Crash Course: Psychological Setting
The *magic* piece of the puzzle you may not have learned about in school.
“Setting is the time and place in which the plot of a book occurs” is probably what you learned when you were in school. It’s an easy way to quickly teach or describe this literary element, but it’s not really a fair definition. And we want to be fair to setting, don’t we?
Yes, we do.
Setting is, after all, a three-dimensional literary element! Setting includes time and place, yes, but it also includes the psychological (or human) dimension. (I’ll define it below; I promise!)
And guess what? Exploring psychological setting can help our children expand the way they see and understand the world in front of them. (Remember that we have to exercise1 our empathy muscles?)
Because we like learning how to have low key book conversations that turn into life conversations that deepen our bonds and make hard real world discussions more accessible, today, we’re going to go through the basics of psychological setting so that you — the grownup — can reframe (or remember) how you think about setting.
You do NOT need to teach any of this academic language to your children (though reinforcing the language they learn in school is always helpful!). I do not encourage you to sit down and give your children a lesson on setting, but I do think it’s helpful for grownups to have a setting refresh. It makes coming up with your own questions and integrating these kinds of conversations into your normal life much more natural. And oh boy, we like that.
Quick definition: Psychological setting includes relationships, culture, and rules (written and unwritten).
Let’s think about this in a way many, many parents can understand: a school tour. On a school tour, we are apt to think about the physical space: is there sunlight? Is the paint peeling off the walls? How do the doors lock? Is there a playground? A library2? A gym? What’s the bathroom situation? How does the cafeteria smell? Is the building big and spread out? Are the classrooms small? How are they set up? What colors are the walls? Are the hallways cluttered? Are the florescent lights on? Is it too hot? (And the questions can trail on forever.)
We also have questions related to time (the temporal dimension of setting). We wonder what time school starts and ends; if there’s before or after-care; what the school calendar looks like. We are aware of the year and how a school in the 2020s is going to be different from a school in the 90s.
Which brings us to where, I think, most of our questions lie: in the psychological/human dimension. These questions relate to rules, customs, relationships, and culture. How, we wonder on these tours, does the school respond to the physical space? How do they handle, because it is 2024, technology? How does the school approach security? What plans are in place in case an unthinkable tragedy occurs? What kind of behavior management plans do teachers follow? Are the teachers happy? Do they like one another? How does drop-off go? What is the school’s homework policy? Are cell phones allowed? How to the parents get along? Is there a lot of parent involvement? How are new families welcomed? What are all the rules — from the written to the unspoken? What, for goodness sake, are the vibes?
I like to think of setting as a box built by the specific time, place, and psychological elements. Everything from the most micro parts of the setting (like individual relationships) to the most macro (like global weather patterns or international politics) create the box. The plot has to fit inside the box.
Why talk about psychological setting?
Some parts of our setting we can control (like our physical space — though not always, of course), and some parts we never have power over (like the weather or the year).
When we talk about psychological setting, it becomes clear that time and physical spaces aren’t experienced by everyone in the same way and that different individuals have varying levels of control over their setting. Physical comfort doesn’t mean as much if you don’t have emotional comfort.
By exploring psychological setting, we help our children understand the impact of time, place, and culture on individuals.
Question Starting Points
I’ve written about it before, but setting an intention for reading/asking questions can be both rewarding and less stressful than just winging it. (And yes, an intention for reading can just be: to get lost in the story; to read without looking at your phone; to create a routine that works for everyone, etc..)
If you choose to set paying attention to the psychological setting (and how it impacts characters, perhaps), here’s a list of starting points for your questions and conversations:
How does it feel to [be a kid in her family; live in their house; be a student at that school]?
How much control does [character] have over their setting?
Does [the physical/temporal setting] feel the same for [character A] as it does for [character B]? Tell me about it.
How do the rules impact the way people live in this community? If it was more/less strict, would it be easier or harder to live there?
Here are a few suggestions for books with ample opportunities to discuss psychological setting.
I don’t usually suggest ages because I really believe it depends on your individual child! If, after reading about them, you have questions about any of these books and if they make sense for your child/family, please feel free to send me a message.
THE WOLF SUIT (Sid Sharp) - The physical setting feels different at the end of this graphic novel (that reads like a picture book) because the psychological setting shifts when Bellwether discovers the other wolves aren’t wolves, either.
PRETTY UGLY (David Sedaris and Ian Falconer) - The psychological setting (in contrast to the one we’re used to) in this picture book is what makes this book funny! What we deem “pretty” and “ugly” is part of the psychological setting.
ONCE UPON A TIM (Stuart Gibbs) series - The psychological setting drives the plot of this illustrated novel series. Class and gender really matter! (See my read aloud guide here — recommended for elementary school readers.)
THE WRONG WAY HOME (Kate O’Shaughnessy) - This middle grade novel is about a girl and her mother who escape a cult. (It’s so well done!) Cults would not be cults without a strong psychological dimension. Lots to talk about here.
FINALLY HEARD (Kelly Yang) - There are so many avenues you can explore in this middle grade novel (and how they connect, too): friendship and classmate dynamics; social media and the culture surrounding it; how schools and families handle children’s technology and social media use.
WHAT HAPPENED TO RACHEL RILEY? (Claire Swinarski) - If your middle grade reader hasn’t read this bingeable book yet, get ready for loads of conversations about psychological setting that relate to real, hard parts of middle school: topics include bullying, harassment, friendship, and social change.
So, tell me: Did you learn about this in school? I didn’t learn to consider it as an explicit part of setting until I was in graduate school, and I found it so helpful in my teaching. I hope you find it helpful with your book conversations at home, too.
Schools — even "good” schools — across the country are losing libraries.
This is so interesting to think about and specifically name! I do not remember psychological setting being explicitly taught in my undergrad education courses or my graduate reading education program. Thank you for the crash course—will definitely have this in mind in the future during book discussions with my gang.