Main Character’s Defence Mechanism in Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Abstract

In the daily life defence mechanism is normal and important to use as an effort
to handle the problem of human life. Anxiety is basic factor causing need to use defence
mechanism. Defence mechanism is used as a shield to protect individual from the
agitated anxiety. The novel Wild by Cheryl Strayed captures the defence mechanism
that the main character uses to overcome the anxiety she gets before and during her
journey through Pacific Crest Trail. Therefore, this study aims to describe the anxiety
and defence mechanism reflected by the main character in Wild.
The theory which is used in this research is psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud,
specifically about anxiety and defence mechanism. Anxiety is a condition when Id and
Superego have conflict between desire and moral then make ego feels threatening and
danger. The position is to give signal to Ego to take action and escape from threatening
(Boeree, 2009). Anxiety is characterized by a wide range of symptoms that cut across
physical, behavioral, and cognitive domains (Nevid et al, 2005). Freud offer defence
mechanism to overcome anxieties. Defence mechanism is strategies the ego uses to
defend itself against the anxiety provoked by conflicts of everyday life (Schultz, 2005).
Defence mechanism related to their developmental level. They are classified into
pathological, immature, neurotic and immature defences (Vaillant, 1977).
The type of this research is qualitative using close reading method. The object is
a novel entitled Wild by Cheryl Strayed published in 2012. The techniques of data
collection were: (1) reading and re-read the novel carefully to understand the story and
classify the data which contained of anxiety and defence mechanism as problem of the
research, (2) grouping the data based on anxiety and defence mechanism, (3) analyzing
the related between anxiety and defence mechanism, (4) collecting the data from the
quotation based on the novel and analyzes with the theory to prove the analysis.
The result of the analysis shows main character has two kinds of anxiety,
realistic anxiety and neurotic anxiety. In realistic anxiety, the main character
experienced it when fear of wilderness in Pacific Crest Trail. In neurotic anxiety, the
main character experienced it when agony because her mom dies because gets lung
cancer and when meet a stranger in PCT. Defence mechanism uses by main character to
overcomes the anxieties. Humor appear to overcome fear of wilderness, displacement
appear to displace her unpleasant feeling when know her mom almost die and run out
water in PCT, denial and acting out shows to overcome her agony when her mother get
sick and die and the last rationalization appear to overcome the main character’s fear of
strangers. Based on finding above, the writer concludes that Cheryl Strayed as the main
character uses defence mechanism to protect herself of experienced realistic and
neurotic anxiety. The defence mechanism used are, humor, displacement, denial, acting
out and rationalization.
Keywords: Psychoanalysis, anxiety, defence mechanism