The importance of memory relating to Jonas` self-actualization through Jonas` characteristics in Lois Lowry`s the giver... - USD Repository
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
THE IMPORTANCE OF MEMORY RELATING TO JONAS’ SELF-ACTUALIZATION THROUGH JONAS’ CHARACTERISTICS
IN LOIS LOWRY’S THE GIVER AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented As Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirement For The Degree Of Sarjana Sastra In English Letters By YOSEPH HARY WIBOWO Student Number: 014214082 ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2008
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
THE IMPORTANCE OF MEMORY RELATING TO JONAS’ SELF-ACTUALIZATION THROUGH JONAS’ CHARACTERISTICS
IN LOIS LOWRY’S THE GIVER AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented As Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By YOSEPH HARY WIBOWO Student Number: 014214082 ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2008
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
“Death Is So Tragic,
Since Life Is So Precious”
Erich frommPsychoanalist
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
T TT h hh i ii s ss u uu n nn d dd e ee r rr g gg r rr
a
aa
d dd u uu a aa t tt e ee t tt h hh e ee s ss i ii s ss i ii s ss d dd e ee d dd i ii c cc a aa t tt e ee d dd t tt o ooM M M y yy b bb e ee l ll o oo v vv e ee d dd p pp a aa r rr e ee n nn t tt s ss
M M M
y
yy
d dd e ee a aa r rr e ee s ss t tt b bb r rr o oo t tt h hh e ee r rr s ss a aa n nn d dd s ss i ii s ss t tt e ee r rr a aa n nn d ddM M M y yy
P PP o oo w ww e ee r rr f ff u uu l ll
“ ““
G GG e ee n nn d dd u uu l ll
” ””
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to dedicate my gratitude to God for this lovely religious life. I believe that He gives me a great life that is very significant in the precious process of finishing this writing.
I definitely thank my beloved parents, brothers, sister, and big family of “Trah Gayam” for guiding me in this complicated world, give prayers, and support during the process of writing of this thesis. My special gratitude goes to my dearest Ayudya “Gendul” Herviyanti for her never-ending love, care, companion, encouragement, patience, SMS, phone calls, and her loveliest life.
Millions of thanks to Mr. Paulus Sarwoto, S.S., M.A. as my thesis advisor, all the lecturers and the staff of the Department of English Letters USD for helping me in all occasions. I dedicate my gratitude to my lovely 2001 English Letters friends: Tito, Genjik, Bola, Kothos, Kardiman, Garry, Sepep, Koenthet, Farah, Mila, Kupret, Vanny, Maria, Yongky, Obed, Ian, Endra, Sinda, and all of 2001 folks.
I give my appreciation to mbak Sofie, Mbing, lilik’s Ius, De Marto’s community, Tumindak Ngiwo Community (Ganyong, Kopet, Windra, Sapi, Zigot,), Lumbung Aksara Community, and ex-Seminaris Community (Siro, Gepeng, Iblis, Dono, Acong), and all friends that I cannot mention one by one whose help is very significant in the process of this undergraduate thesis writing.
Yoseph Hary Wibowo
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE………….. ........................................................................................ i APPROVAL PAGE ................................................................................................ ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE .......................................................................................... iii MOTTO PAGE ...................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION PAGE ............................................................................................. v AGREEMENT OF PUBLICATION…………………………………..................vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................... viii ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... ix ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................. .x
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 1 A. Background of the Study......................................................................... 1 B. Problem Formulation...............................................................................
4 C. Objectives of the Study ........................................................................... 4
D. Definition of the Terms ........................................................................... 5
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW ......................................................... 6 A. Review of Related Studies ................................................................................. 6 B. Review of Related Theories ............................................................................... 7
1. Theory of Character……………………………………………………….7
2. Theory on Self-Actualization………………………………………..…...11
3. Theory on Memory………………………………………………............16
4. Relation between Literature and Psychology…………………………….19
C. Theoretical Framework .................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ................................................................... 22
A. Object of the Study ........................................................................................... 22 B. Approach of the Study ...................................................................................... 24 C. Method of the Study ......................................................................................... 24CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS ................................................................................ 27
A. Jonas's Characterization in the Novel .............................................................. 27 B. Jonas's Tracking of Memory in the Novel ........................................................ 33 C. Jonas's Self-Actualization in the Novel………………………….…………....52 D. The Rule of Memory towards Jonas's Self-Actualization…………………….63 CHAPTER V CONCLUSION ........................................................................... 78 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................... 83PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
ABSTRACT
YOSEPH HARY WIBOWO. The Importance of Memory Relating To Jonas’
Self-Actualization through Jonas’ Characteristics in Lois Lowry’s The Giver.
Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2008.Lois Lowry builds the community in The Giver as utopian society which lives with no rudeness, no crime, and no diseases. It means that their life is so painless. To realize this idea, Lois Lowry creates a group of people who do not want to be burdened with memories. As the consequence, there is no past experience as learnt matter even creative less and colorless. Ironically, the fact that Jonas is pointed as receiver of memory proves that lives generally need memory. The community needs a receiver of memory to give them wisdom of life. Realizing the fact that they have no memory, Jonas decides to escape the community forever in order to unleash all the memories that have been kept from the citizens for so long. This kind of struggle is considered as self-actualization.
There are four problems revealed from the topic. The first problem is to find the characteristics of the main character, Jonas, based on Murphy’s theory of characterization. The second is how tracks of memory are described in the novel. The third is how Jonas’s self-actualization is described in the novel. The last problem is how the roles of memory relating to Jonas’s self-actualization.
In answering the problems, this study uses library research and psychological approach. The writer analyzes this novel based on psychology since the concept of memory and self-actualization are the significant theories in psychology.
This study shows that Jonas’s characteristics are brave, good learner, intelligent, sensitive, and has integrity and capacity of seeing the beyond. The details of his characteristics prove that Jonas is qualified enough to be pointed as Receiver. With his characteristics Jonas is able to experience life meaningfully that is full of memories. There are memories of pleasure, memories of pain, which are received from The Giver. And Jonas’s tracking of memory reaches its climax, as seen in the novel, when he finds a hill, a memory of his own. Those characteristics and tracks of memory have been the way Jonas actualizes himself. In this case, Jonas’s self-actualization is supported by the importance of memory since his actualization is realized through the tracks of memories. Later, the importance of memory can be perceived since received memories have given him wisdom of life. Those prove that memory give illustration, recognition, analysis, interpretation, and understanding of matters beautifully.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
ABSTRAK
YOSEPH HARY WIBOWO. The Importance of Memory Relating To Jonas’
Self-Actualization through Jonas’ Characteristics in Lois Lowry’s The Giver.
Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2008.Lois Lowry menciptakan masyarakat dalam The Giver ini sebagai masyarakat utopis yang hidup tanpa kekerasan, kriminalitas, dan wabah penyakit. Hal ini berarti bahwa hidup mereka tidak mengenal rasa sakit. Untuk mewujudkan ide tersebut, Sang pengarang, Lois Lowry, menciptakan sekelompok orang yang tidak menginginkan beban memori. Sebagai konskuensinya, masa lalu sebagai materi belajar hilang dan bahkan kreatifitas dan dinamika hidup kurang. Ironisnya, kenyataan bahwa Jonas telah ditunjuk sebagai Sang Penerima memori membuktikan secara umum bahwa hidup membutuhkan memori. Mereka membutuhkan seorang penerima memori agar bisa memberikan kebijakan hidup. Setelah menyadari bahwa mereka tidak memiliki memori, Jonas memutuskan untuk pergi dari komunitas selamanya sehingga memori yang telah lama hilang dari masyarakat dapat kembali. Perjuangan macam ini merupakan sebuah aktualisasi diri.
Ada empat permasalahan berdasarkan topik tersebut. Permasalahan yang pertama adalah apa saja karakter Jonas menurut teori Murphy. Yang kedua adalah bagaimana jejak-jejak perjalanan memori jonas diuraikan dalam novel tersebut. Yang ketiga adalah bagaimana aktualisasi diri Jonas dijelaskan. Dan yang terakhir adalah bagaimana peran memori dalam mendukung aktualisasi diri Jonas.
