what defense mechanisms are employed by Hassan and amir in this novel?
Defensive mechanisms are unconscious ways to deal with stressful situations. Freud believed defense mechanisms were they ego's way to protect itself. These methods would reduce anxiety by "unconsciously distorting reality" (Myers). These mechanisms are unlearned behaviors that often occur without the person conciously deciding to perform that behavior.
Various defense mechanisms are employed by characters throughout the novel as they undergo various situations that stress their ego. The most obvious incident would be Hassan's rape. Hassan's ego is unable to deal with the rape situation, so he unconsciously utilizes the reaction formation defense mechanism to deal with the stress on his ego. During this mechanism, "the ego unconsciously makes unacceptable impulses look like their opposites" (Myers). After he is raped, Hassan acts differently form how one would suspect. The effects of the rape were obvious. Amir even observed that "he'd [Hassan] lost weight and gray circles had formed under his puffed up eyes," but Hassan would just seem to ignore these changes in himself and try to mend things with Amir (Hosseini 86). He would constantly ask Amir to go hike or read to him, and although nothing seemed to work, he did not give up.
The rape did not only affected Hassan; it also affected Amir. Amir felt guilty for not helping his friend when he needed it, so Amir unconsciously utilized the rationalization defense mechanism. This occurs when people "unconsciously generate self justifying explanations to hide from our self the real reasons for our actions" (Myers). Amir tries to justify the rape by thinking "maybe Hassan was the price I had to play, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba," when in reality, he was simply to afraid to face Assef (Hosseini 77). Later in the novel he also utilizes the defense mechanism refereed to as "undoing," to lessen the stress from the rape on his ego. Undoing describes when a person attempts to make up for past situations by doing an action that counteracts the previous action. In the novel, Amir tries to "undo" the fact that he was not able to stand up for Hassan when he was raped by protecting Hassan's son, Sohrab, from harms way. Even while Amir was being beat up by Assef, he claimed, "My body was broken -just how badly I wouldn't find out until later - but I felt healed," showing how protecting Sohrab protected his ego and made him feel more at ease (Hosseini 289). Amir is also guilty of using the displacement defense mechanism. Displacement occurs when one diverts their aggressive impulses to a person or object that is "psychologically more acceptable than the one that aroused the feelings" (Myers). When Amir overhears Baba discussing how Amir is nothing like him with Rahim, Amir snaps at Hassan to get his anger out even though Hassan did nothing wrong.
Even young Sohrab expressed defense mechanisms in response to his stressful situation. Sohrab used dissociation to protect his ego. This defense mechanisms is common for people that undergo childhood abuse, such as Sohrab. Dissociation often involves feeling disconnected from the rest of the world and often living in ones own realm of reality that includes their own thoughts and feelings. After experiencing being left in an orphanage for almost a second time, Sohrab becomes disconnected from people, including Amir and Soraya. He seems to live in his own world, unaware of what is going on around him.
Various defense mechanisms are employed by characters throughout the novel as they undergo various situations that stress their ego. The most obvious incident would be Hassan's rape. Hassan's ego is unable to deal with the rape situation, so he unconsciously utilizes the reaction formation defense mechanism to deal with the stress on his ego. During this mechanism, "the ego unconsciously makes unacceptable impulses look like their opposites" (Myers). After he is raped, Hassan acts differently form how one would suspect. The effects of the rape were obvious. Amir even observed that "he'd [Hassan] lost weight and gray circles had formed under his puffed up eyes," but Hassan would just seem to ignore these changes in himself and try to mend things with Amir (Hosseini 86). He would constantly ask Amir to go hike or read to him, and although nothing seemed to work, he did not give up.
The rape did not only affected Hassan; it also affected Amir. Amir felt guilty for not helping his friend when he needed it, so Amir unconsciously utilized the rationalization defense mechanism. This occurs when people "unconsciously generate self justifying explanations to hide from our self the real reasons for our actions" (Myers). Amir tries to justify the rape by thinking "maybe Hassan was the price I had to play, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba," when in reality, he was simply to afraid to face Assef (Hosseini 77). Later in the novel he also utilizes the defense mechanism refereed to as "undoing," to lessen the stress from the rape on his ego. Undoing describes when a person attempts to make up for past situations by doing an action that counteracts the previous action. In the novel, Amir tries to "undo" the fact that he was not able to stand up for Hassan when he was raped by protecting Hassan's son, Sohrab, from harms way. Even while Amir was being beat up by Assef, he claimed, "My body was broken -just how badly I wouldn't find out until later - but I felt healed," showing how protecting Sohrab protected his ego and made him feel more at ease (Hosseini 289). Amir is also guilty of using the displacement defense mechanism. Displacement occurs when one diverts their aggressive impulses to a person or object that is "psychologically more acceptable than the one that aroused the feelings" (Myers). When Amir overhears Baba discussing how Amir is nothing like him with Rahim, Amir snaps at Hassan to get his anger out even though Hassan did nothing wrong.
Even young Sohrab expressed defense mechanisms in response to his stressful situation. Sohrab used dissociation to protect his ego. This defense mechanisms is common for people that undergo childhood abuse, such as Sohrab. Dissociation often involves feeling disconnected from the rest of the world and often living in ones own realm of reality that includes their own thoughts and feelings. After experiencing being left in an orphanage for almost a second time, Sohrab becomes disconnected from people, including Amir and Soraya. He seems to live in his own world, unaware of what is going on around him.