The Fragmented Selves and Multiple Personalities in Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl
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Date
2022-06
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UNIVERSITY OF MOHAMED BOUDIAF
Abstract
Abstract
Self-concept is a critical issue that can affect individuals’ attitudes, behaviors, reactions and
views of themselves. Gillian Flynn’s novel Gone Girl, as a contemporary fiction depicts its
characters as unable to carry a stable sense of self. This dissertation, therefore, examines how
the shattered characters in the novel do not embody a sense of the traditional unitary self and
aims to reveal the importance of the individual’s concept of self and their self-image within a
contemporary society that no longer corresponds to traditional societies. It further explores the
sociological and emotional realities that lie behind triggering the fragmented personalities and
the traits of dissociative disorders the characters may have, through a close reading of the
dysfunctional behaviors they manifest. To achieve these objectives and to gain a reliable
analysis, the study uses Self-categorization theory as well as Freud’s theories of “family
romance” and “psychology of love”. It reveals that self-concept is difficult to assess because it
involves personal perceptions and hidden feelings. In addition, it is an important factor for each
person and it can change his/her beliefs, attitudes, and reactions toward personal and social life
Description
Keywords
Key Words: Flynn, Freud, MPD, self-concept, Fragmented selves, trauma, psychoanalysis.