Dalam menjawab permasalahan-permasalahan tersebtut, studi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka dan pendekatan psikologi. Penulis menganalisa novel ini berdasarkan teori psikologi karena konsep memori dan aktualisasi diri merupakan teori yang relevan dalam psikologi.
Penelitian ini menunjukkan karakteristik Jonas, yaitu: pemberani, pembelajar, cerdas, sensitif, memiliki integritas dan indera penglihatan yang dalam. Poin-poin karakteristik Jonas tersebut di atas merupakan bukti bahwa jonas cukup pantas ditunjuk sebagai Sang Penerima Memori. Dengan karakteristik tersebut Jonas mampu memaknai hidupnya yang penuh dengan memori. Memori yang ia terima dari Sang Pemberi adalah memori yang menyenangkan dan memori yang menyakitkan. Dan jejak memori Jonas mencapai klimaksnya, seperti dapat ditemukan dalam novelnya, setelah ia menemukan sebuah bukit, sebuah memori miliknya sendiri. Karakteritik dan jejak-jejak memori itu merupakan jalan bagi Jonas untuk mengaktualisasikan diri. Dalam hal ini, aktualisasi Jonas didukung oleh peran memori karena aktualisasi dirinya terwujud melalui jejak- jejak memori. Kemudian, selama memori yang ia terima memberikan kebijakan hidup, maka di sanalah pentingnya memori itu terlihat. Hal-hal tersebut membuktikan bahwa memori memberikan ilustrasi, pengenalan, analisis, interpretasi, dan pemahaman terhadap suatu permasalahan.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of Study Some people’s opinion that literature is just a matter of fun and enjoyment
is not completely right because actually literature is more than just fun and enjoyment. Hudson in An Introduction to the Study of Literature states, “Literature is the expression of life through the medium of language. It can be regarded as something essential since it contains something about real life, people, thought, and their feeling about life” (1960: 10).
It means that literature can be a portrait of human life. The content of literature, especially a novel, can be the description of experience of the human nature that is reflected in the language. There is a close relationship between literature and human life. Since literature is the reflection of human life, we can enrich our knowledge and experiences. So, reading literature does not simply enjoy the pleasure and excitement, but we can dig out the meaning inside because literature is the medium for learning about life.
There are several genres of literature: novel, short story, poem, play, etc. Among those several genres of literature above, the writer is mostly interested in novels, because novels are usually a portrait of human life that involves various characters and conversation that make the story so lively. Novels also let the readers build their own image about physical exposition. Wellek and Warren in
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Theory of Literature state that “a literary work of art is not a simple object but
rather a highly complex organization of stratified characters with multiple meaning and relationship” (1977: 27). This opinion is supported by Van De Laar and Schoonderwoerd in An Approach to English Literature. He defines “a novel as a work of art in so far as it introduces us into a living world; in some respect resembling the world we live in, but with an individuality of its own” (1963: 163). It can be said that a novel is a human nature’s reflection that figure out in a literary work. Novel is also classified as a fiction story, but the meaning indeed is deep. Novel shows us experiences, crimes, romance, social problems, etc. The story is almost the same with the real life.
In this study, the writer would like to discuss one of Lois Lowry’s novels,
The Giver. Lois Lowry is a famous American writer. He had written several
novels that made him famous, such as A Summer to Die (the International Reading Association Children’s Book Award in 1978), Anastasia series and Number the Stars (won the Newbery Medal and the National Jewish Book Award in 1990).
The writer chooses Lois Lowry’s The Giver as the subject of analysis because the story of the novel gives a good impression to the writer and it seems that it has something to offer to the readers. The story evolves about an adult whose name is Jonas. Jonas is an eleven year old child who is chosen to become a Receiver of Memories in the community. The community that was created by Lois Lowry in the novel was a utopian society. It seems ideal that there is no rudeness, no crime, and no diseases. Lois Lowry has created a group of people who do not
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
want to be burdened with memories. They also do not want to make decisions or changes which, in the past, have led to disaster. That is why a Receiver of Memory is needed in the community. The fact, no one deserved, but Jonas, the most respected and honored one who has the skills, honesty, and courage to become Receiver.
