Self-Actualization in the Character of Woman: A Psychoanalytic Study of the Patience Stone

Abstract

Self-actualization is the aspiration of an individual to reach their full potential and make use of their abilities, talents, and capacities. However, this is not as simple a process as it may sound. The Hierarchy of Needs developed by Abraham Maslow identifies numerous levels in the process of self- actualization. Atiq Rahimi’s The Patience Stone (2008) represents the anxiety of the female protagonist in achieving self-actualization, in war-torn Afghanistan. The purpose of this research is to trace and unfold the process of self-actualization in the psychoanalytically complex female persona of "the woman". In order to achieve this goal, the study subscribes to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and certain postulates of Human Motivation theory. Moreover, the study applied a qualitative approach, blended with content analysis as a methodological tools for the analysis of the text.