"Bluest Eyes"

Sample Solution

    I am writing about the stage of psychosocial development known as “Identity vs. Role Confusion,” which is part of Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. This stage typically occurs during adolescence when the individual is trying to establish an identity and figure out who they want to be in life and what role they will play within society. I believe this stage has had the greatest impact on Celie from Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple and Pecola from Toni Morrison’s novel Bluest Eye.

Celie and Pecola both experienced a great deal of trauma throughout their childhood that stunted their emotional growth and created identity issues for them as they entered into adulthood. Celie was sexually abused by her father starting at a young age, while Pecola was neglected by her parents and constantly belittled due to her darker skin color. Both girls struggled with forming a secure sense of identity because they were taught that their worth came only from fulfilling the roles assigned to them by society (i.e., women are not worthy unless they are pleasing men). As such, both girls suffered from feelings of confusion about who they were meant to be in life, leading them down paths of self-doubt, depression, anxiety, fearfulness, inhibited self-expression, low self-esteem, anger/hostility towards others minoritized groups or individuals deemed inferior or beneath them (as seen through Pecola's treatment of Maureen), defensiveness towards people who try to help or support them (as seen with Celie pushing away Shug Avery), substance abuse (Pecola's drinking) etc.. All these symptoms can be classified under DSM 5 criteria for Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Anxiety and Depressed Mood (F43.2). At the macro level there have been historical traumas imposed upon these characters such as racism and sexism that have prevented these characters from developing psychological resilience needed to face challenges in life head on with confidence; while at mezzo level societal pressures have pressured each girl into believing that she must conform themselves into predetermined gender roles in order to find acceptance amongst peers – something which neither character could realistically do given their experiences up till then– further preventing them from establishing a strong sense of self-identity necessary for healthy psychological functioning later in life despite positive changes occurring within their lives such as Shug Avery helping Celie gain financial independence or Claudia MacTeer coming out victorious against her classmates' taunts against Pecola . Thus it becomes clear how ethical dilemmas at both macro and mezzo levels combined together create situations where characters like Celie or Pecoal remain stuck between two worlds—the world desired by society but unattainable due to past traumas versus internal desires but considered unacceptable enough not even worth pursuing—making it extremely difficult if not impossible for either girl grow emotionally beyond where she currently stands without outside intervention offer hope amidst despair towards achieving some sense normalcy amongst chaos surrounding them thereby opening up possibilities for future growth mentally physically socially etc.