Childhood is a time of great change. These changes often give rise to fear and anxiety, which manifest in various ways in children’s dreams.

Monsters, strangers and other terrifying creatures or events embody these concerns. Liked to the issue of childhood anxiety is the issue of childhood anger and aggression.

 There is one very powerful influence that actively works against the developmental resolution of childhood fear and anxiety, anger and aggression, however – the television, the omnipresent audio-visual late twentieth- century object.

Unfortunately, many television programmes promote free-floating anxiety and celebrate the visual impact of violence. For children, television monsters are truly monstrous: the Strangers in television maim, kill and kidnap: and television Witches are horribly ugly and evil.

 Parents should be aware of the effects of television on their children. Some television programmes are instructive and imaginative, and should be encouraged. But there is so much on television that promotes violence, aggression and unrealistic expectations, and many of these find their way into children’s dreams.

I have piles and piles of letters from children where nightmare images are derived from television programmes.