In the beginning of his training with The Giver, Jonas slowly understands the truth about the community. The Giver gives all of the memories to Jonas. He does so through all of the senses. Jonas learns all of which are not present in the society: of war and hate, of snow and trees and colors, and of the horror all around him. Those kinds of memories deeply bring Jonas in realizing that things must change. Everyone have to have the memories of the past. Planning together with The Giver, Jonas decides to escape the community forever in order to unleash all the memories that have been kept from the citizens for so long.
From the reason above, the writer has some ideas to discuss the main character, in this case Jonas, as the central character of the novel. The writer discusses the main character of the novel because the main character of the novel plays an important role from the beginning to the end of the story. The writer also finds that Jonas is a self-actualizing-individual, as Maslow stated that people who seeks the frontiers of creativity and strive to reach higher levels of conscious and wisdom, were described as “self-actualizing-individuals” (Maslow). Therefore, in this study the writer also wants to discuss about the importance of memory relating to Jonas’ self-actualization. Maslow stated in Duanne Schultz’s Growth
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
supreme development and the use of our abilities, the fulfillment of all our qualities and capacities (1987: 64). It means that self-actualization is related to the work of intelligence for James D. Weinland, Ph.D in How To Improve Your
Memory stated that intelligence is defined as “ability to learn” and it is integrated
with Memory, since all the intelligence is based on memory (1957: 15).B. Problem Formulation
Referring to the explanation above, the writer conducts four problem formulations, they are:
1. What are the characteristics of Jonas described in the novel?
2. How is Jonas’ Tracking of Memory described in the novel?
3. How is Jonas’ Self-Actualization described in the novel?
4. How does Memory encourage Jonas’ Self-Actualization?
C. Objectives of The Study
This undergraduate thesis emphasis on the psychological study of the importance of memory, relating to Jonas’ self-actualization. There are four objectives of this study. Firstly, this study tries to question how Jonas is characterized in the novel. The second is how Jonas’ tracking of memory is described in Lois Lowry’s The Giver. The third question is how Jonas’ Self- Actualization is described in the novel. And the last is questioning how memory psychologically encourages Jonas’s self-actualization.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
D. Definition of Terms
1. Psychology Kasschau in Understanding of Psychology shows that psychology is the scientific behavior and mental processes. It covers everything that people think, feel, and do. (1985: 7).
2. Self-Actualization Maslow cited in Duane Schultz’s Psychology: Models of the Healthy
Personality, states that self-actualization is the realization of a person in
presenting himself or herself as a human being. This realization affects on his or her perception as well as ways of living (Schultz, 1987: 64).
3. Main Character Reaske in The College Guide to the Study of Literature points out that main character is inherently important and we take a long hard look on him to understand the author’s meaning (1970: 169). This means that the main character is the one of the way in which the author conveys certain meanings.
4. Memory James D. Weinland, Ph.D. in How to Improve Your Memory states that memory is a dynamic organization of ideas by which the individual interprets his environments and lives (1957: 135). This means that memory is a direct result of action: of how the body moves and responds to its environment. It exists to help us do our daily activities
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review Related Studies It is discovered that The Giver is both science fiction and fantasy. The
utopian society has been created by Lowry shares many aspects, such as the strict regulation and repressing of careers, marriage, and reproduction; the termination of family connections; the glorification of society; and persistent government monitoring of people’s activities. They eliminated all things that humans want to do, away with such as fear, pain, hunger, illness, conflicts, and hatred (Hurst). The writer considers that such those things above perform an unreal life; in which human should have their own experiences; such as fear, pain, hunger, illness, conflicts, and hatred as the realization of the freedom and to maximize their potential.
The giver presents a citizen that needs the basic freedoms and pleasures that human value by nature. It is because of the strict rules that govern their behavior, relationship, and their language. The sameness that is described in the giver is a portrayal of ignoring differences between individuals and it is to avoid prejudice or discrimination as it is also reviewed that in order to maintain peace and order to their society, the citizens of the community have to submit to the ideology of the sameness (The Giver).
