Psychological Effects On Lydia

In addition, Lydia lives under the pressure of her parents’ high expectations, which cause negative effects on her psychological health. This pressure begins after her mother’s return in her childhood. Marilyn accepts the reality that she has no abilities to pursue a doctor career once she marries and has children. However, when she hears that Lydia loses the cookbook, she decides to let Lydia to fulfill her unable dream. She expects Lydia to be successful without any gender barriers like hers. To make Lydia interests in science, Marilyn involves math when she interacts with Lydia, and gives books as gifts to inspire her. She does ask Lydia’s opinions, but every time Lydia complies with everything Marilyn wants for her. Because Lydia feels

For example, in high school, Lydia has to enroll college biology to trade her mother’s happiness, but she gets an A with some luck although she does not understand the material at all. Therefore, her mother expects she will good at physics too, and she agrees to study with juniors. However, learning under the pressure, Lydia’s academic performance has declined, and finally she fails the physics exam. Lydia feels anxious to tell the truth to her mother. She is afraid to face honestly with her mother, and she worries that her failure will destroy her mother’s hope. Lydia experiences enormous pressure with “[a]ll her life she had heard her mother’s heart drumming on beat: doctor, doctor, doctor. She wanted this so much, Lydia knew, that she no longer needed to say it. It was always there. Lydia could not imagine another future, another life” (p.163). The pressure from her mother’s expectation results in Lydia’s low self-esteem. She feels she has lost the ability to determine her future and her life. Moreover, she refuses to make friends with others, and “say[s] no to birthday parties, to roller-skating, to swimming at rec center, to