ipl-logo

Summary: Holden Psychoanalysis

860 Words4 Pages

Andy Bouboukas
Honors English
Mrs. Dunkle
19 April 2016
Holden Psychoanalysis Holden is quite the interesting character. After meeting with him and assessing his problems, it was determined Holden suffered from a few different things, one of the most serious being depression. He also suffers from mood changes, impersonality problems, impulsivity, and stress. All of those symptoms can be further broken down into more specific illnesses such as ADHD, impulse control disorder, and borderline personality disorder. Holden displays behaviors of a lot of these disorders all throughout the story. Depression is by far the most prevalent of all the disorders that Holden showed signs of. Depression happens when feelings of sadness become overwhelming …show more content…

Impulsivity is being inclined to act on impulse rather than thought. This is also a characteristic of ADHD. “All I know is I got up from the bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to sock him, with all my might, right smack in the toothbrush, so it would split his .. throat open.” (CITR 43) This quote clearly shows that holden isn’t thinking clearly and is letting his impulses take over. Treatments for this include medication such as focalin or concerla. The medications is going to help control the impulsivity, basically is going to calm the patient. One final disorder Holden could have is forgetfulness. Holden also shows signs of this throughout the story. “I’m so … absent-minded, I gave the driver my regular address, just out of habit and all-I mean I completely forgot I was going to shack up in a hotel for a couple of days and not go home till vacation started.” (CITR 60) This directly says that Holden is forgetting things and implies Holden has trouble from forgetfulness. Treatments for this include counseling and medication. The medication is going to help maintain thinking, memory and speaking skills. The counseling is going to help treat the patient 's behavior problems. In conclusion, Holden suffers from an array of disorders. The most serious of which is depression which then branches off into other disorders. Some of the symptoms that he displays include forgetfulness, mood changes, impulsivity, and suicidal thoughts. Those can even branch out into even more detailed disorders such as impulse control disorder, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and ADHD. However, luckily for Holden all of these disorders can be helped with medication and

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And It's Kind Of A Funny Story

    1077 Words  | 5 Pages

    Craig however is a quiet character that soon becomes talkative and amiable when in contact with others. He creates emotional connections and bonds with many people in the hospital, an ability Holden lacks. When he becomes friends with Noelle, he realizes he can be himself around her because she accepts him as he is. He is artistic and creative, using art and music as an escape from his suffocating gloom and

    Read More

  • How Is Holden Caulfield Mental Illness

    1957 Words  | 8 Pages

    Holden Caulfield is a seventeen year old male who shows evidence of a possible diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) and Borderline Personality Disorder(BPD). This possible diagnosis is due to sudden outbursts of anger,constant deceitfulness, feelings of emotional numbness, and many other symptoms. Some people who say that he’s just a spoiled child however, there is evidence to prove that there is a much deeper issue. Traumatic events such as abuse(emotional,mental,and sexual), neglect,death of a loved one,abandonment, feelings of emptiness, and suicidal thoughts can cause these mental illnesses. With his long list of symptoms, the evidence proves that he suffers from PTSD and BPD.

    Read More

  • Holden's Greatest Challenge

    706 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holden feels so depressed he “started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie” (110). This shows Holden’s mental state as he is trying to talk to his brother who has died. This is evidence of the impact of depression in his life and actions. Talking to a person who has passed away is abnormal for people. Despite that, depression causes this and has a hold on Holden.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Holden Being Depressed In Catcher In The Rye

    728 Words  | 3 Pages

    Boy gone crazy or depressed? Holden is in a deep depression but, does he stay depressed or go crazy? After Holden’s brother (Allie) dies he gets very depressed. Holden wasn 't even able to attend the funeral.