Other study stated that Lowry imagines a world of sameness. There are no differentiated human rights and no opportunity to exercise any freedoms (Frank).
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
The committee in the novel wants a community which is in their control and everything is governed by their authority.
In The Giver, Lois Lowry also tackles the issues of abortion and euthanasia that emerged as social question in the United States in the early 1990s.
The anti-abortion versus pro-choice controversy raged hotly. And, new questions arouse concerning the ethics of an individuals’ right to choose to end his or other’s life (Elbond ).
Here, the writer tries to develop some of the studies stated above. It is to clarify the importance of memory which is fully owned by human being as the essential part of life. Koffka stated, in David J. Murray’s Gestalt Psychology and
the Cognitive Revolution, that new behaviors can be elicited by a problem (1995:
148). Generally memory is the perfect form of human functional implementation of mental life which supports human intellectual work. It is about how to do a good behavior, how to use language well, and finally, how to achieve the potential one, which is representing a self - actualizing personal.
B. Review Related Theories
1. Theory of Character Some writers use characters to develop the central idea of their works.
Character is an important element of literature. Through the character, writers give the readers a guidance to understand the story comprehensively. It is worth to analyze characters in a literary study. In relation to this study, the writer will use
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
theory of character as a way to reveal the main character’s self – actualization. Below Robert states a definition of character:
Character in literature is an extended verbal representation of human being, especially the inner self that determines thought, speech, and behavior. Through dialogue, action, and commentary, literature captures some of the interactions interesting of character and circumstance. Literature makes these interactions interesting by portraying characters that are worth caring about, rooting for, and even loving although there are also characters at whom you may laugh or whom you may dislike or even hate (1984: 54).
Robert mentions four important points about character in literature. First, it represents the inner self of human being: determines thought, speech and behavior. The second point deals with the explanation that characters can be analyzed through dialogue, action and commentary. In the third point, Robert determines that there are interactions between a character and its circumstance. The fourth point explains that there are some different types of characters.
A related explanation of character is stated by Abrams: Character as the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who is interpreted by the readers as being endowed with a moral and disposition quality, that are expressed in what they say, the dialogue, and by what they do the action (1981: 20).
Based on the theories above, it is clear that characters in dramatic or narrative works should have the same characteristics like real human beings.
Therefore these characters should have moral and emotional quality in which they are considered as the important things to express intellectual work such as how they say something well, how they deal with dialogue, and how they manage the action. Both Robert and Abrams give basic definition of the character. Character is element in which a person can be described.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
In order to understand the characteristics of a character, especially main character, it is necessary for readers to observe the details of the character. There are ways in which an author can convey his characters both directly and indirectly in his novel. M. J.Murphy (1972: 161-173) mentions nine ways of how an author reveals the character’s personalities and traits to the reader. Yet, sometimes we cannot find all the nine ways in a novel. They are as follows: a. Personal Description The author can describe a person’s appearance and clothes.
b. Character as Seen by Another Instead of describing a character directly the author can describe the character through the eyes and opinion of another.
c. Speech The author can give us an insight into the character of one of the persons in the novel through what that person says. Whenever a person speaks, whenever he/she is in conversation with another, whenever he/she puts forward an opinion, he is giving us some clues to his character.
d. Past Life By letting the reader learn something about a person’s past life, the author can give some clues to his/her character.
e. Conversation of Others The author can give us clues to a person’s character through the conversation of other people and the things they say about him/her.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
f. Reaction The author can also give us a clue to a person’s character by letting us know how that person reacts to various situations and events.
g. Direct Comment The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly.
h. Thoughts The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. He can tell us what different people are thinking. i. Mannerisms
The author can describe a person’s mannerisms, habits or idiosyncrasies, which may also tell us something about his/her character.
From the above theories it is implied that a character in some ways may be reflected from the character’s behavior. As the starting point of having character, behavior is placed as an important part. Further the writer assumes that in this related study self – actualization can be revealed from character. When we read a novel and try to analyze a character in it, we are most dealing with the verbal language, therefore it is important to pay much attention on the dialogue between characters and commentary provided by the writer about the character. Further, we could gain much information about the character’s behavior, about what one does. In order to analyze the characters in Lowry’s The Giver, I have to pay much attention to such criteria, of categories and details, in the novel.
