Araştırma Makalesi • Research Article (original) (raw)

The ageing body and old age issues are among the prominent concerns of Western civilization throughout the 21st century. The body, as a new raw material of consumer society, is perceived as something that can be changed as a result of medical developments, and even bought and sold like other commodities. Furthering the cause of these transformations, Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory, which evokes the quintessence of social pressure on elderly people, may help to address the complexity of the issue. In his theory, Erikson posits eight stages of development with specific tasks and crises peculiar to each stage throughout the lifespan. This paper represents an attempt to examine Hanif Kureishi’s The Body novella within the framework of Eriksonian psychosocial theory of human development. Admittedly, Kureishi’s short fiction appears to deal mainly with ethnicity and identity matters that render the postcolonial approach. However, this study is significant in that it concerns the pressures of society, becoming increasingly severe against old people, on ageing, which points out the last stage of Erikson’s integrity versus despair. It also reveals that past experiences and personal desires affect a person’s psyche. Through The Body, the ties between society and individuals, desires and realities, appearance and internal existence have been affirmed. It may be concluded that when Kureishi’s The Body is evaluated within the framework of Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, the accuracy of the effects of sociocultural factors on personality development has been determined.