نقش وتأثیر مکانیسم های دفاعی در شکل گیری شخصیت در‌ ‌ رمان «صیف مع العدو» اثر شهلا العجیلی

Psychological criticism is one of the fundamental approaches in literary criticism. It plays an important role in uncovering the hidden layers of literary texts and exploring the psychological and behavioral mechanisms of characters. By focusing on psychological processes, defense mechanisms, internal conflicts, and lived experiences, this approach provides a framework for interpreting novels from a psychological perspective.

Shahla Al-Ajili’s A Summer with the Enemy, a novel by the contemporary Syrian writer, offers considerable potential for psychological analysis. From childhood to adulthood, the protagonist faces a wide range of crises, identity challenges, and psychological pressures and attempts to achieve psychological balance through various defense mechanisms. Using a descriptive-analytical method and drawing on Freud’s theories, this study seeks to identify the most frequently used defense mechanisms by the protagonist and examine the reasons for their formation and use. The analysis focuses on three main stages of human development: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The protagonist’s relationships include interactions with her parents, an emotional and competitive relationship with Abboud, one of her peers, and later a complex, multifaceted relationship with Nicholas, a man who expresses romantic interest in her mother. Each relationship becomes a source of tension, anxiety, or unmet needs, thereby activating different defense mechanisms. Repression, aggression, displacement, and sublimation are among the main mechanisms employed to cope with psychological pressures. Their selection and use vary according to the protagonist’s age and the intensity of the conflicts she experiences.