Therefore relating to the theory of character above here the writer consider that statement above will support the detail about the character itself. However, the ways to characterize the character will be divided into two parts as Mary
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods Jr. stated in Reading and Writing about
Literature, that there are two ways of characterization. The first is by direct means
in which is to describe the character’s physical appearance and intellectual, moral and degree of sensitivity. The second is by dramatic means that is used to put the character in situation to show the character through the character’s way of behaving and speaking (1971: 20).
2. Theory On Self-Actualization
Maslow in Duanne Schultz’ Growth Psychology: Models of the Healthy
Personality (Schultz, 1977:69-78) illustrates a number of specific characteristics
that described self-actualizing person:
1. Self-actualizing persons perceive objects and person in the world around them objectively. They have an efficient perception of reality that enables them to perceive reality as it is.
2. Self-actualizing persons acquire a general acceptance of nature, others, and oneself. It is a matter of accepting oneself, their shortcoming, and their strength; without complaint or worry.
3. Self-actualizing persons are those who attain spontaneity, simplicity, and naturalness in behaving. They do not hide their emotion but can display them honestly.
4. Self-actualizing persons have a focus on problems outside themselves. They give concerns on the works they are doing.
5. Self-actualizing persons have needs for privacy and independence. They have
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
strongly self centered and self directed. It means that they have the ability to make up their own minds, reach their own decisions, and exercise their own motivation and discipline. Maslow in The Father Reaches of Human Nature shows that it is about making growth choices than fear choices. Growth choices develop people character, while fear choices decrease it (1982: 44).
6. Self-actualizing persons are autonomous functioning. This is a simple first step toward self-actualization. If a person is an autonomous functioning, she or he has realized that satisfaction of the growth motives comes from within.
7. Self-actualizing persons have a continued freshness of appreciation. Self- actualizing persons continually appreciate certain experiences, no matter how often they are repeated, with a fresh sense of pleasure, awe, and wonder. They take little for granted but continue to be thankful for what they posses and can experience.
8. Self-actualizing persons experience mystical, or “peak” experiences. It is when the self is transcendence and the person is gripped by a feeling of power, confidence, and decisiveness, a profound sense that there is nothing he or she could not accomplish to become.
9. Self-actualizing persons concern in social interest. They posses strong and deep feeling of empathy and affection for all human beings, as well as a desire to help humanity.
10. Self-actualizing persons acquire the interpersonal relations. They are capable of stronger relationship with others than are persons of average mental health.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
They are capable of greater love, deeper friendship, and more complete identification with other individuals.
11. Self-actualizing persons have democratic character structure. There is no certain limitation on building relationship with people, such as social class, level of education, political or religious affiliation, race or color. They hold the essence of equality that every person has the same opportunity to know others.
12. Self-actualizing persons are capable to recognize discrimination between means and ends, between good and evil. The self-actualizing persons hold that they are enjoying the process of achieving something as well as the goals they achieve. Therefore, they give consent both on the means and the ends. In addition, they have well defined understanding on good and evil so that they cannot be easily influenced by confusing situation that enable then to make decisions.
13. Self-actualizing persons acquire unhostile sense of humor. This characteristic deals with the ability of persons in making fun of humanity in general, not in specific individuals.
14. Self-actualizing persons can present his or her creativeness. This means that they are original, inventive, and innovative, although not always in terms of producing an artistic creation. It is more of an attitude, an expression of psychological health, and is concerned more with the way people perceive and react to the world than with finished products of an artistic nature.
15. Self-actualizing persons have resistance to enculturation. They are able to resist social pressures to think or act in certain ways. They maintain an inner
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
detachment, an aloofness from their culture, guided by themselves rather than by others.
