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Suppression, Sublimation, Reaction Formation and Displacement: A Psychoanalytical Approach To The Joys of Motherhood' and Trafficked'
Suppression, Sublimation, Reaction Formation and Displacement: A Psychoanalytical Approach To The Joys of Motherhood' and Trafficked'
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Literature and psychoanalysis cannot be separated from each other because they have the same
role in describing and analysing human behaviors. Freud was the first to apply this idea in the
treatment of patients with some emotional and behavioural problems. Psychoanalysis is a theory
that is rooted in the study of the way the unconscious man behaves and how it controls man’s
physical action and reaction. One of such behaviour is the ability of the conscious mind to rid
itself of any unwanted thought or emotion that seem unhealthy to its being. Freud calls it the
human to prevent painful events from entering the inner self. Some known defense mechanism
sublimation, reaction formation and many more. However, this study, will concentrate on the
mechanism in the two novels, in other, to identify how most of the characters were able to cope
uwith their pains. The study will also identify the advantages and disadvantages of this defense
mechanism and how they will help to maintain the emotional balance of a people; especially in
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the present the African society where suicide attempts and other irrational behaviors is the other
of the day.
Reviews on Akachi Adimora Ezigbo’s ‘Trafficked’ and Buchi Amaecheta’s ‘The Joys of
Motherhood’ reflects that the first novel is all about sexual exploitation, human trafficking,
economic oppressions and socio-political life of the modern day Nigeria while the second is an
exposition on the oppression of a childless woman, the loneliness she experiences, the suffering
of an African mother and eventually the futility of life. However, the question is, do these
characters ever think about or recollect their sad experiences? How do they handle such recall?
And does such thought have any conscious or unconscious effect on them? None of these
previous reviews studied the secret traits of defense mechanism in the characters, this may be
because these traits are hidden in the unconscious of the characters. The study will therefore
The intent of the research is to: 1. Study the Freudian’s concept of defense mechanism, 2.
Identify some present and past traumatic experiences of the characters, 3. Study how these
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present and past experiences affected the characters 4. Analyse how the characters were able to
repress the traumatic memories, and at the end, identify a renewed thought process which will
The present condition of the African society is unsettling. This is caused by poor governance,
porous security, obscure cultural beliefs, religious crises and general poverty. Living under such
condition is almost intolerable in that most citizens are being seriously affected emotionally;
leading to some kind of irrational behaviors such as uncontrollable anger and to others who
could not stand it: committing suicide. (Adebanwi 407) opines that “In observing the social
process both the past and present, the creative writer, reflects and reflects on external
perspectives in understanding reality by creating new map of existence through ideas that not
only generate but also transcend existing possibilities and ways of apprehending those
possibilities”. It is on this premise that the two novels are being studied in light of Freudian
concept of defense mechanism; so as to identify and analyze how the characters in the novels,
are able to live with the traumatic experiences without doing much harm to their innermost self.
The reflection in this study is not only based on the ‘external perspectives’, but also on the
thought processes which according to Freud the control house of human behavior. The analyses,
therefore creates ‘a new road map of existence’ in the subconscious and through it, the society
will be rid of suicide attempts, hopeless thoughts and other irrational behaviors. Nwoga(39-40),
agrees with this by saying that a work of this nature may have the effect of changing men’s
consciousness and making them aware of what previously they had not even guessed (quoted in
Chinweizu and Ihechukwu). The study will therefore critically analyze the novels so as to expose
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the guiding patterns of thought that can stand the difficult times and will also encourage creative
writers to create strong willed thought pattern for their characters; characters who will be created
to withstand the present and the recall of past ugly experiences in agreement to Freud idea: ‘that
defense mechanisms strengthens ones emotion and help to put in order, the present events in a
character’s life’. For instance, a recall and defense of a past painful encounter with a fraudster
The study will be based Freud’s psychoanalytical concept that promotes power of the unconscious
over the conscious mind. The study will emphasis on the idea of defense mechanism using Buchi
Emecheta’s ‘The Joys of Motherhood’ (1979) and Akachi Adimora Ezeigbo’s ‘Trafficked’ (2008).
Being two Nigerian novels that is set apart by time; the former representing the colonial Nigeria
and its surrounding problems of poverty, obscure cultural beliefs and other forms of maltreatment
from by the Europeans, the later representing the present day Nigeria with its surrounding
problem of poor governance and insecurity which resulted into human trafficking; the study will
identify the traumatic experiences of the characters; whether real or fake, analyse how the
characters defended themselves against the traumatic memories using the four defense mechanism,
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a. Suppression: Rassin et al defined suppression as the process of consciously trying to avoid
certain thoughts. when some someone does not allow themselves to express feelings or
unpleasant and upsetting experience that affects you for a long time. it is a mental state of
the other hand, Merriam Webster’s online dictionary defined it as a disordered psychic or
(Longmans Dictionary 2009). On the other hand, the online Wikipedia describes memory
as the faculty of the brain by which data and information are encoded, stored and retrieved
when needed.
Leggs describes it as a feeling of fear and apprehension about what to come(Health line).
e. Defense mechanism: is a fight against the uncomforting, against all forms of painful
feeling to ones innermost self: such a person will in one way or the other put up an
attitude towards those encounter to defend the innermost self. Some of the defense
mechanism mentioned by Grahol J.M. Include denial, projection, regression, acting out,