A psychosocial study of identity in selected novels of Ballard and Thompson

In the present globalized and fast-changing world, identity is among the most popularly studied constructs in social science. Focusing on context specific ways by which people act and speak is crucial in order to arrive at a dynamic social and psychological approach for recognizing identities. Withi...

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Main Author:	Modarresi, Mona
Format:	Thesis
Language:	English
Published:	2013
Subjects:	Science fiction - History and criticism American fiction - History and criticism
Online Access:	http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70111/1/FBMK%202014%2074%20-%20IR.pdf
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id	my-upm-ir.70111
record_format	uketd_dc
spelling	my-upm-ir.701112019-10-31T06:34:28Z A psychosocial study of identity in selected novels of Ballard and Thompson 2013-10 Modarresi, Mona In the present globalized and fast-changing world, identity is among the most popularly studied constructs in social science. Focusing on context specific ways by which people act and speak is crucial in order to arrive at a dynamic social and psychological approach for recognizing identities. Within the social psychology discipline, Social Identity Theory has always been applied to clarify new dimensions of the different groups of people which form a society. These dimensions work toward distinguishing groups which are isolated, and seek to create and present their identity as being distinctive from that of members of a society who have conformed to the conditions of the time and are deemed acceptable by others. In other words, such dimensions result in distinguishing the “in-groups” from “out-groups”. It is the representation of the lives of such a group of people who are isolated in society, and who seek to define their identity in a specific way, that forms the subject of the two novels which are the basis of this study. One of the novels, Crash (1973), written by J.G. Ballard, describes the lives of a group of strange people living in London. These people, who had, at some point in their lives, been involved in at least one car accident, have subsequently become preoccupied with the idea that a car crash and the death that follows, possess the potential to unlock the key to “a new true identity”; which is perceived by the individual as being the permanent real life. The second novel discussed in this study, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), written by Hunter S. Thompson, depicts the lives of two friends who head to Las Vegas, to cover a motor race report but in fact they seek their American Dream. Both novels are basically representations of a group of people who attempt to escape the world that they live in, to search for a new identity. Through the analysis of the two stories based on the Social Identity Theory formulated by Henry Tajfel and John Turner (1979), the researcher is conducts a psychosocial study on the protagonists’ identities. In other words, application of this theory would help to explain how the major characters of the novels as individuals isolated from society undertake to define their identity, observe the society they live amidst and gain insight from. Science fiction - History and criticism Novelists, English American fiction - History and criticism 2013-10 Thesis http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70111/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70111/1/FBMK%202014%2074%20-%20IR.pdf text en public masters Universiti Putra Malaysia Science fiction - History and criticism Novelists, English American fiction - History and criticism
institution	Universiti Putra Malaysia
collection	PSAS Institutional Repository
language	English
topic	Science fiction - History and criticism Science fiction - History and criticism American fiction - History and criticism
spellingShingle	Science fiction - History and criticism Science fiction - History and criticism American fiction - History and criticism Modarresi, Mona A psychosocial study of identity in selected novels of Ballard and Thompson
description	In the present globalized and fast-changing world, identity is among the most popularly studied constructs in social science. Focusing on context specific ways by which people act and speak is crucial in order to arrive at a dynamic social and psychological approach for recognizing identities. Within the social psychology discipline, Social Identity Theory has always been applied to clarify new dimensions of the different groups of people which form a society. These dimensions work toward distinguishing groups which are isolated, and seek to create and present their identity as being distinctive from that of members of a society who have conformed to the conditions of the time and are deemed acceptable by others. In other words, such dimensions result in distinguishing the “in-groups” from “out-groups”. It is the representation of the lives of such a group of people who are isolated in society, and who seek to define their identity in a specific way, that forms the subject of the two novels which are the basis of this study. One of the novels, Crash (1973), written by J.G. Ballard, describes the lives of a group of strange people living in London. These people, who had, at some point in their lives, been involved in at least one car accident, have subsequently become preoccupied with the idea that a car crash and the death that follows, possess the potential to unlock the key to “a new true identity”; which is perceived by the individual as being the permanent real life. The second novel discussed in this study, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), written by Hunter S. Thompson, depicts the lives of two friends who head to Las Vegas, to cover a motor race report but in fact they seek their American Dream. Both novels are basically representations of a group of people who attempt to escape the world that they live in, to search for a new identity. Through the analysis of the two stories based on the Social Identity Theory formulated by Henry Tajfel and John Turner (1979), the researcher is conducts a psychosocial study on the protagonists’ identities. In other words, application of this theory would help to explain how the major characters of the novels as individuals isolated from society undertake to define their identity, observe the society they live amidst and gain insight from.
format	Thesis
qualification_level	Master's degree
author	Modarresi, Mona
author_facet	Modarresi, Mona
author_sort	Modarresi, Mona
title	A psychosocial study of identity in selected novels of Ballard and Thompson
title_short	A psychosocial study of identity in selected novels of Ballard and Thompson
title_full	A psychosocial study of identity in selected novels of Ballard and Thompson
title_fullStr	A psychosocial study of identity in selected novels of Ballard and Thompson
title_full_unstemmed	A psychosocial study of identity in selected novels of Ballard and Thompson
title_sort	psychosocial study of identity in selected novels of ballard and thompson
granting_institution	Universiti Putra Malaysia
publishDate	2013
url	http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70111/1/FBMK%202014%2074%20-%20IR.pdf
_version_	1747812763091075072

A psychosocial study of identity in selected novels of Ballard and Thompson

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