Maslow shows that the goal of self – actualization is to enrich and enlarge the experience of living, to increase the joy and ecstasy at being alive. The ideal is to develop the tension through new, challenging, and diverse experiences. He clarifies that self – actualizing person do not strive, they develop (Schultz, 1987: 65). So, it is essentially a survival need which is considered as the highest need during people’s life time. As the beginning points lead to this kind of highest achievement are stated by Maslow that there are four levels of need which is ended at being self – actualizing person, as the fifth point should be achieved by healthy personal. The four needs required to achieve self – actualization that stand lower in the hierarchy are: (1) psychological needs, (2) safety needs, (3) belonging needs, (4) esteem needs. The needs must be at least partially satisfied in the order before the need for self – actualization appears (Critelli, 1987: 62).
Here below are the further explanations of the hierarchy of needs Maslow set up in which the basic survival needs are the first priority, and the highest potential follow on when other needs have been met:
1. Psychological needs. These include the needs we have for oxygen, water, protein, salt, sugar, calcium, and other minerals and vitamins, also needs to be active, to rest, to sleep, etc. Maslow said that these are in fact individual needs
2. The safety needs. Then person will become increasingly interested in finding safe circumstances, stability, and protection. His concern is not with hunger or
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
thirst anymore, but with his fears, and anxieties, such a need to have a home in safe neighborhood.
3. The love and belonging needs. When psychological and safety needs have been fulfilled, he begin to feel the need for friends, a sweetheart, children, affectionate relationship in general, even a sense of community. Then he becomes increasing susceptible to loneliness and social anxieties.
4. The esteem needs. Next, he needs to have a little self esteem. There are two versions of esteem need, a lower one which concern to have the respect of others: the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, reputation, appreciation, dignity, even dominance. And a higher one involves the need for self- respect: feeling confidence, competence, achievement, mastery, independence, and freedom.
And the potential one is called self – actualization. This level involves the desire to fulfill potentials. In supporting Maslow’s theory of self-actualization, Carl Roger showed that it is a matter of becoming the most complete. It is of developing one’s unique psychological characteristics and potentialities. He believes that human have an innate urge to create and that the most important creative product is one’s own self. The tendency to actualize is much stronger than the pain and struggle and any accompanying urge to cease the effort to develop (Schultz, 1977: 27).
According to the theories on self-actualization stated above it can be highlighted that self-actualization is the process in which the person tries to recognize his or her own self, develop the ability, personal uniqueness, and
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
actualize his or her potentials as a human being that is capable of becoming what he or she wants to achieve. However self-actualization is not the final destination of a perfect personality.
In the final use of this study the writer wants to make it as the way to reveal the importance of memory in achieving a good life, especially through the main character Jonas.
3. Theory On Memory
As James D. Weinland, Ph.D. stated in How to Improve Your Memory that memory is a dynamic organization of ideas by which the individual interprets his environments and lives, means that memory is a direct result of action: of how the body moves and responds to its environment which exists to help us do our daily activities (1957: 135). Since the ideal of self-actualization is always dealing with new, challenging, and diverse experiences, memory is obviously important for those who want to actualize themselves. The further meaning is obviously stated by Roediger and Goff in Memory in a Companion to Cognitive Science that memory is a complex set of abilities that enable people to learn and retain knowledge from experience. More meaningful experience will be better remembered and imagery is better recorded to concrete one. As the important aspect of memory skill development has been documented that effective encoding leads to better recall. The encoding specificity principle plays a role where the effectiveness of retrieval cues is affected by the degree of its match with the encoding of original events (html). Because of experiencing human is enabling to
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
gain much information that further the interesting one will be optimized in human life. Here the interesting information is the effective one to be encoded that leads to better recall in which it plays role to have the effectiveness of retrieval cues that definitely also depends on the degree of the encoding of the experiences. Signified to the human experiences here memory is contributed for fact, for skill, and working of memory that means metaphorically as (memory is a storehouse), helps in visualizing processes including encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.
Relating to the development of the mental life of human there are important parts, spinal cord and brain, which are structurally almost complete at birth. Both related parts enable human normally grow in which sensory and intellectual paths are developed. Then it would be maturing process of fibres when the sense of smell, taste, sight, and hearing are reached. However, on the contrary it is possible to be discovered, for instance in such an idiotic child, that the development had been arrested on very primitive levels. There are only few of senses had been developed, in others those that had been developed had again been destroyed and there had been no development of conducting paths. It means that intelligence development of human will also be blocked (Buhler, 1949: 39- 40).
