fear. Hosseini’s novel has some interesting characteristics, such as hopelessness, struggling, disappointment, and many things. It is about Mariam as the main character
who becomes an object of the research because Mariam is the dominant character that makes the story becomes interesting and also very influential in its plot and brings
many influences to the readers, it can be seen in introduction of story when Hosseini narrated the characteristics of Mariam
. “She was five years old when she heard the word harami for the first time.”
It
means the word “harami” which Mariam heard for the first time came from Nana. Her mother always mentioned it which then made her depressed.
This matter has interested the writer to analyze the personality condition of main character that is Mariam that is attended by Khaled Hosseini in the novel of A
Thousand Splendid Suns, this research tries to interpret concept of abnormal psychology about Neurosis Syndrome Reactions viewed from theory of Alferd Alder
Anxiety Reaction, Compulsive-Obsessive Reaction and Phobic Reaction.
B. Research Methodology
The writer analyzes a novel by Khaled Hosseini entitled A Thousand Splendid Suns. The objective of the study is to know about Mariam’s characteristics described
as round character and also about her Neurosis Syndrome Reactions; Anxiety reaction, Obsessive-Compulsive reaction, and Phobic reaction that have been
reflected in this novel. This study applies qualitative descriptive method and the unit of the analysis was examined by using the theory of abnormal psychology by Alfred
Adler.
C. Theory
¾
Characteristic
Characteristic is a way to identify a character. The characteristic of character is the identification of a character, which is described physically or seen from attitudes
and how the characters behave. It is also the main point to really know how a characteristic is. Characteristic is also a method which is used by the author to
illustrate character. Characteristic is the method an author uses to reveal or describe character and their various personalities.
2
A character has some different Qualities or values Moral, emotional, and intellectual.
3
Such as the novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist,
4
Mohsin Hamid describes about the main male character Princeton, he was an attractive and smart man in his novel.
Characteristic is the way in which writer develops characters and reveals those characters’ trait to readers. The names of characters are often quite important for
story because the author may develop characters through their actions, their physical appearances, their speech and gestures and expressions, and their names. Character
my also be classified as round or dynamic and flat or static character. It means that
round character tends to be dynamic, while flat character tends to be static. The developing of the major character may be round; sometime the point of story may
2
http:www.wilmette.nttc.orgwjhsstaffbarbariccharacterization.htm accessed on June 6, 2009
3
Edward W and JR Rosenhaim, What Happens in Literature Chicago: The University Chicago Press, 1960, P. 79
4
Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist Florida: Harcourt, 2007, P.8
depend on the characters’ abilities to change. Minor characters are often static, and their growth is not usually relevant to the development of the story. The readers may
be able to develop a character through the character’s dialogue; responses to conflict that arise in the plot, revelatory and thought.
A dynamic or round character is mayor character in a work of fiction that encounters conflict and is changed by it. Dynamic characters tend to be more
fully developed and described that flat, or static, character.
5
Round character is character that is complex and realistic; they represent a depth of personality which is imitative of life. They frequently possess both
good and bad traits, and they may react unexpectedly or become entangled in their own interior conflicts.
6
So, these characters have been fully developed by an author, physically, mentally, and emotionally. A round character is usually a main character that
develops over the course of the story. A flat character is a character that has hardly any development. Example of round characters from various genres include Frodo
Baggins of the Lord of the Rings, Arthur Dent of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Professor Snape from Harry Potter and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock
Holmes. Flat character is character that is not very complex and do not change in
surprising ways, but they must be careful not to late terms like flat and round
5
http:fictionwriting.about.comodglossarygdynamic.htm accessed on June 6, 2009
6
http:en.wikipedia.orgwikifictional_characterNames_of_characters accessed on June 6, 2009
or mayor and minor turn into value judgment. Because flat characters are less complex than round ones.
7
Supporting characters are generally flat, as most minor roles do not require a
great deal of complexity. In addition, experimental literature and postmodern fiction often intentionally use flat characters, even as protagonist. The readers will also learn
about the characteristic of characters. A character may be humankind, an alien, an animal, a god, an artificial intelligence or an occasionally inanimate object.
¾
Character
The term character applies to any individual in a literary work. The characters in fiction are customarily described by their relationships to the plot of a story; by the
degree of development that are given by the author. The story and plays a part in the action within the story-teller, but also a story for any narrator to tell In addition to
being the narrator, he is character; someone who acts, appears, or is referred to as
playing a part in a literary work.
8
In literary work story, there is a representation of humankind who has a role in the story. He or she is called actor or character. A character or actor usually refers to
somebody who has a duty to carry out as role in the story. The relationship between
7
Jerome Beaty, et al., The Norton Introduction To Literature New York: W.W Norton and Company, 1973, P.103
8
Ibid. P.102
plot and character is a vital and necessary one. Without character there would be no plot and, hence, no story.
