Sylvia Plath's Personality

I cannot contain it. I cannot contain my life.

The following research concerns an analysis of Sylvia Plath's personality, especially as it is presented through the character, Esther Greenwood, in the autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar, in terms of the psychological theories of Freud, Jung and Rank.

The usual development of the Electra complex in females can go array and lead to psychological problems and Sylvia Plath seems to be an excellent example of the kinds of personality that could result. Freud explains the Electra complex as follows in his essay, "Some Psychical Consequences of the Anatomical Distinction Between the Sexes," which has been included in the book Women and Analysis:

The girl has to accept identification with her

mother and at the same time abandon the mother as

love object, turning to her father instead. Her

abandonment is brought about . . . by defeat . . .

girl . . . will never be able to possess the mother

sexually . . . does not have a penis. She turns to

her father only out of resentment against her mother -

for not only is the mother lost as a love object, but

she has brought her daughter into the world inade-

But in "One Freud and Distinction Between the Sexes," also inn Women and Analysis, Juliet Mitchell slightly modifies this outline of the Electra complex. Instead of:

. . .
ing man could measure up to the colossus that bestrode the fantasy world of her childhood." Interestingly, the idea which Ms. Steiner hints at is also discussed by Carl Jung in a section of his essay "The Relations Between the Ego and the Unconscious." Although he is discussing a female philosophy student he could just as easily be discussing Sylvia Plath on her character Esther Greenwood: the patient was quite unconscious of the fact that her relation to her father was a fixation, and that she was therefore seeking a man like her father, whom she could then meet with her intellect. This in itself would not have been a mistake if her intellect had not had that peculiarly protesting character such as is un- fortunately often encountered in intellectual women. Such an intellect is always trying to point out mistakes in others . . . yet it always wants to be considered objective . . . has the unconscious purpose of forcing a man into a superior position. . . . In other words, according to Jung's theory, Sylvia Plath was attempting in her "persona" (the role people take as a compromise between individual ego needs and societal demands) to elevate men (and marriage and children) to t
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath, Esther Greenwood, Greek Latin, Sylvia Plath's, Personality Development, Closer Ariel, Women Analysis, Electra Complex, Buddy Willard, bell jar, sylvia plath, sylvia plath's, esther greenwood, women analysis, electra complex, sylvia plath's personality, plath's personality, marriage children, nancy hunter, character esther, character esther greenwood, women analysis dialogues, viking press 1974, ed jean strouse,
Approximate Word count = 2767
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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