Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In Catcher In The Rye By J. D Salinger

1282 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: J. D. Salinger’s the catcher in the rye essay

Many people in today 's society are currently suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. As seen in the novel, Catcher in the Rye, by J. D Salinger there is a very definite connection with PTSD and the main character. Post traumatic stress disorder is a very severe condition consisting of several different varieties of the disease and can affect the minds of people in distinctive ways,as shown in Holden Caulfield, and it is often treated with different types of therapy.
For many people that do not have Post Traumatic stress disorder or know someone that does they don 't fully understand what it is. This Disorder is often referred by the acronym PTSD. PTSD is defined as
“a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or …show more content…

“The essential psychological effect of trauma is a shattering of innocence” (Margolies). A shattering of innocence means that a person can never look at the world in the same way because they are always afraid of another traumatic event. “In order to be diagnosed with PTSD, a person must have three different types of symptoms: re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance and numbing symptoms, and arousal symptoms” ("Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."). Re-experiencing symptoms include ones that are triggered by past memories of the situation. Avoidance and numbing symptoms occur when the person is trying to avoid everything related to the event such as certain locations or television shows that could have a possible relation to the traumatic event. Arousal symptoms happen when the victim is constantly alert for another traumatic event. One of the most serious effects of PTSD is that the victims “may develop additional disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health” ("Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."). Substance abuse, for example, can drastically change the human body mentally and physically. These effects and symptoms usually last longer than 3 months

Show More
Related

  • Depression In J. D. Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher writes about the depression of Hannah, a teenager, who faced depression until the effects took her life. Hannah is dead from the beginning of the novel, but she sends tape recordings to 13 people before she died. Each recording has a message for the listener explaining how one of them helped in the cause for her depression/death. Since each recording is in chronological order, it is clearly noticeable how Hannah’s depression increases as the novel proceeds. Similarly, in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden is suffering from depression just as Hannah was before she took her life. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main theme is depression’s occurrence in a teenager’s life.

    Read More

  • Grief and Bereavement in The Catcher in the Rye

    2501 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Catcher in the Rye has been described, analyzed, rebuffed, and critiqued over the years.  Each writer expresses a different point of view:  It is a story reflecting teen-ager's talk--thoughts-emotions--actions; or angst.  I believe it is an adult's reflection of his own unresolved grief and bereavements.  That adult is the author, J.D. Salinger.  He uses his main character, Holden, as the voice to vent the psychological misery he will not expose -or admit to.

    Read More

  • PTSD In The Movie Brothers

    1513 Words  | 4 Pages

    Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness that develops after exposure to an event that is perceived to be life threatening or pose serious bodily injury to self or others (Sherin & Nemeroff, 2011). According

    Read More

  • PTSD In Vietnam Veterans

    1786 Words  | 4 Pages

    PTSD, also known as post traumatic stress disorder, is a disorder in which an individual fails to recoup after enduring or witnessing

    Read More

  • Theme Of Mental Pain In Catcher In The Rye

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    C.S. Lewis once stated in The Problem of Pain, “The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden”. In the story Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger’s character Holden Caufield struggles with facing his depression and reality. Throughout this novel, Holden tries various methods such as drugs, hiding, and denial to escape his problems with depression, but ultimately discovers that escape can only be found through acceptance. Salinger uses symbolism to reveal that feelings of depression can spiral downwards if one does not face their issues and accept reality.

    Read More

  • The Effects of PTSD on Families

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    PTSD is defined as mental health disorder triggered by a terrifying event (Mayoclinic). This ordeal could be the result of some sort of physical harm or threat to the individual, family members, friends or even strangers. (NIMH) While PTSD is typically associated with someone who has served in the military, it can affect more than just that genre of individuals. It could affect rape victims, victims in a terrorist or natural disaster incident, nurses, doctors, and police and fire personnel and bystanders. PTSD can manifest itself in many forms. The primary signs and symptoms of PTSD include but are not limited to re-experiencing symptoms (flashbacks, bad dreams, frightening thoughts), avoidance of places, situations, or events that may cause those memories to resurface, and hyperarousal symptoms (easily startled, feeling tense or on edge) (NIMH). Other symptoms may include not having positive or loving feelings toward other people, staying away from relationships, may forget about parts of the traumatic event or not be able to talk about them, may think the world is completely dangerous, and no one can be trusted.

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye Coping Analysis

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every person has their own unique way of coping with situations in their life. The goal of coping is,“to deal effectively with something difficult” (OED). While there are many effective ways of coping there are also many ineffective ways to cope. Holden Caulfield , the protagonist The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger, is a character who addresses stressful moments in his life with unhealthy coping methods. According to Sigmund Freud,a doctor who studied the human mind, Holden’s “ID” and “Super-Ego”, or his unconscious mind, was at conflict and the coping strategies that presented themselves through his actions, thoughts, and words were to deal with this internal conflict. An unhealthy coping strategy that Holden uses often is fantasy.

