Holden Caulfield Is On His Own Psychological Journey

Psychoanalysis is a psychoanalytical theory and therapy that aims to treat mental disorders by investigating the conscious and unconscious elements in a human mind by bringing fears to the conscious mind. According to Sigmund Freud, “The unconscious silently directs the thoughts and behavior of the individual” (Freud 95). Holden Caulfield, the main character in J.D Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is sixteen years old and does not act his own age for he is stuck in his own private world, filled with pain and suffering. In the novel, Holden can be observed through a psychoanalytical view, which provides the reader a clear understanding of his unconscious mind. Holden is displayed as a troubled and foolish teenager who is flunking

The book, “The Catcher in the Rye” was a book with a very intriguing character named Holden Caulfield. Holden was set to be someone who didn’t like many people nor did he get along well in society. Holden also wasn’t the smartest person nor the was he the most interesting guy but he did go through many things that put him through stress. Many people say that Holden can be described as having angst, anguish, and depression. Holden Caulfield mental problem could be that he have post traumatic stress. Holden shows many signs of having depression and brings back memories of the traumatic things that happened in his life. Holden is a kid who goes through many rough patches in his life that put him in the state of mind that

As Eugene McNamara stated in his essay “Holden Caulfield as Novelist”, Holden, of J.D. Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye, had met with long strand of betrayals since he left Pencey Prep. These disappointments led him through the adult world with increasing feelings of depression and self-doubt, leading, finally to his mental breakdown.

Nineteen million American adults suffer from a major case of depression (Web MD). That is a staggering one in every fifteen people (2 in our classroom alone). Holden Caulfield is clearly one of those people. Depression is a disease that leads to death but is also preventable. Psychology, stressful events, and prescription drugs are causes of depression. Stressful events brought on Holden’s depression. Holden has been trying to withstand losing a brother, living with careless parents, and not having many friends. The Catcher in the Rye is a book that takes us through the frazzled life of Holden Caulfield, who appears to be just a regular teen. But by hearing his thoughts and through heart-wrenching events in the book, the reader learns that

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a known mental health condition triggered after experiencing or seeing a life-threatening event. It is very common around the world, and my new patient, Holden Caulfield, has this kind of disorder. A friend of mine recommended him, knowing that I will probably help him. Throughout our session, I could tell that Holden doesn’t have a normal mind. The death of his brother Allie and witnessing another death, his friend Jame Castle, who committed suicide, may have caused his PTSD. The outcome of experiencing all these tragic events changed his life. His relationship with his parents is vile, and he also does an appalling job in school. Reliving the past, detachment, and agitation, are the main symptoms of Holden’s PTSD.

Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye exhibits unusual behavior during the course of the novel. His actions resemble those of one who suffers from Post-traumatic stress disorder. After his younger brother, Allie, dies of leukemia, Holden’s feelings toward the world change drastically. He begins to isolate himself from others. Even when he feels a connection with someone, he finds something to dislike about them and pushes them away. Holden also experiences frequent flashbacks to times when Allie was alive. He holds on to these memories and blocks Allie’s death from his mind. His PTSD also causes Holden to endure anxiety attacks. These attacks further push away the people he loves and makes it difficult for him to cope with his feelings.

Holden Caulfield is a very, very troubled young boy in a grown up filled world. In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher In The Rye, 16 year old Holden Caulfield is stuck in a rut. He has been expelled from numerous schools, including his current one, Pencey Prep. Holden has been a troubled kid since the death of his older brother, Allie. Allie has played a big role in Holden’s life, and was completely traumatized by his death. Along with those family struggles relating to Allie’s death, Holden has a hard time accepting his adulthood. He wrestles with mental illness and growing up with all of those “phonies”. Even more so, he struggles with the idea of the person he is going to grow into. The environment of The

When a person hears the phrase, post traumatic stress disorder, most of the time they imagine soldiers returning from war to their families. However, people are not always aware that this disorder occurs in seemingly normal people. In the novel, Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield seems to deal with this disorder. Looking at the surface of the novel, this is unclear. Therefore, this is an inferred trait in the novel. The reader must figure out for themselves that the protagonist retains the disorder. Holden Caulfield suffers from post traumatic stress disorder as he fits the description of symptoms and causes for his issues. Before pursuing Holden’s condition it is important to understand that the disorder can be extremely serious in some and less dramatic in others. This is determined by the cause of the disorder and how the person copes with it. There are several symptoms that clearly display this disorder and once again, it depends on the cause.

Throughout the novel, Holden experiences many stages of PTSD. The reader notices that progressively in each chapter when he is on his journey back home.There are many reasons that people can be diagnosed with PTSD.Holden is diagnosed with it from the death of his little brother Allie. Allie is what changed Holden and how he feels and thinks about things. He has a whole new perspective on people and the world. He has many anxiety attacks, and doesn 't have a lot of friends, and doesn 't try to make friends because he thinks of them as phonies. He also goes through the struggle to keep his posure. He sometimes has suicidal thoughts and many times breaks down over little things. There are plenty of examples throughout the novel Catcher in

Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield exhibited symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression. His symptoms are detachment from society, agitation, and being stuck in the past. His detachment may be why Holden cannot connect with his classmates or why he is not interested in school. His detachment might be shown best by his inability to grow up. His agitation is best shown through Holden’s use of phony.

In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger walks us through the struggles that Holden Caulfield faces after he was axed from his school Pencey Prep. Throughout the novel, Holden mental state gradually deteriorates until his fate of residing at a mental facility eventually catches up to him. What led Holden to his fall was that he was incapable of finding a coping mechanism to deal with the stress, guilt, loneliness, and failures of his life. Everyone he meets has a way of contending with the maniacal emotions that life throws at them. The nuns entrust their religion, Sally Haze leans on popular culture and her “phony” guy friends, the cab driver believes in the power of Mother Nature, but Holden has nothing.

In Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, search for self has become a common theme for Holden as he leaves Pencey behind. In his search for self, Holden has difficulty achieving happiness on behalf of his own immature and stagnant character.

In J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden Caufield, describes in detail the parts of his life and his environment that bother him the most. He faces these problems with a kind of naivety that prevents him from fully understanding why it is that he is so depressed. His life revolves around his problems, and he seems helpless in evading them. Among others, Holden finds himself facing the issues of acceptance of death, growing up, and his own self-destructiveness.

Throughout the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger the main character Holden Caulfield Shows Valid signs of suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. Holden exhibits PTSD Through his thought process and actions during his journey through New York City until the end of the novel. Holden without a doubt experiences a psychological journey and shows PTSD like symptoms from his departure at Pencey Prep till he ends up at a mental institution. Holden is burdened with this mental illness most likely by the death of his younger brother, Allie as Holden shows signs of his feelings towards the death and how he is coping with it.

Allie Caulfield is an important person to Holden and his death affects him greatly. In response to his brother 's passing, Holden attempts to recover by using defense mechanisms as a shield against reality. The concept of defense mechanisms strategies for avoiding or reducing threatening feelings such as fear and anxiety" (Strickland 182). While