Principally, the great development could be revealed from any kind of effective action. Based on the statement above that action means experiencing would surely produce effects as there is a term called memory which is to be effective for action. Further Young states in Personality and Problem of
Adjustment that memory is alike in regard to the basic neurological factors of
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
modifications of tissue and capacity of recurrence. In memory this reproductive phase is treated in terms of recall which refers to reinstatement of acquired materials in symbolic term, and recognition which has to do with locating past events in reference to oneself and the time and place (1945: 95). The writer considers that there is a process of forgetting in which the reproductive phase is mishandled by the terms of recall and recognition as in the further explanation Young states that most acquired reactions become less effective, if not entirely lost, for lack of practice or repetition; then it is called forgetting (1945: 98-99)
It is the truth of verbal learning that reactions as learned matter will not lose their effectiveness if reinforced by practice. Generally the active character of remembering or of forgetting will determine an illustration of any matter as Young also states that common sense and carefully controlled observations on the reliability of testimony about past events illustrate the matter beautifully (1945: 97). Therefore the writer also finds that there are social and cultural factors within remembering which affect any action. Barlett quotes that action is directed by the passing fashion of the group, the social custom and institution (Young, 1945: 97). It is partly the important thing the writer use to elaborate the importance of memory in actualizing self in which a person grows actually influenced by the environment which consists of many aspects in society. There are many experiences in the term of life that everyone has to handle or learn them properly in order to reach a better life. As we know we are able to catch those experiences by remembering or recognize our life behind.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Obviously it is a process of transition to actuality, in which man psychologically deals with the environment in building the continuance of the world through individual being as Alves argues that man historically becomes what he is through the history of his relations with his environment (1975: 3).
This is an intellectual process as Saugstad and Raaheim argue that the higher intellectual processes in man are determined by an enormous amount of past experience. An adequate understanding of thinking is inconceivable without a conceptual framework which makes it possible to handle the effect of past experience. Therefore, thinking must be understood in terms of learning as well as of perception and also in terms of principles for memory (Gordon, 1965: 436). As the writer see in the novel, the learning process of Jonas is determined by memory. The situation builds in the novel seems to be in forgetting situation, they loss their memory. Adams stated that retention could be poor or an item might not have been learned, so we can not be expected to remember something that has not entered memory. We have an item in memory means that we are able to use it intellectually (1976: 285).
It is about recognition that experiencing might be kind of stimuli which can make an action goes well. Adams also said that in recognition, for instance you saw one’s face or heard a tune long time ago, the stimuli can mean the correct naming. Recognition is the truly remarkable feature of human memory. It means that memory of an item has effects of how to recognize it correctly (1976: 316).
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
4. Relation between Literature and Psychology
Lindauer, in Psychology and Its Allied Disciplines volume I edited by Bornstein, states that literature is best at describing the human condition in a dramatic form while psychology has the strength to investigate the human’s character or behavior in systematic ways (1984: 144). It indicated that literature and psychology are two subjects that can be media to explore human’s life.
Literature depicts human condition in dramatic way while psychology studies human characteristics.
Wellek and warren also discuss that characters in plays and novels are judged to be “psychologically” true. Sometimes a psychological theory held either consciously or dimly by an author, seems to fit a figure or a situation (1956: 91). It seems to be supported by kallish, in his book The Psychology of Human
Behaviour. He states that literature “holds the mirror up to the man”. A good
writer or novelist can communicate the feeling of their characters and make them seem more life-like than the real people whose behavior the psychologist attempts to describe. The writer can use the understanding provided by psychologist to enrich the stories, and psychologist can gain in their understanding of human behavior by drawing from the deep sensitivity of good author (1973: 8).
So, it can be sure that the analysis of literary works may reflect certain psychological factors because the relationship between literature and psychology is closely established. Above the writer has placed psychological subjects to analyze this study.