The Analysis of Defense Mechanism and Depressive Disorder by the Main Character in Novel All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

This study examines Theodore Finch’s depressive condition in Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places using a psychoanalytic lens, with a focus on Freud’s concept of defensive mechanisms. This study is a qualitative research with descriptive method that focuses on the causes of depressive disorder and how Finch deals with the disorder through self-defense mechanism. The data is obtained from dialog and narration that describe Finch’s psychological experience in the novel, well other characters’ responses to him. The results show that Finch’s depression is caused by various factors, including an unsupportive social environment, family problems, childhood trauma, and the experience of being rejected and bullied. Finch exhibits several types of self-defense mechanisms such rationalization, projection, and sublimation ways to cope with the psychological distress he experiences. This study contributes to further understanding of the depiction of mental disorders in literature and how psychoanalytic theory can be used to examine the psychological dynamics of characters in novels.