Defense Mechanism of the Main Character in Laurie Halse Anderson’S Speak Novel
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BAHTERA: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Volume 19 Nomor 2 Juli 2020 http://journal.unj.ac.id/unj/index.php/bahtera/ P-ISSN : 0853-2710 E-ISSN : 2540-8968 DEFENSE MECHANISM OF THE MAIN CHARACTER IN LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON’S SPEAK NOVEL Ritsnaini Zulfaisya Universitas Negeri Jakarta [email protected] Hasnini Hasra Universitas Negeri Jakarta [email protected] Accepted: 2020-06-07 , Approved: 2020-07-07 , Published: 2020-07-20 ABSTRACT This study is a descriptive qualitative study which aims at revealing how defense mechanisms are experienced by Melinda Sordino as the main character of Speak novel in overcoming her anxiety after being bullied physically and verbally at school. This study relies on Sigmund Freud’s defense mechanism theory. The data is the narration and dialogue in the narrative implying defense mechanism strategies used by the main character. The finding shows that the main character has repression, rationalization, regression, and reaction-formation as dominant strategies to to overcome the conflicts. Besides, she also applies projection, replacement, isolation, identification, sublimation as defense mechanisms strategies to solve her anxiety and psychological problems. Psychological approach is applied because the main character, like human’s psyche, needs to negotiate and survive psychologically from realitites which can not suit her ideal expectation. Keywords: main character; defense mechanisms; phsychoanalysis. developed in England and America. The INTRODUCTION novel was originally developed in the As a literary text, novel is a story region from other forms of narrative with the prose form in long shape, this nonfiction, such as letters, biographies, long shape means the story including and history, but with a shift in society the complex plot, many character and and time development, the novel is not various setting. The word comes from only based on nonfiction data, author of the Italian, novella, which means the novel can change the topic according to new staff that is small. The novel was the desired imagination. Wellek & 313 BAHTERA : Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Volume Juli 2020 BAHTERA: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Volume 19 Nomor 2 Juli 2020 http://journal.unj.ac.id/unj/index.php/bahtera/ P-ISSN : 0853-2710 E-ISSN : 2540-8968 Warren (1956) defined novel as a and uses defense mechanisms for this literary work formed in a narrative purpose. Therefore, defense story. The story is supposed to entertain mechanisms serve the function of the reader. However the experiences protecting individuals from anxiety. and life problems are usually the Likewise, we feel anxiety when ego important points in the story, fictions defense mechanisms fail to work must remain as an interesting story, properly. Anxiety is of crucial remains as a coherent structure importance since it represents our core building, and still has an aesthetic issues like fear of intimacy, fear of purpose. abandonment, fear of betrayal and low Issues in literary texts like novel are self-esteem (Tyson in Sarijaloo, 2016). various and it most of the time Sigmund Freud (in Gokdag, represents human experience. In terms 2015) described the typical attitudes are of human conflicts, literary texts could demonstrated by individuals to decrease portray human conflicts, like or avoid anxiety. He called them psychological problems, as reflected in defense mechanisms. Defense the characters’s internal conflicts. mechanism is one of important parts in These conflicts can also be interpreted psychoanalytic study. Psychoanalysis is as the writer’s stream of consciousness a branch of psychological study, which or phsychological conflicts, like has basic assumption that human’s anxiety, which can be viewed from mental elements are divided into two phsychonalysis perspective. levels, the unconscious and the Human tends to decrease tension conscious. Defense mechanism is for the purpose of decreasing anxiety activated when the individual deals with 314 BAHTERA : Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Volume Juli 2020 BAHTERA: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Volume 19 Nomor 2 Juli 2020 http://journal.unj.ac.id/unj/index.php/bahtera/ P-ISSN : 0853-2710 E-ISSN : 2540-8968 serious anxiety and emotional conflict. words, she wishes to forget the Defense mechanism is the mental unpleasure memory to be unaccessible strategy used by the ego to continue in her conscious mind (Freud, 2010, p. blocking the harmful behavior while at 102). Repression can be experienced in the same time reducing anxiety sequence of steps. Firstly, danger as a (Gokdag, 2015, p. 348). There are result of socially banned desire is some types of the defense mechanism anticipated by the ego. Secondly, fear of proposed by Freud; a) Repression. This the danger stimulates repression. Lastly, is a method of defense mechanism the repression is achieved through