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CATCHER IN THE RYE: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL HOLDEN DIAGNOSIS (Schepis): PSYCHOANALYSIS: Recognizing/Identifying a Mental Illness

This LibGuide is intended to assist students with their psychological diagnosis of Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye.

PSYCHOANALYSIS: THE BIG QUESTION - AND - HOW TO USE THIS PAGE

PSYCHOANALYSIS

THE BIG QUESTION IS THIS:

Do Holden Caulfield's actions and reactions reflect a diagnosable psychological disorder...or are they merely the actions and reactions of what many term teen angst?

The primary goal of this project is to have you use textual support from The Catcher in the Rye along with psychological resources to help you make that determination.  This page will help you develop the first part of your argument:  Is it adolescent angst or is it a psychological/mental disorder?

 

HOW TO APPROACH THIS PAGE AND THIS PROJECT:

  1. Read over this page and explore the links for "identifying a mental illness" for help with determining if Holden's symptoms point to signs of a more serious problem. 
  2. Using the provided tabs and additional resources, you should then explore the symptoms of teenage angst and neurodivergence as well as common psychological disorders to help you determine what you are dealing with in regard to Holden Caulfied.  Keep in mind that if you conclude Holden is exhibiting adolescent angst, you'll still need to explore the other tabs in order to help you weed out those other possibilities.
  3. Realize that you must always use your research along with textual support from the novel to back up your opinion/argument with evidence.
  4. Prepare your "Psychological Holden Diagnosis".

 

 

What is psychoanalysis?

PSYCHOANALYSIS:

Psychoanalysis is a system of psychological theory and therapy that aims to treat mental disorders by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in the mind and bringing repressed fears and conflicts into the conscious mind by techniques such as dream interpretation and free association.  (oxforddictionaries.com)

Psychoanalysis is a method of explaining and treating mental and emotional problems by having the patient talk about dreams, feelings, memories, symptoms, etc.  (merriam-webster.com)

Psychoanalysis is a method of analyzing psychic phenomena and treating mental and emotional disorders that is based on the concepts and theories of Sigmund Freud, which emphasizes the importance of free association as well as dream analysis and involves treatment sessions during which the patient is encouraged to talk freely about personal experiences and especially about early childhood and dreams (merriam-webster.com)

Psychoanalysis is a method of treating mental disorders that emphasizes the probing of unconscious mental processes. It is based on the psychoanalytic theory devised by Sigmund Freud in Vienna in the late 19th and early 20th century. It calls for patients to engage in free association of ideas, speaking to therapists about anything that comes to mind.  Dreams and slips of the tongue are examined as a key to the workings of the unconscious mind, and the “work” of therapy is to uncover the tensions existing between the instinctual drive of the id, the perceptions and actions of the ego, and the censorship imposed by the morality of the superego. Careful attention is paid to early childhood experiences (especially those with a traumatic dimension), the memory of which may have been repressed because of guilt or trauma; recalling and analyzing these experiences is thought to help free patients from the anxiety and neuroses caused by repression as well as from more serious illnesses known as psychoses (see neurosis, psychosis).  (Source:  Concise online Encyclopedia.)