    Read More

  • Explain The Three Defense Mechanisms In Catcher In The Rye

    847 Words  | 4 Pages

    Holden uses the defence mechanism, sublimation when he was in front of his mirror. On page 116, it said “Sneak a cigarette and watch myself get tough in the mirror.” This is unhealthy because, he's making a wrong decision by smoking a cigarette and he changes it around that he's looking at himself in the mirror. This defense mechanism is not as concerning and denial and acting out but it is still something I think needs to be worked

    Read More

  • Bipolar Disorder In Catcher In The Rye

    1238 Words  | 5 Pages

    At the end of the novel, when Holden is finished telling his story, he says that he could probably tell us about how he got sick. He also acknowledges “the one psychoanalyst guy they have [there]” who asks if he is going to start applying himself (234). The fact that there is someone analyzing his behavior is a clear indicator that he shows signs of mental illnesses. Holden dodges any questions about his feelings of what happened to him because he does not know how to feel. The psychoanalyst also asks Holden if he is going to start applying himself in school more, but Holden does not fully answer the question.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Mental Illness In Catcher In The Rye

    783 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first cause of Holden 's mental illness that readers notice is that he lacks control over his actions. As Holden was 13 years old, his brother Allie died of leukemia. Holdens behavior in response to his brothers death was very violent. “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it (Holden Caulfield 39).” Holden admits that he didn’t know he was doing it, but says it was a stupid thing to do.

    Read More

  • How Is Holden Caulfield Mental Illness

    553 Words  | 3 Pages

    These problems he is having are not normal and should be addressed immediately. I think that this advanced stage of depressions may have been worsened by his parents. Holden undoubtedly believes that he was abandoned by his parents by them sending him to boarding schools instead of bringing him home to confront his actually problems. Also the separation of him form the rest of his family for the most part has made him miss his brother more which has worsened his

    Read More

  • Teenage Depression In Catcher In The Rye

    999 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout his adventure, he displays multiple symptoms of teen depression. One of the first symptoms he displays is low academic performance. He tells us in the first few pages of the book that he was evicted from multiple schools and hated all of those schools. Negative thoughts leads us into another symptom of teen depression, the thought that life in the future is grim or bleak. Holden calls almost everybody throughout the entire novel phonies and fakes.

    Read More

  • Holden's Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

    1230 Words  | 5 Pages

    A. Allie’s death causes Holden to become obsessed with death and this obsession makes him believe that growing up and becoming a “phonie” is like dying; this belief that is planted inside Holden’s head when Allie died is what sends him on a quest to preserve children’s innocence and save them from the “death” of growing up. B. Salinger includes the traumatic story of Allies death that happened years in advance to provide an explanation for Holden’s obsession with death and how he sees loss of innocence as equivalent to dying. Allie died with his innocence still intact, so Holden does not want other children to grow up and have their innocence “die”. C. Holden even admits to being mentally unstable after his brother’s traumatic death when he says, “I was only 13, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all

    Read More

  • How Does Holden Connect With Others

    734 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holden is unaware of his problem. When people try to help him he tells them there is nothing wrong with him. Holden wonders why he cannot connect with others. He blames it on other people when the source of his problems is himself. Holden’s past holds him back from connecting with others, but his fear of letting go of his past has him limited and scarred from making new relationships and connections.

    Read More

  • What Are The Causes Of Holden's Mental Breakdown

    2021 Words  | 9 Pages

    Holden exhibits many of the physical symptoms of depression, such as changes in appetite, unexplained physical problems, and increased consumption of alcohol (Mayo Clinic). By the end of the novel, Holden experienced a complete nervous breakdown and displays many of the symptoms of depression. Once in the novel Holden mentions his thin physique while at a diner. He says, “I’m a very light eater… That’s why I’m so damn skinny,” (Salinger 120).

    Read More

  • Theme Of Maturity In Catcher In The Rye

    837 Words  | 4 Pages

    Holden struggles with growing up and facing reality. There are many examples of Holden’s immaturity that are displayed in many forms such as facing responsibilities, his speech, his actions, and etc. Holden’s outlook on adult life is that it is superficial and brimming with phonies, but childhood was all about looking pleasing and innocent. He wants everything to stay the same and for time to stop. As Holden progresses in age, he will discover more about becoming mature in the

    Read More

  • Holden Caulfield's Mental Illness In The Catcher In The Rye

    366 Words  | 2 Pages

    Along with Holden’s many health problems, he is also mentally unstable in that he makes very erratic and irresponsible decisions, particularly when it comes

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye: A Psychological Analysis Of Holden Caulfield

    824 Words  | 4 Pages

    Holden has shown occasions of uncontrollable emotion that should be looked further into when deciding whether he is simply battling his hormones, or if he is truly struggling with bipolar disorder. If he does indeed have bipolar disorder, he must take the meds prescribed to him

    Read More

More about Summary: Holden Psychoanalysis

Open Document