An Analysis of University Students’ Narratives in the Context of Creativity and Analytical Psychology: Fantastic Literature

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, Early View

Published Online: 03 July 2026, Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.10

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

An Analysis of University Students’ Narratives in the Context of Creativity and Analytical Psychology: Fantastic Literature

Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Anlatılarının Yaratıcılık ve Analitik Psikoloji Bağlamında Analizi: Fantastik Yazın

Yasemin Uzun¹

Abstract:

Fantasy literature is a genre that blurs the boundaries between reality and imagination, offering readers aesthetic and psychological experiences. Such texts engage the imagination, develop symbolic thinking, and foster the creation of original, creative narratives through language. Therefore, fantasy literature can be seen as an ideal context for identifying elements of creative writing, particularly in analyzing students’ narratives. In this context, the present study comprehensively analyzes twenty fantasy stories written by participants in terms of creative writing elements. During the analysis, the use of setting, originality, symbolic elements, and archetypal structures was the main criterion. The participants’ written narratives were evaluated using content analysis, and the data were systematically examined using MAXQDA 2024. A multidimensional approach was adopted, considering creative writing components alongside archetypes from analytical psychology. The findings reveal that the participants utilized settings in both everyday and fantastical dimensions to reflect the atmosphere and the characters’ inner journeys. Traditional fairy-tale and mythological elements were reinterpreted in modern, original ways; through the use of symbols, psychological themes such as personal transformation, courage, fear, and wisdom were concretized. While the hero and wise old figure archetypes were central to the narratives, the shadow, anima/animus, persona, and helper figures functioned as secondary elements that supported the journey and psychological integration. The study demonstrates that fantasy stories can be an effective tool in educational contexts for fostering participants’ creative thinking, symbolic literacy, and emotional and psychological awareness.

Keywords: Fantasy story, Creative writing, Jung, Symbols, Archetype, Content analysis.

¹Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Education, Department of Turkish and Social Sciences Education, Çanakkale, Türkiye.

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Yasemin Uzun, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Education, Department of Turkish and Social Sciences Education, Çanakkale, Turkey, E-mail: [email protected].

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 04.09.2024, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 11.01.2026, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 25.04.2026, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 03.07.2026

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Uzun, Y. (2026). An analysis of university students’ narratives in the context of creativity and analytical psychology: Fantastic literature. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 1-9, Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.10.

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/