Abstract
Loss of identity, alienation, and self-actualization, along with the split in self, are important ideas of literary works belonging to the first half of the twentieth century. Carl Rogers has pointed out to the split between the real and ideal self. He describes self-actualization as a fluid process and the self as an essential part of one’s personality that determines how one relates to the world. Rogers believes that the real self is a self-concept that a person might experience, whereas the ideal self is the one that person would like to achieve. This article analyzes the personality of the protagonist of James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen Dedalus, using Carl Rogers' notion of self and self-actualization, with particular reference to the incongruency of the real and ideal self. Roger's notion of the self, has not yet been applied on Joyce's works in the previous studies, and so is highlighted here in relation to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Keywords: self-actualization; real self; ideal self; alienation; personality
Highlights
Criticism on the topic of selfhood and identity in James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man tend to fall into two camps
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man;the novel is filled with the attempt of an individual in search of identity in a society surrounded by confusion; an individual who is trapped between his real self and his ideal self
Carl Rogers points out the split in self and emphasizes the differences between the real and ideal self
Summary
Criticism on the topic of selfhood and identity in James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man tend to fall into two camps. According to Rogers, the self is the performative part of one's personality that organizes how one relates to the world It is the feeling of being “I” or “me,” the person who looks back at one in the mirror, and the sense of being a unique individual with likes, dislikes, needs, and values. During his therapy practice, Rogers realized that all clients who talked in terms of the “self,” were somehow dissatisfied with their attempts to evaluate their actions. The path toward self-actualization is a process of “self-discovery and selfawareness, of tapping into our own true feelings and needs, accepting them as our own, and acting in ways that genuinely reflect them” (p. 404)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: 3L The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
