Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Conflicts
9 A critical approach to literature necessitates an understanding of its nature,
function, and position values. One must know what literature is, how to read it, and how to judge it. The critic is involved in what is called applied
esthetics, a branch philosophy devoted to the study of art and the nature of beauty p.3
Henceforth, Rohrberger and Woods 1971 classify the critical approaches into five types. These critical approaches are the formalist approach, biographical
approach, socio cultural-historical approach, mythopoeic approach, and
psychological approach pp.6-15. In order to analyze the topic discussed, the writer used the psychological approach. According to Atkinson, Atkinson, and
Hilgard 1983 a psychological approach is an approach that analyzes human motivation p.319. In addition, Atkinson, Atkinson, Hilgard also state that
Psychological approach explores the private personality—the unconscious motives that direct behavior. Psychoanalytic theory is also concerned with
the way in which personality develops p.395.
Freud, in addition, specifies some behaviors that reveal the unconscious motives. Those are in dreams where people often express their the unconscious
wishes and impulses; next is the unconscious mannerism and slips of speech that reveal hidden motives; and the last is the symptom of illness that sometimes
shows person’s unconscious needs as cited by Atkinson, Atkinson, Hillgard, 1983, p.319.
Moreover, according to Atkinson, Atkinson, and Hilgard 1983, a psychoanalytic has an enormous effect on “psychological and philosophical
conceptions of human nature” p.398. Freud as cited by Atkinson, Atkinson, and Hilgard 1983 also states that “unconscious needs and conflicts motivate
much of human behavior “p. 398. In addition, Hjelle and Zielger 1981 also
10 state that “psychoanalysis thus emphasizes the interpretation of fantasies and
dream as avenues for deeper understanding of the unconscious underlying behavior” p.33.
Besides, Kennedy and Gioia 2002 state a psychological approach employs three methods. First method investigates the creative process of the arts.
The second method involves a psychological study of a particular artist. The last method is the most common approach that usually used to analyze fictional
characters p.641. In order to answer the research questions, the writer uses the third method of the psychological approach to analyze the main characters and the
conflicts faced by them, and the problem resolution.