STRIVING FOR SUPERIORITY AND INFERIORITY FEELING IN SYLVIA PLATH'S MIRROR: AN ADLERIAN PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY
Keywords:
Individual Psychology, Inferiority Feelings, Striving for SuperiorityAbstract
Body image and self-esteem issues have become significant psychological problems for women, especially under social pressure related to appearance and aging. Although Sylvia Plath's poem Mirror has been widely analyzed, most studies use a psychoanalytic or symbolic approach, so few studies apply Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology. This study aims to analyze the psychological dynamics of the female character in Mirror by identifying forms of inferiority feelings and analyzing manifestations of efforts to achieve superiority through imagery, word choice, and symbolism. Using a qualitative descriptive method, fourteen relevant quotations from the poem were analyzed and classified into two categories: feelings of inferiority and attempts to achieve superiority. The results of the study show that feelings of inferiority are reflected through negative self-evaluation, dependence on external validation, anxiety about aging, and a distorted self-image. Meanwhile, attempts to achieve superiority emerge as maladaptive compensation characterized by repetitive behavior and excessive symbolic control. This study concludes that Mirror depicts an unresolved psychological cycle, in which feelings of inferiority fail to develop into healthy endeavors, resulting in persistent inner conflict and self-alienation.
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