9
The character is an actor appears in fiction work.
10
For most readers of fiction the primary attraction lays in the characters, in the endlessly fascinating collection of men and women whose experiences and
adventures in life form the basis of the plots of the novels and stories in which they appear. A character is divided into two: Main and minor character.
1. Main Character
The major or main character of the plot is the protagonist; his opponent, the character against whom protagonist struggle or contends is the antagonist.
The protagonist usually easy enough to identify; he or she is the essential character without whom there would be no plot in the first place. It is the
protagonist’s fate the conflict or problem being wrestled with on which the attention of the reader is focused.
11
2. Minor Character
The character which appears only few times and takes the short portion is called minor character as he or she usually is flat character often are
convenient devices to draw out and help us to understand the personalities of characters who are more fully realized.
12
The writer concludes that the main character has a big part in the story. He or she
always develops the story and almost appears on the text. He or she is also an important role in a story and becomes a central attention in novel. The protagonist is
the main character of the novel, the one who deals with truth and being conflicted by
9
James H.Pickering and Jeffrey D.Hoeper, Concise Companion to literature New York: Macmillan,1981, P.23
10
http:en.wikipedia.orgWIKIFictional_characterNames_of_characters accessed on October 25, 2008
11
Jerome Beaty, et al., The Norton Introduction To Literature New York: W.W Norton and Company, 1973, P. 24
12
James H.Pickering and Jeffrey D. Hoeper, Concise Companion to Literature New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1981, P. 26
other characters. The opponent of protagonist is known as the antagonist or in the event that opposing force is not person. He or she forces the antagonist character and
often gives any trouble or even conflict to the protagonist character.
¾ The Abnormal Psychology
Apparently the behavioral of abnormal does not get a lot of attention. Moreover, only a few people from whole get treatment in the hospital. Most of people never
looking for aid of psychologist or psychiatrist. Only a few of people have not accused guilty for a crime with reason of abnormality.
In fact, the abnormal psychology has almost influenced everyone in many manners. The pattern of abnormal psychology which concludes symptom of function
psychology or the symptom of behavior has been classified by psychiatrist as psychological disorder or some symptoms mentality which can be diagnosed,
including anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, dysfunction of sexual, and also the symptom of abuse essence. To understand an abnormal behavior better, the
psychoanalyst can analyze the complex interaction between factor biology and environment situation. The psychoanalyst also looks at social and cultural aspect to
understand the symptom mentality. Abnormal psychology is one of the psychological branches which effort to understand the pattern of abnormal behavior and some
manners to help the people who get the symptom mentality.
13
13
Jeffrey S. Nevid et al., Psikologi Abnormal Jakarta: PT Gelora Aksara Pratama,2005, P.4
Neurosis syndrome reaction is one of the parts of an abnormal psychology which can explain and help people mentality.
¾
Neurosis Syndrome Reactions
In this thesis, the writer will describe neurosis syndrome reactions and check what the theoretical perspective at the neurosis syndrome disorders is.
The term of “neurosis” was firstly founded by a British namely William Cullen 1769. At the first, he thought that neurosis was only disorder around
neurotic symptoms. Around two centuries later, Sigmund Freud suggested the source of neurosis was intrapsychic conflict. On the contrary, behaviorists
argued that the source of neurosis is faulty learning to avoid the anxiety. According to behaviorists, the point of neurosis is the lifestyle of defensive by
decreasing of purpose anxiety.
14
Moreover, According to Kartini Kartono, Neuroses is mental disorder that causes a sense of distress and deficit to the function of the people mentality.
“Psychoneuroses called neuroses, mental disorder that causes as sense of distress and deficit in functioning”
Kartono adds that neuroses are characterized by anxiety, depression and other feelings of unhappiness or distress that are out of proportion to the circumstance of
people’s life either internal relationships or external affairs. Neurotic generally is not sick, but hisher mentality is only disturbed by the lost of the sense of reality seen
from the neurotic’s psychosis.
15
Basically neurosis is not a disease and the people who have gotten neurosis commonly called as a normal people. They only suffer mentally as symptom of
14
A. Supratiknya, Mengenal Perilaku Abnormal yogyakarta: Kanisius, 1980, PP. 36-37
15
Kartini Kartono, patology social 3 Jakarta:CV. Rajawali, 1997, P.67
conflict in their life and cannot be handled. Neurosis can cause by external and internal cases. The dangerous threatment which has continued is the one of neurosis.
Such as the longest war threatment.
16
The react neurosis, who had suffered it, they usually anxious of something, the existence of anxiety, full of complaint or problem.
