Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
PhD student in the Department of Persian Language and Literature, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
In recent years, psychological analysis of characters in literary texts, particularly through the lens of social psychoanalytic theories, has emerged as a significant interdisciplinary approach in young adult literature studies. This study examines the psychological structure of the character Sina in Naser Yousefi’s novel The Taste of Yellow Apple, drawing on Karen Horney’s personality theory. Employing a qualitative case study method based on deductive content analysis, the research applies Horney’s concepts— basic anxiety, neurotic needs, the idealized self-image, and the three personality styles (compliant, aggressive, and detached)—as analytical categories to explore the character’s psyche. The findings of this study indicate that Sina’s personality is predominantly fixed in the “moving toward people” neurotic style, reflected in traits such as excessive dependency, approval-seeking, the good boy persona, chronic shame, and a tendency to construct an idealized self-image in his actions and dialogue. In contrast, the aggressive and detached styles appear only transiently and situationally, without forming a stable part of his psychological structure. Sina’s character development by the novel’s end signifies the beginning of liberation from his idealized self and an effort to live authentically with his true self, aligning with Horney’s perspective on the psychological growth of neurotic characters. The study demonstrates that Horney’s theory provides an effective framework for analyzing the inner layers of adolescent characters in literary texts, particularly in depicting the impact of insecure relationships and psychological anxieties on the process of identity formation.
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