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Article review 11 March 2026

Марина Балашова: Метафора подводной лодки и реальный смысл «Красавицы и Чудовища»

Marina Balashova: The Submarine Metaphor and the Real Meaning of ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Marina Balashova: La metáfora del submarino y el verdadero sentido de ‘La Bella y la Bestia’

Psychologist Marina Balashova suggests looking at Stockholm syndrome through the metaphor of a submarine. Imagine a situation where there is literally nowhere to run: if you open the hatch, a deadly mass of water immediately floods inside. In a confined space next to a frightening person, the psyche faces unbearable terror. Since it is physically impossible to change the circumstances, only one way remains to survive and not lose your mind — to distort your own perception. Defensive idealization enters the scene. Reason and its arguments are no longer enough, and the one who causes panic begins to look like an unfortunate, misunderstood hero who can be saved by love.

The story of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is not a romantic tale, but a centuries-old imprint of the collective unconscious that describes a survival script. The heroine, locked in a castle with no chance of escape, simply had no option but to become enchanted by the villain.

A similar mechanism is often formed in childhood as a reaction to cruel parents from whom a child cannot escape. These illusions really do save the psyche in critical circumstances. But the key task is to notice in time when the submarine has already surfaced. That is exactly when it becomes possible to look at the situation soberly and let go of illusions that once helped you survive but now only keep you close to danger.

Originally published on b17.ru
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Марина Балашова

Psychologist

Psychologist focused on defense mechanisms and traumatic relationship dynamics.

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