From Ambivalence to Free Will:The Analysis of Dimmesdale’s Psychology in The Scarlet Letter from the Perspective of Self-Determination Theory
Abstract
The Scarlet Letter is a novel written by American romantic writer Hawthorne in 1850.For many years,researchers interpret Dimmesdale’s psychological contradictions through different psychoanalytic theories.However,few scholars interpret this character from the perspective of self-determination theory.This paper employs the three psychological needs in self-determination theory to analyze Dimmesdale’s psychological changes.Based on this analysis,this thesis aims to provide a relatively new perspective on the study of Dimmesdale’s psychology and help readers better understand The Scarlet Letter as a masterpiece of American romanticism.
Keywords
Dimmesdale;The Scarlet Letter;Self-determination theory;Ambivalence;Free will
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[1] Chen,Yanchun.“On Arthur Dimmesdale’s Double Personalities as Revealed in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.”English Language and Literature StudiesEnglish Language and Literature Studies,Vol.7,No.3,2017,pp.85-89
[2] Deci,Edward L.,and Richard M.Ryan.Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior.New York,Springer Science+Business Media,2014.
[3] Deci,Edward L.,and Richard M.Ryan.“Self-Determination Theory.”International Encyclopedia of the Social&Behavioral Sciences,2nd edition,vol 21,2015,pp.486-491.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18686/ahe.v7i36.12747
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