Understanding the main problem of Young Adult literature based on the approach of existential psychology (Ernesto Spinelli)

 
 
Authors
Roya Yadollahi Shahrah (PhD Student of Persian Language and Literature, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad)
Mohammad Javad Mahdavi (Assistant Professor, Dept. of Persian Language and Literature, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad)
Maryam Salehinia (Assistant Professor, Dept. of Persian Language and Literature, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad)
Amir Amin Yazdi (Associate Professor, Dept. of Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad)
 
Introduction
In this article, with the assumption that it is needed to recognize young adult literature as an independent field of research, we have introduced the condition of this independence as defining the factor which distinguishes it from children and adult literature in the form of "the main problem of young adult literature". This main problem has been defined in various ways from the point of view of prominent theorists in this field (on the world), but it has not been introduced in Iran. Each view in the form of literary theory is based on a particular branch(es) of the humanities, but ultimately, the realm of the main problem of young adult literature is the philosophy of literature, because its purpose is to understand the nature of a part of literature.
Existential psychology is one of the approaches in the common realm of psychology and philosophy, the specific attitudes and categories of which have not yet been applied in the field of literary theory. When examining theories related to the main problem of young adult literature, it seems that existential psychology also has the ability to explain the main problem of this kind of literature with its attitudes and categories; especially when we compare all the theories in this field, from the perspective of existential psychology, we will come to a kind of "interface" among all of them, which shows the necessity of the "feasibility assessing" of existential psychology to formulate the main problem of the young adult novel. This feasibility assessing shows the other capacities of this approach for theoretical and critical research in the field of young adult novels, so that some issues that can be raised in this field can be formulated and theorized with the categories and attitudes derived from this approach.
 
Research method
Considering the main question of this research which is "feasibility study" and showing the attitudinal-categorical capacities of the approach of existential psychology in the field of theory and critique of young adult literature (specifically, young adult novels), the research method is a combination of descriptive-argumentative methods.
 
Literature review
In Iran, the only research that has partially addressed the issue of the nature of young adult literature is Moradi (2016), which in fact, has analyzed the nature of "adolescents" in Iranian young adult novels and did not address the nature of "young adult novels" and its main problem. Outside of Iran, several scholars have addressed the main problem of young adult novels, but none have formulated it from the perspective of existential psychology. We have presented their views in the article.
 
Purpose of the research
Given the capabilities of the categories and attitudes of the existential approach in psychology for literary theorizing in the field of young adult novels, the first step is to assess its feasibility in this area and identify areas and issues in which specific categories and attitudes of this approach can be applied. This feasibility assessing and grounding for designing a critical theory based on existential psychology and in the specific field of young adult literature (novel) has been the main purpose of this research, which is done in the first place, by focusing on the main problem of young adult literature which is a question in the field of philosophy of literature.
Discussion
On the main problem of young adult literature, we have presented five prominent and basic views of theorists in this field:
1. Maria Nikolajeva: has formulated the problem of adolescent literature in the form of departure from childhood innocence (descent) and entering adulthood (requiring the generation of ego through its changing and compatibility with others);
2. Seelinger-Tritse: The main problem of young adult literature, she suggested that, is to determine oneself status in the power structure (his/her power against the power of social institutions) and in the context of subjectivity;
3. Robyn McCallum: The main problem of adolescent literature is the transcendence from solipsism (the negation of other subjects or the transmutation into the subjectivity of others and the negation of one's own subjectivity) (understanding subjectivity in the context of agency);
4. Karen Coates: Defines the main problem of young adult literature as understanding how to live responsibly (harnessing one's monstrous-destructive powers and discovering one's creative and generative aspect of their identity with regards to others) by adapting one's values ​​to the growing globalization and technology;
5. Expanding Clementine Beauvais's view (Her theory is based on explaining the problem of children's literature and defining the child-adult relationship, but, we have also formulated the problem of young adult literature from the same perspective by expanding her view): Transforming the child's Might to adult authority through understanding its agency and its limitations.
The important point in these views is that they are all designed in the form of a kind of dilemma, and all of them ultimately refer to the self-other relationship and seek the main problem of young adult literature through the self-other relationship.
In the continue, we have presented the important attitudes and categories of existential psychology from the perspective of Ernesto Spinelli. The philosophical foundation of this approach is based on the definition of the ontological conditions of human existence: relatedness, existential uncertainty, and existential anxiety. Each self only makes sense if its foundation is in relatedness (the self-other relationship also finds meaning in this relatedness). The self constructs his meanings and, ultimately, his worldview through the worlding process, but the worlding also challenges the meanings, and as a result, the established meanings and worldview of the self are always exposed to threat. Some important concepts related to this basic foundation are: choice, freedom, responsibility and daemonic.
In the next step, we showed that each of the views presented can be formulated based on the concepts of relatedness, choice, freedom, responsibility and based on the fundamental principles of existential psychology. Beyond that, these concepts introduce us to areas for research in the form of literary theory, which will be mentioned in the conclusion.
 
Conclusion
The problem of young adult literature can be defined according to relatedness in a self-other relationship. Other concepts such as choice, freedom and responsibility, and daemonic are also discussed in the context of relatedness and can be used to explain the problem of young adult literature.
The transcendence from solipsism is, in fact, the same understanding and action in the form of authentic choice, freedom, and responsibility. To control the self-destructive powers and the discovery and realization of adolescent identity can also be understood in the form of authentic responsibility. The concept of daemonic is useful in defining both the destructive and the generative parts of adolescent identity.
The main application of this theoretical-critical branch can be considered as understanding the structure of the existence for the main characters of the story in their ontic representation, and the questions that existential psychology can answer in the form of literary or critical theory can be put forward in these areas:
- The quality of the existential structure  of the main characters of the novel;
- Determining the main concerns of young adult literature from the perspective of existential psychology;
- Drawing the worldview of the main characters of the story and identifying the meanings, sedimentations and important dissociations in this worldview;
- Drawing the possible developments in the worldview of the young protagonist throughout the story,
- Drawing the relationship between worlding and worldview and the situation of the protagonist's worldview structure in reflecting the worlding experience.
Using the categorical-attitudinal capacities of this approach in the above-mentioned areas requires the creation of "method(s)" appropriate to this approach in order to facilitate and regulate the application of these concepts and categories, and to guarantee the validity of research findings based on it. Other methods of psychological approaches may also be taken as a pattern in literary theory and criticism - if they are compatible with the principles and concepts of existential psychology.
 
key words
Existential Psychology, Ernesto Spinelli, Theory of Young Adult Literature, the Main Problem of Young Adult Literature, Feasibility study
 
references
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