when a person remove miserable internalising of the external fear or the thoughts from her mind in order to not superego. b) Reaction-formation. This to remember them anymore. This is a method of defense mechanism defense mechanism works when a when a person transforms an person experiences trauma as a painful unacceptable feeling or trait into and fearful event then she places the something more socially acceptable. It traumatic memory to her unconscious means that the person actually has the mind to prevent the memory from feeling or trait considered socially reaching her conscious mind. The negative or disturbing. While the person prevents the painful and fearful negative feeling or trait is repressed, the memory from reaching her conscious person forms a reaction tactic that she mind because she considers it as may feel the tactic fits in with social unpleasure memory. So, she turns the norms by adopting polar opposite stance memory away and keeps it at a distance on the repressed feeling or trait. The from her conscious mind. In other person uses reaction formation as her 315 BAHTERA : Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Volume Juli 2020 BAHTERA: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Volume 19 Nomor 2 Juli 2020 http://journal.unj.ac.id/unj/index.php/bahtera/ P-ISSN : 0853-2710 E-ISSN : 2540-8968 defense mechanism because she wants feelings to others. In projecting the to avoid some sort of social punishment traits, the other person whom the traits or fear of social criticism for her are projected is not targetted randomly different thoughts that she considers as because the traits may have existed socially negative feeling or trait (Freud, even on a small scale in that person. So, 2010, p. 2194). Reaction formation the person who project the traits later works by converting a socially takes and exaggerate the traits in unacceptable feeling or trait into its projecting them to someone else. By opposite to cover up the person’s real projecting the threatening traits to feeling or trait. c) Projection. It is when others, it helps the person to avoid a person projects her own traits to recognizing it in herself. d) Regression. someone else. She projects the traits to Regression is method of defense someone else because they can not be mechanism when a person experiences denied or repressed completely. Human the temporary or long-term reversion of mind has a very positive self image to the ego to the earlier stage of feed the ego with praise in recognition development. It happens when she can from others. When this image is not handle an unacceptable impulse or threatened by negative traits, she will event in a more adult manner. The have tendency to discard the negative unacceptable impulses cause stress and traits by projecting them to someone unpleasure feeling to the person, so she else (Freud, 2010, p. 2432). In other returns to the previous stage of words, this situation can be called as development as if she were a child. reflection, in which individual passes Children usually manifest regressive her repressed motives, thoughts and behaviour to communicate their 316 BAHTERA : Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Volume Juli 2020 BAHTERA: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Volume 19 Nomor 2 Juli 2020 http://journal.unj.ac.id/unj/index.php/bahtera/ P-ISSN : 0853-2710 E-ISSN : 2540-8968 distress. For instance, when they have The unacceptable desires can be little sibling for the first time, their said as the real object, but they have to parents pay more attention to the little be repressed then lose in unconscious sibling and it makes them to be jealous. mind. The acceptable forms releasing So, the children will act like their little by the person can be said as the new sibling to get back their parents’ object restoring the real object that she attention (Freud, 2010, p. 2435). brings to her conscious mind. Regression can be caused by insecurity, Sublimation raises the unacceptable fear, and danger of any unpleasure desires as the real object by impulse or event. e) Sublimation. transforming them into acceptable and Sublimation is method of defense socially valuable forms to make the mechanism when a person transform person still can release the repressed her repressed motives or emotions into desires. f) Denial. Denial is method of more acceptable forms in social terms. defense mechanism when a repressed The transformation happens because the memory finds its way into conscious repressed motives that she has are mind. If repression turns the memory considered as negative trait and they away and keeps it at a distance to be become unacceptable desires for her to unaccessible in the conscious mind, release in conscious mind. But in other then denial lets the repressed memory side, the person does not want to repress finds its way to consciousness in the desires, so she releases them by revealing a piece of information about providing acceptable forms and by something that is repressed. The way to having social value (Freud, 2010, p. reveal the repressed memory is by 2827).