now…those terms may evoke more than their creators intended…they act as cues for images of dependence, pity, guilt, childishness, incompetence” (3). Moreover, they state, “We cannot presume incompetency” (4) because assuming such from a person restricts their potential in assuming his/her capabilities.
It also illustrates the proverb, “Treat a person as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a person as if he were what he could be, and he will become what he could and should be.” In other words, if calling someone a “child” is seen as having some sort of a disability, then one may be preventing, and even so far as trapping, the “childish” person to continue in their incompetency. It is a “self-fulfilling prophecy” and the dilemma of “learned helplessness.”
Learned helplessness can be seen in Tatsuya Ishihara’s Japanese-animated series, Air, where being a child refers to being in the state of dependency as this kind of thinking can be seen as perpetuating the idea of “learned helplessness.”
(Figure 1)
For example, on the left-side picture shows Misuzu, the protagonist, deciding to go outside, by herself. She has decided to continue living her life in loneliness. However, on the right-handed side, she is visibly a smaller and weaker girl because the hat is larger, she is in a wheel-chair, and she is reluctant to go outside because it’s too hot and it makes her feel dizzy. This transition depicts her loss of strength and motivation. Thus, Misuzu regression back to her childhood is characterized by her physical body weakening. This shows that childishness, or childhood, is characterized by weakness, which implies helplessness and dependency.
In another instance, Misuzu’s regression to a child is illustrated when she physically and mentally regresses towards a state of weakness, confusion, and dependency. For example, one day Misuzu, falls asleep as her mother gives her hair a trim. She accidentally cuts hair too short, so when Misuzu wakes up, she says, “You cut it too short, I feel like a kid again…Mommy’s kid.” This scene is significant because Misuzu verbally declares her physical appearance has regressed to a time when she was still a child, and moreover, her mother’s child—when she still belonged to someone and did not feel alone. This is especially significant because Misuzu particularly calls back a time when she was still owned by her mother when she states, “Mommy’s kid.” Misuzu. It is from this point where Misuzu’s mother makes a commitment to Misuzu that Misuzu physically becomes weaker, forcing her to become dependent on her mother again.
In other instances, her mother starts to spoon feed her meals. Misuzu emotionally breaks down and cries on her mother’s lap saying, “Mamma,” because she is physically hurting from a sickness. This illustrates her regression from an independent being who told herself she would continue living a lonely life, but instead, reverts back to a young child who needs her mother to push her on a wheel-chair, feed her, and take care of her. In this way, Misuzu and her mother decide to get through Misuzu’s pain together. For example, the mother starts to lose sleep, afraid that Misuzu might not wake up. Misuzu’s sickness slowly drains her energy and motivation, where she loses the motivation to go to the summer festival, or the beach, which she originally wanted to do with her mother when she was younger.
There is a sense of regret and loss of time that becomes prevelant. For example, Misuzu’s motivation to go to the beach is easily lost when it gets too hot. Misuzu finds it hard to walk, so her mother carries her. When they arrive at the beach, Misuzu is sleeping because she is tired. It is ironic that the time they try to “make up for the lost times,” it seems it is too late for Misuzu because of her illness which allows her mother to take care of Misuzu, and reconnect with her daughter, yet prevents Misuzu from fully enjoying and fulfilling what she wanted to do as a child with her mother. It gives a sense of regret that the mother vocalizes several times.
(Figure 2)
For example, in the image above, Misuzu’s mother vocalizes that she wonders how she used up the time she should have had with Misuzu. A sense of pity towards the two is given off. In this way, the relationship and the time spent between a child and his/her mother/father is given tremendous worth.
In Air, the “deficit concept of childhood” is evident in Misuzu’s weakness and dependency on her mother to do everything. However, it is somehow put in a positive light, as it allows Misuzu’s mother to care for Misuzu, and develop a bond that was lost. In this way, Misuzu’s regression allows both her and her mother to repair their broken relationship. This allows them to return to a past that was evaded and not talked about before.
In another scene, the mother carries Misuzu while Misuzu sleeps. The mother is forced to give Misuzu to her father. The mother gives Misuzu’s father her favorite juice, and toy. When the father walks away, Misuzu wakes up, and falls to the ground crying and calling “Mamma.” The picture below is an image taken from that scene where Misuzu wakes up and calls for her mother. Her teary eyes and the sound of the one word, “Mamma” that Misuzu yells, further illustrates the complete regression that Misuzu reverts to, but more so, illustrates the reconnection of intimacy and dependency Misuzu has with her mother that was lost when she was forced to live alone, and independently, when her mother was afraid of commitment. Thus, this scene serves as the symbolic and climactic image of the childhood that was lost between Misuzu and her mother, retreived.
