TITLE:
Echoes of Schizophrenia: Anti-Psychiatry and the Fragmented Self in the Works of Lessing, Roethke and Pinter
AUTHORS:
Erinda Papa
KEYWORDS:
Splitting, Multiplicity, Defence Mechanism, Anti-Psychiatry, Social Transgression and Oppression
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.12 No.7,
July
18,
2024
ABSTRACT: This study explores the depiction of mental health in recent English literature, focusing on schizophrenia through works by Doris Lessing, Theodore Roethke, and Harold Pinter. Utilizing the theoretical framework of anti-psychiatry, the analysis identifies themes based on character analysis and the authors’ histories of mental health issues. The study concludes that authors like Lessing structure their work around ideas prevalent in the Counterculture movement. One main theme observed is the use of splitting and multiplicity as defense mechanisms by characters. In Lessing’s works, schizophrenia is portrayed as a split in personalities and multiplicity. The splitting of the self, considered a defense mechanism by anti-psychiatry, is explored, though sometimes unsuccessfully. Another significant theme is illness serving as a source of inspiration for the authors’ works. Authors like Roethke, who faced mental health issues, drew inspiration from their experiences, reflecting a broader trend where authors incorporate personal trauma and experiences into their characters. The final theme observed is the social transgression and oppression experienced by schizophrenic patients from caregivers, healthcare professionals, and family members. Particularly in Pinter’s works, mental health patients are depicted as degraded and discriminated against, facing oppression and transgression from external sources.