17
The writer can make analogy that Neurosis is characterized by anxiety, depression, feelings of unhappiness or distress that are out of proposition of the circumstances of
person’s life. Neurosis is serious failures to adjust, so what the meaning of neurosis is exactly. Neurosis is a psychological symptom which has been marked by some
treatments and anxieties because of difficulty of conflict and phobia. Most psychological theories of neuroses stress the importance of parents-child relationship
and early life experiences as contributing influences in the development of personality flaws that predispose the child to neurotic behavior in later years. This
symptom appears because the people use mechanism of defenses excessively. Basically, neurosis includes some several of patterns, such as anxiety disorders,
compulsive-obsessive disorders, and Phobic disorders. ¾
Kinds of Neurosis Syndrome Reactions viewed from theory of Alfred Adler
As the writer has read, Alfred Adler is an Austrian medical doctor, psychologist and founder of the school of individual psychology. In collaboration
with Sigmund Freud and a small group of Freuds colleagues, Adler is among the co-
16
Sarlito W. and Sarwono, Pengantar Umum Psikologi Jakarta: Bulan Bintang, 2003, P.124
17
Clifford T.Morgan and Richard A., King, Introduction to psychology Tokyo:McGrow-Hill, 1956, P. 406
founders of the psychoanalytic movement as a core member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. He is the first major figure to break away from
psychoanalysis to form an independent school of psychotherapy and personality. Adlers book, Über den nervösen Charakter The Neurotic Character defines his
earlier key ideas. He argues that human personality can be explained teleological, separate strands dominated by the guiding purpose of the individuals unconscious
self ideal to convert feelings of inferiority to superiority or rather completeness. The desires of themselves ideally are countered by social and ethical demands. If the
corrective factors are disregarded and the individual over-compensated, then an inferiority complex will occur fostering the danger of the individual becoming
egocentric and aggressive or worse. Adler said that neuroses has an important certain social problem, this case
neuroses including dependence of people means that they are sensitive people who always try to protect themselves and rely on other people. Their energy is not much
and depends to other people. When they had suppressed, they will open their mindset which namely neurotic; phobia, obsessive-compulsive, anxiety and others, depend on
their lifestyle.
18
9
Anxiety Reaction
It’s probably the most common neurotic condition, are emotional. A person an anxiety state is extremely irritable, or constantly worried and fearful. Usually he has
accompanied bodily symptoms-nausea, sweating, palpitations of the heart. These
18
C. George Boeree, Personality Theories Yogyakarta: Prismasophie, 1997, P.163
reactions do not consist of occasional periods of worry over rational or partly rational problems, such as the normal person has, but prolonged periods of extreme, diffuse,
and uncalled for nervousness and apprehension. Anxiety reactions are caused by a great anxiety and stress. Anxiety is
much like stress in the way our bodies respond. There is feeling of being threatened, of being apprehension, tension, and worry. Anxiety affects a person’s performance.
People can usually perform simple task better under higher anxiety. Since most situations are rather complex, it is not surprising that highly anxious people cope less
adaptively of effectively.
Clinical picture in generalized anxiety reactions
. Individuals suffering from generalized anxiety disorder live in a relatively constant state tension, worry,
and diffuse uneasiness. They are oversensitive interpersonal relationships, and frequently feel inadequate and depressed.
19
9
Obsessive-Compulsive Reaction
In obsessive-compulsive disorders, individual feel compelled to think about something that they do not want to think about or to carry out some action against
their will. These individuals usually realize that their behaviors are irrational but cannot seem to control it. The incidence of obsessive-compulsive reactions has been
variously estimated to be from about 12 to 20 percent of the anxiety reactions.
An obsession is a thought or image that keeps intruding into a
person’s consciousness. The person finds the thought distressing and inappropriate and tries to suppress it, but still return. For example, an
individual might have persistent fearful thoughts about coming into contact
19
James C. Coleman et al., Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life London : Scott, Foresman and Company, 1964 , P. 207
with dirt or contamination or about hurting someone else. A compulsion is an action that a person fells compelled to repeat again and again, in a rigid,
stereotypical fashion, though he or she has no conscious desire to do so. People suffering from either obsessions or compulsions or, as are usually the
case from both-are said to have obsessive-compulsive disorder.
20
9 Phobic Reaction
Phobia is a persistent fear of some object or situation the presents no actual danger to the person or in which the danger is magnified our of all proportion to its
actual seriousness.
21
Phobic disorder occurs more commonly among adolescents and young adults than among older people. It is also more frequently diagnosed in
females than in males, possibly because strong fears have traditionally been more compatible with female roles than with male roles of our society. People who suffer
from phobias usually admit that they have no real cause to be afraid of the object or situation, but say they cannot help themselves. In addition a phobia may generalize to
fear of situation only minimally related to the basic trauma.
D. Novel Analysis of A Thousand Splendid Suns
