The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka

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How individuals think about their identity and how they respond to others is a person’s self-concept. Various factors in an individual’s life can have a negative or positive affect on their self-concept. Focusing on negative self-concept, we can see reoccurring variables in their social environment that can trigger depressive symptoms. Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, begins when Gregor has awakened from his disturbed dream as a dung beetle. Gregor, the main character and Kafka himself, experienced insecure behavior, alienation and depression in their relationships. For Gregor, these symptoms had a tremendous effect on his self-concept: it led to a depressive and desolate end. Kafka’s misery in his real life was reflected in the Gregor‘s transformation. The Metamorphosis exposes the outcome of negative self-concept from Gregor’s feelings from his relationships, alienation and loss of communication. This essay will be able to provide evidence by describing the relationships both in Gregor’s and Kafka’s life, how their relationships and form of attachment triggers alienation, and the loss in communication can create a self-concept as belittling as a dung beetle. People obtain many of their social characteristics and personal attributes from the relationships in their live. These traits stem from how individuals were treated and how they respond to security in the attachment from relationships. According to the article Mary Ainsworth by Saul McLeod, this is the skeletal blueprint for the attachment theory. In Kafka’s and Gregor’s the type of attachment represented is, avoidant insecure attachment. An avoidant-insecure attached individual is “independent of the attachment figure both physically and emotionally,” whether or not the in... ... middle of paper ... ...Advances in Psychiatric Treatment Journal of Continuing Professional Development 15.6 (2009): 459-461. The Royal College of Psychiatrists. Web. 10 November 2013. Farley, R. Chris. “A Brief Overview of Adult Attachment Theory and Research.” University of Illinois at Urbane Chapagne, University of Illinois at Urbane Chapagne. 2010. Web. 10 November 2013. Kafka, Franz. “The Metamorphosis.” New York: Dover Publication,1996. Print. Lee, Eunju, and Susan Stone. "Co-Occurring Internalizing And Externalizing Behavioral Problems: The Mediating Effect Of Negative Self-Concept." Journal Of Youth & Adolescence 41.6 (2012): 717-731. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. Loveday, Veronica. "Franz Kafka." Franz Kafka (2005): 1-2. History Reference Center. Web. 15 November 2013. McLeod, Saul. “Mary Ainsworth.” Simply Psychology. Simply Psychology, 2008 Web. 13 November 2013

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