Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Erciyes Akademi, cilt.36, sa.3, ss.1446-1461, 2022 (Hakemli Dergi)
Suicide, one of the most common problems in modern and postmodern
societies, is a socio-psychiatric phenomenon existing in every society or
culture. In the past, the study of suicide was mainly included in psychiatry;
however, with an increasing awareness of some social factors behind suicide, it
has now been tackled from a sociological perspective. In the second half of the
twentieth century, changes in relationships and lifestyles of modern society
began to be more apparent in postmodern culture. Expectations for the future
dramatically decline in this period. The notion of absolute nothingness is now
clearly seen in every aspect of human life. All these elements affect humans'
inner peace and cause physical, mental, and psychological deterioration. Veronika
Decides to Die, written by Paulo Coelho in 1998, deals with the
psychological journey of a young woman who loses her motivation to live and
attempts suicide. Basing on his own life experiences, Coelho, reveals the
psychological transformations of the main character Veronika, whose suicide
attempt fails. Therefore, both the conflict between life and death and the
conflict between self and society are highly significant to analyze some
possible reasons for the suicidal behaviors of Veronika. In this respect, this
paper intends to analyze the novel from the psychoanalytic perspective of
Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. The psychological and external
motivation behind the suicide attempt will be clarified with theory of life
(Eros) and death (Thanatos) instincts, and their relation to id, ego, and
superego.
Keywords: Life instinct, Death instinct, Id, Ego, Superego.