Hi, if it helps, Freud's psychoanalysis helps to look at phobia -
fear of the dark and supports ways children are able to express fear/concern/experiences/understanding through play, overcoming anxiety and bringing worries out into 'reality/concious open thought. Freud presented children's attachments to others as a result of children needing to have their biological needs met, creativity as a means of therapeautic expression, psychosexual theory and children's maturation.
Google book preview and
Children & childhood are good reads.
Hth xx