Holden Caulfield Psychoanalysis Essay

Cameron L. Thornhill

Mr. Williams

AP Composition and Literature

May 22, 2023

Holden Caulfield: A Psychoanalysis

A young man walks along the streets of New York City. He sweats bullets as he gets closer and closer to the crosswalk. Convincing himself that he will disappear if he crosses the road, his mind begins to race. Holden Caulfield experienced this in the literary novel, A Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. Creating Caulfield’s character, Salinger develops a 16 year old run-away named Holden, a deeply troubled teenager who has spent the majority of his life not knowing where he belongs or should go. The boarding schools kicked Holden out due to his lack of effort and failing in classes. Flunking out of Pencey puts him on the edge,

To show the severity of suicidal ideations Aleksandra Kielan, part of the Department of Public Health, explains how “Depressive disorders have close connection with suicidal tendencies; in the majority of countries, suicide is one of the most frequent causes of deaths among depressive patients” (Kielan 2). The reason that many individuals afflicted with depression committ or just believe they should committ suicide materializes in the fact that they believe the only way out comes through suicide. Depressed individuals normally have false ideas in their heads about their worthlessness and how nothing will get better for them; therefore, they believe death is their only option. Professor of Psychology, Thomas J. Huberty of Indiana University backs these claims by stating “Suicidal thoughts are more likely when the students feels that nothing will help to improve the situation” (Huberty 2). Throughout A Catcher in the Rye, Holden encounters thoughts of suicide and suicide itself. While Holden engages in conversation with his roommate, Stradlater, and next door neighbor, Ackley, Holden suddenly goes quiet when asked about a spout of anger he had earlier

According to the article written by Falk Leichsenring of the University of Gleissin: “According to the current psychiatric classification system in the fourth edition of the diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), [BPD] is characterized by a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, identity, impulsivity, and affect” (Leichsenring 1). BPD materializes in highly impulsive and erratic behavior patterns that appear detrimental to the afflicted individual's life and relationships. The three major indicators that materialize within BPD patients are manners of extreme anger, over-indulgence and reliance on substances and spending, and extreme suicidal tendencies. Extreme angers occurs as one of the more prominent indicators of BPD. Extreme anger can emerge in both violence and anger towards other people or towards the afflicted person. Leichsenring divulges in a list of symptoms of BPD that “Inappropriate intense anger or difficulty controlling anger” emerges as one of the main symptoms and behaviors (Leichsenring 2). The reasoning behind the lack of control towards aggressive behaviors shown in patients with BPD comes from the brain: “Thus, patients with [BPD] do not seem to engage the cognitive control regions to the extent that healthy individuals do, which might contribute to the affective instability of this disorder”