A psychoanalytic reading of alex michaelides's

Abstract

This study presents a psychological analysis of Alex Michaelides’ novel The Silent Patient, focusing on the main characters Alicia Berenson and Theo Faber. The purpose of this study is to analyze the personalities of the main characters and uncover the negative effects of childhood traumas on their lives. In this dissertation, we applied Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, consisting of eight stages, to the main characters using a qualitative method. The analysis revealed that Alicia and Theo struggled through most of the stages due to their childhood traumas, resulting in issues such as mistrust, identity struggles, role confusion, isolation, and silence for Alicia, and feelings of inferiority and isolation for Theo. The study indicated that both characters share the experience of trauma from their upbringing, which impacted their ability to progress through the stages of psychological development.