Psychological Analysis of the Characters in the Novel

Shahrokhi, Zohreh; Taheri, Mohammmad

doi:10.30465/copl.2025.52038.4287

Psychological Analysis of the Characters in the Novel "Missing Soluch" Based on Alfred Adler's Theory of Individual Psychology

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

zohreh shahrokhi ¹

Mohammmad Taheri ²

¹ PhD student in Persian Language and Literature, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan

² Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30465/copl.2025.52038.4287

Abstract

Mahnoud Dowlatabadi’s novel Missing Soluch, which narrates the life of a rural family, provides a rich ground for the psychological analysis of its characters. This research, using a descriptive-analytical method and drawing on Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology theory, examines the motivations and behaviors of the story’s main characters. According to this theory, humans are influenced by feelings of inferiority and the striving for superiority, shaping a unique lifestyle. Concepts such as the inferiority complex, striving for superiority, social interest, and birth order serve as the analytical framework of this study.

The findings indicate that Mergan, Abbas, and Abrau are prominent examples of Adler’s theory in practice. Mergan, with her sense of responsibility and self-sacrifice, strives to keep the family together under harsh conditions, reflecting high social interest and a cooperative lifestyle. In contrast, Abbas, as the firstborn, driven by feelings of deprivation and inferiority, leans toward dominance and superiority-seeking. Abrau, the second-born, takes a different path, marked by competitiveness and efforts to compensate for his shortcomings.

This study highlights the decisive role of birth order, childhood experiences, and family relationships in personality formation and demonstrates how these factors influence decision-making and individual destinies.

Keywords

Alfred Adler

Missing Soluch

character analysis

inferiority complex

birth order

Subjects

Analysis, criticism, explanation and interpretation of contemporary Persian literature in Iran and the world

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