The Function of "Chain" Stories in Children's Intellectual Development with Emphasis on Bruno Bettelheim's Theories: The Case of the Story 'The Old Woman'

Folk tales have the ability to enhance children's developmental process, mental capacity, and verbal intelligence. In this article, a type of folk tales called "chain tales" is studied and for example, the story of "Pirzan", one of the folk tales of Lorestan, was analyzed through descriptive-analytical and qualitative methods. The premise is that chain stories can evoke a child's sense of suspense and anticipation, and make him or her eager to hear the next loop of the story, and with this structural trick, accelerate the process of maturation and intellectual development and cognition of the child. The sequence of form and, of course, the content seen in the chain stories, causes the child to practice social skills, socialization, and participation in the process of acquiring collective identity. In these stories, abstract processes such as creation, and the good and causal system that governs the world, are given to their child in a chain-like and believable way. These stories emphasize above all the need for the child to be familiar with the process of participating in collective actions, gaining a common identity, strengthening the spirit of cooperation, and social cooperation. Since it is very important for children to cultivate and strengthen the spirit and development of a collectivist personality, it is worthwhile to use this kind of chain of stories in preschool and primary school centers used by education authorities.