Meccanismi di difesa nella personalità di Victor Frankenstein: un'indagine sul narcisismo , Traduzioni di Psicopatologia

Scarica Meccanismi di difesa nella personalità di Victor Frankenstein: un'indagine sul narcisismo e più Traduzioni in PDF di Psicopatologia solo su Docsity! Defense Mechanisms in Victor Frankenstein's Personality: An Investigation of Pathological Narcissism Abstract: Frankenstein is a Gothic novel known for its horrifying monster created by the hands of an ingenious but insane character who challenged the laws of nature and of human procreation. Victor Frankenstein is pictured by Mary Shelley as an arrogant scientist who defies the normal evolution of humankind and generates a new life, his own child, a creature that, in the end, proves to be a complete failure in terms of physical appearance, human relationships and quality of life. The aim of this research paper is to investigate the personality of Victor from the representations given by the author in her work, such as the descriptions of behavior and mental states and the literary devices used in the novel. Then, all these elements are evaluated in relation to the psychological defense mechanisms. The analysis of the correlation between elements of the text and defense mechanisms will provide useful insights into the structure of the personality of this character. Keywords: Defense Mechanisms, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, Narcissism, Personality. Introduction The aim of this research paper is to explore the disturbed personality of Victor Frankenstein, the main character of the well- known story of Mary Shelley published first in 1818 and then revised in 1831. The investigation of this character's personality in relation to pathological narcissism and the defense mechanisms underlying this mental disturbance is illustrated in this article with emphasis on the ways the author of the novel represented with words, utterances, feelings, behavior, and facts the complicated psychological asset of Victor. Defense mechanisms are psychological reactions of the human mind that can be elicited by distressful events or emotional strain. They are typically unconscious, involuntary, and likely reversible, and their main scope is to reduce mental tension and to find a better adaptation of the individual to the conflicting and emotional situation which is being experienced. Sigmund Freud was one of the first to theorize the existence of these mechanisms. Narcissism is a psychopathological condition characterized by the exhibition of specific defense mechanisms which explain the expression of clinical symptoms such as grandiosity, lack of empathy, arrogance, need of appreciation and egocentrism which are frequently responsible for individual suffering and social dysfunction. Modern diagnostic manuals for psychiatric disturbances (DSM-5) classify narcissism as narcissistic personality disorder and provide a complete list of symptoms and complications related to this mental condition. The problem of narcissism in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has been the object of a previous investigation which highlighted significant elements of the troubled personality of the main character. In particular, the wish of Victor to create a double or alter ego in which to reflect his own idealized identity, but when the other turns out to be a complete failure, the narcissistic injury or wound causes a mental breakdown that forces Victor to flee. The lack of personal gratification and feelings of loneliness will induce Victor to seek for another person who can be reassuring and caring but, in the end, all his efforts to find an object of love and to reestablish his mental equilibrium are unfruitful. Methodology The investigation of this paper consists in a qualitative analysis of selected passages of the novel with a particular focus on the descriptions of events and mental states, language choice and figures of speech (figure retoriche) which best describe the defense mechanisms adopted by a narcissistic personality. Discussion The first defense mechanisms that can be detected in the novel is displacement (a way to cope with conflicts by moving on the undesired affect to another idea or situation which is more tolerable for the individual). We can find a lot of defense mechanisms in his personality, such as Idealization, for example (this mental process is characterized by an excessive value or importance given to a particular object, and this is the case of Natural philosophy which is considered by Victor as the perfect and highest knowledge as described in the next passage). The analysis has highlighted so far at least six defense mechanisms typically used by a narcissist person, which are: - displacement, - idealization, - devaluation, - projection, - splitting, - dissociation. These mechanisms along with other psychological symptoms, like grandiosity, sense of entitlement, arrogance, lack of empathy, egotism, depression, rage, emotional instability (DSM-5) all confirm that Victor is affected by narcissistic personality disorder. Conclusion The problem with narcissism it’s to find ad adequate treatment to the dysfunctional and abnormal behavior manifested by the individual. It is hard to find a cure especially because the individual is often unable to be introspective or self-critical and to establish a positive and constructive relationship. As a matter of fact, Victor shows many signs of mental suffering because he has a high opinion of himself, is self-centered, does not consider the consequences of his actions, rejects the support of academic experts, is unaware of the immorality of his achievements and challenges the laws of science and nature. The persistence of a mental illness will bring misery to Victor’s entire life and to that of his beloved ones as well, and the story will end with no good resolution but the death of the character. Traduzione in Italiano Abstract: Frankenstein è un romanzo gotico noto per il mostro creato dalle mani di un personaggio ingegnoso ma folle che ha sfidato le leggi della natura e della procreazione umana. Victor Frankenstein è raffigurato da Mary Shelley come uno scienziato arrogante che sfida la normale evoluzione del genere umano e genera una nuova vita, il proprio figlio, cioè una creatura che, alla fine, si rivela un completo fallimento in termini di aspetto fisico, rapporti umani e qualità della vita. Lo scopo di questo lavoro di ricerca è quello di indagare la personalità di Victor a partire dalle rappresentazioni date dall'autrice nella sua opera, come le descrizioni del comportamento e degli stati mentali e gli espedienti letterari utilizzati nel romanzo. Successivamente, tutti questi elementi vengono valutati in relazione ai meccanismi di difesa psicologica. L'analisi della correlazione tra elementi del testo e meccanismi di difesa fornirà utili approfondimenti sulla struttura della personalità di questo personaggio. Introduzione: Lo scopo di questo lavoro di ricerca è quello di esplorare la personalità disturbata di Victor Frankenstein, il personaggio principale della nota storia di Mary Shelley pubblicata per la prima volta nel 1818 e poi rivista nel 1831. L'indagine della personalità di questo personaggio in relazione al narcisismo patologico e ai meccanismi di difesa alla base di questo disturbo mentale è illustrata in questo articolo con enfasi sui modi in cui l'autrice del romanzo ha rappresentato con parole, enunciati, sentimenti, comportamenti e fatti il complicato patrimonio psicologico di Victor. I meccanismi di difesa sono reazioni psicologiche della mente umana che possono essere suscitate da eventi angoscianti o tensioni emotive. Sono tipicamente inconsci, involontari, e il loro scopo principale è quello di ridurre la tensione mentale e di trovare un migliore adattamento dell'individuo alla situazione conflittuale ed emotiva che si sta vivendo. Sigmund Freud fu uno dei primi a teorizzare l'esistenza di questi meccanismi. Il narcisismo è una condizione psicopatologica caratterizzata dall'esibizione di specifici meccanismi di difesa che spiegano l'espressione di sintomi clinici come la grandiosità, la mancanza di empatia, l'arroganza, il bisogno di apprezzamento e l'egocentrismo che sono frequentemente responsabili della sofferenza individuale e della disfunzione sociale. I moderni manuali diagnostici per i disturbi psichiatrici (DSM-5) classificano il narcisismo come disturbo narcisistico di personalità e