(Figure 3)
To add, in this scene above, Misuzu is reaching out saying, “Mamma.” Around this time in the story, it becomes evident that her vocabulary has shrunk from short, simple sentences, to one-word sentences. Overall, Misuzu’s regression is not so much a defense mechanism, as Freud states, but is rather, a stage of child development where there is a high level of dependence by the child to the parent. It would seem, then, that the “deficit conception of childhood” is portrayed more in Air. In Air, this deficit is a lack of nurture, care, and friendship in Misuzu’s earlier childhood. In Misuzu’s case, her deficiency is “cured” when her regression allows her to become more fragile and thus, dependent, as a child. Jeffrey S. Applegate states in, The Facilitating Partnership: A Winnicottian Approach:Fostering Healing and Growth: A Psychoanalytic Social Work Approach, “Reflecting current social norms, most contemporary psychotherapists view regression and dependency as antitherapeutic because they impair functional adequacy, undermine self-sufficiency, and thereby loot the public purse. Ubiquitous though these views are, they ignore what child development researchers and therapists know about the ways early emotional development influences adult functioning.” Thus, it seems that social norms view regression and childishness similarly negative—a state of impairment. Like childishness, regression and dependency, can be overlooked. In Misuzu’s case, for example, the “deficit conception of childhood” applies, however, the regression that is characterized by Misuzu’s dependency on to her mother can be seen as more than a “deficiency,” but more of as a coping mechanism, as Freud states, that is more forgiving to receive as a child. In this sense, reverting to a childlike state positively reinforces “growth,” which Applegate states, is usually evident when someone can communicate and develop a relationship with another. Therefore, because dependency is associated with the concepts of regression and childhood, it is important not to overlook dependency as only a deficiency, but rather, an opportunity or a gateway for others to develop a relationship and progression.
On the other hand, when we look at Tokita’s “childishness” as a form of regression, it seems accurate. For example, Freud’s idea of regression states, “development, fixation, and regression as centrally formative elements in the creation of a neurosis where one will evade external difficulties by regressing to his/her fixations” (Introductory Lectures). In this sense, Tokita shows his fixation on the DC Mini, and is then attributed to his negligence, immaturity, and irresponsibility. He fails to see how Himuro and he are both alike in their fixations. He fails to inquire the truth about Himuro’s death. His reluctance to inquire Himuro’s death beyond what he is told can be interpreted to show an evasion of the truth, where the he avoids questions with his “preoccupation” to the DC Mini. (37:38). It seems paradoxical then, that though Tokita is a “genius,” when his genius lends itself to his shortcomings. It is evident that Tokita faces “regression that is the revision of the ego to an earlier stage of development rather than handling unacceptable impulses in a more adult way” when Chiba asks him to think about the likeliness that Himuro was not a victim to his own death. Tokita reacts by thinking that the possibility to be something fantastical and exciting, like a “mystery” novel; He fails to recognize the weight of the grievances that everyone is facing because of the DC Mini. The “adult way” would be to take responsibility of the DC Mini and find a solution to the mishandling of the DC Mini—which Tokita tries to do only after Chiba scolds him.
(Figure 4)
In the image above, Tokita’s enlarged eyes and open mouth illustrate a look of surprise and unawareness. In this image, Chiba states, “Don’t you understand that your irresponsibility cost lives?” His shocked face illustrates that he doesn’t understand and is not aware of the weight of his mistakes.
(Figure 5)
In the image above, an image of a cartoon robot appears exactly at the time Chiba calls Tokita a “kid inside.” The image of a cartoon robot on Tokita’s shirt perpetuates the idea that children are associated with fictional, fantasy-related imaginations. In this way, it seems the message of children thinking up of impractical, absurd ideas, such as unrealistic robots (in contrast to realistic, life-like robots), are expressed.
To add, Tokita’s eating habits can also be seen as a form of regression and fixation where the “behaviors associated with regression can vary greatly depending upon which stage the person is fixated at.” In this case, Tokita’s obesity shows he is fixated at the oral stage defined in human development psychology where one can excessively eat.
There is no denying that there is a natural correlation to childhood and adulthood. As Matthew states, “what happens in childhood principally affects our view of total lives through the effects that childhood success or failure are supposed to have on mature individuals” (5). That being said, it seems that only on the basis of experience can one say that adults have any kind of superiority or advantage over children that lends itself to the negative connotation that the term “childishness” has received. In both Paprika and Air, childishness was perceived as a state of deficiency of some kind, where an adult figure was needed for guidance. Thus, it is evident that childishness suggests the necessity for guidance.
At the very least, both definitions: Freud’s regression, and Matthew’s “deficit of conception” are applicable to both Paprika and Air. However, it is also evident that childishness can be characterized in different ways, but the negative connotation of incompetency that is easily suggested by labeling one “childish” should be reconsidered as it is also evident that a child’s capabilities can be misrepresented, and that the relationship one has with a child is valuable and should not be taken for granted. Furthermore, that “regression” is a coping mechanism that allows healing and repair to the stage of “deficit,” as seen in Misuzu’s case where she lacked the care and attention of her mother in Air.
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