Exploring the novel “Zoo Station: the Story of Christiane F.” - the protagonist from a psychodynamic and sociocultural perspective

Abstract

Christiane F. was just a teenager when, in 1978, she became a widely recognized heroin addict through her autobiographical book “Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo” (translated in English as “Zoo Station: The Story of Christiane F.”). In the late seventies, German society was confronted with the story of Christiane F., who made her way into the underworld of heroin and sex work, relentlessly portraying the reality of drug use in West Berlin. Despite its enormous popularity and richness of content, we identified a gap in literature regarding the analysis of this novel, both from a psychodynamic and sociocultural viewpoint.The authors propose an interpretation of this novel from a psychodynamic perspective, with particular emphasis on family ties and interpersonal relationships, and how they decisively shaped the protagonist's world. This article also analyses the sociocultural influences and how the female gender imposes its differences in the atmosphere of drug consumption.