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye: A Psychoanalytical Perspective

    1473 Words  | 3 Pages

    J.D Salinger’s novel, Catcher In The Rye is about a teen, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the narrative. Holden is full of unique problems and most of the time lost in his own world, that can’t face reality. The psychoanalytic theory arranges a lens of definition when working at Holden Caulfield. Holden is seen as a lonely, rebellious teen who flunked out of an all boys private school, Pencey Prep. Failing school exemplifies how Holden controls his own decisions in the real world. As stubborn Holden is, opening up his persona and experiences to people is very hard for him, “I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me…” (Salinger 1). From a Freudian psychoanalytical perspective Holden would seem to keep all his thoughts all bottled up, not speaking, and opening up to people. “The preconscious holds information we’ve stored from past experience or learning. This information can be retrieved from memory and brought into awareness at any time.” (Nevid 469). Holden is one step closer to becoming a better changed person by speaking to his psychiatrist, and there is only way to find out if he did.

    Read More

  • Holden Caulfield Ptsd Quotes

    1232 Words  | 3 Pages

    Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly known as PTSD, affects many individuals throughout the world. PTSD is a mental health disorder that is brought on by experiencing a traumatizing event. People experience PTSD in many different ways and some of these people, like Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye, have difficulty getting through their daily activities and can experience depression and loneliness which may require treatment. Referencing websites for the Mayo Clinic, Department of Veteran Affairs, National Institute of Mental Health and the novel Catcher in the Rye one can see that suffering from PTSD can change someone’s life forever.

    Read More

  • Ptsd In Catcher In The Rye

    244 Words  | 1 Pages

    Holden exhibits his recurring habits of smoking and drinking which is an effect of PTSD. Holden smokes and drinks constantly throughout this book. At school, outside, inside, and even with his sister; Phoebe. A cause of his constant habits is from his PTSD. Drinking and smoking makes the stress a little bit less for him to deal with. For example, “I was smoking… hardly any wind.” (Salinger 176). In this part he shows that he is out of breath from dancing with Phoebe. He tells that he had been smoking so much he barely had any time to get breath. His constant smoking is from his failure to adopt a good habit instead of the bad habit he came to have after the traumatic event. He enjoys smoking and drinking because it relaxes him and distracts

    Read More

  • Free Catcher in the Rye Essays: Manic-Depressive Holden

    605 Words  | 2 Pages

    Manic-Depressive Behavior Exhibited in The Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, portrays Holden Cawfield, a New York City teenager in the 1950's, as a manic-depressive. Holden's depression starts with the death of his brother, Allie. Holden is expelled from numerous schools due to his poor academics, which are brought on by his depression. Manic depression, compulsive lying, and immaturity throughout the novel characterize Holden.

    Read More

  • Holden Caulfield Psychology

    2062 Words  | 5 Pages

    Mental health is an important aspect of one’s wellbeing that may be significantly impacted by a traumatic experience. The author J.D. Salinger illustrates this idea in his novel The Catcher in the Rye, which focuses on the life of the depressed protagonist, Holden Caulfield. Holden experiences the death of his young brother Allie and struggles with transitioning from his innocent childhood to his materialistic adulthood. This transition eventually influences his mental state of mind, which is evident by his lack of motivation in school, and results in him suffering from loneliness, frustration and alienation. The psychoanalytic lens discusses an individual's actions based on their conscious and unconscious mind. The Catcher in the Rye can be

    Read More

  • Mental illness and Mental Disorders in Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

    2034 Words  | 5 Pages

    According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about one in four American adults suffer from a mental disorder. This means that 57.7 out of 217.8 million people over the age of 18 are ill; never mind that mental illnesses are the leading cause of disability in Canada and the United States. Holden Caulfield, the controversial main character of J.D Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye, spends much of the book wandering through the streets of New York City. Kicked out of boarding school for the umpteenth time, he does many odd things: he calls a prostitute, tries to befriend a taxi driver, drinks with middle aged women, and sneaks into his own house in the middle of the night. While many of these things seem outré, some may even go as far as to say that he is mentally disturbed. From a psychiatric standpoint, main character Holden Caulfield exhibits the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder (manic depression), and psychosis throughout the infamous novel Catcher in the Rye.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On School Shootings

    1226 Words  | 3 Pages

    The second category symptom for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the avoidance symptoms. This is where the person who has experienced the trauma stays away from places that may trigger his or her memory to the event that caused the trauma. The person also may seem emotionless. He or she may not want to experience that feeling again so he or she become emotionally numb to everything going on around them. The person may also feel a great amount of guilt, depression or worry. He or she may also lose interest in activities that he or she found to be fun before the traumatic event. He or she may have trouble remembering the event. Things that remind he or she of the event may cause avoidance symptoms. This can cause he or she to can change his or her everyday routine to avoid something that triggers rememberance of the event.

    Read More

  • Depression and Anxiety

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... event and tend to be emotionally numb” (Anxiety Disorders). PTSD leads to flashbacks and behavioral changes to try to avoid anything that might remind the affected individual of the traumatic experience.

    Read More

More about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In Catcher In The Rye By J. D Salinger

Open Document