Trapped in Desired: A Comparative Study of Identity Diffusion in Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary

Zuvyati Aryani Tlonaen; Rohmatul Fitriyah Dewi

doi:10.19105/ojbs.v19i2.21593

Zuvyati Aryani Tlonaen English Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Kristen Artha Wacana, Kupang 85228 https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8948-9855
Rohmatul Fitriyah Dewi Department of Teacher Education, School of Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0468-6364

https://doi.org/10.19105/ojbs.v19i2.21593

Abstract views: 31 ,

PDF downloads: 21

Keywords: character, comparative study, identity diffusion, identity status, novel

Abstract

Two female characters from different cultural backgrounds, Russia and France, in the novels Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary, demonstrate signs of identity diffusion. This study employs a qualitative content analysis method. The analysis involves close reading of the novels, identifying relevant quotations, classifying the data, and interpreting meanings related to identity issues. Data were collected through documentation by selecting quotations that reflect the characters' identity problems. The research instrument is based on eight indicators of identity diffusion proposed by Kroger and Marcia (2011): lack of exploration, lack of commitment, external influence, lack of self-definition, emotional emptiness, isolation, lack of autonomy from role models, and the need for external validation. The findings reveal that Anna and Emma experience identity diffusion, characterized by unstable self-concepts, emotional dissatisfaction, dependence on others' approval, and failure to develop independent identities. However, the causes of their identity crises differ. Anna's identity diffusion is strongly shaped by social pressure and aristocratic expectations, whereas Emma's is influenced by romantic fantasies and literary idealization. These unresolved conflicts lead both characters to psychological decline and self-destruction. Future researchers are recommended to examine other identity statuses in cross-cultural literary works and explore their relevance to social and psychological issues.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Zuvyati Aryani Tlonaen, English Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Kristen Artha Wacana, Kupang 85228

ZUVYATI ARYANI TLONAEN is a faculty member in the English Education Study Program at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Artha Wacana Christian University, serving since 2012. She earned her Master of Education degree in English Language and Literature from the State University of Surabaya in 2018. Her research focuses on English language education and literary study.

Rohmatul Fitriyah Dewi, Department of Teacher Education, School of Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079

ROHMATUL FITRIYAH DEWI has been teaching various English courses at high school and higher education levels. She is interested in improving her skills, particularly in Applied Linguistics, Conversation Analysis, Classroom Discourse, and Gender Studies. Currently, she serves as Head of the Institute for International Affairs and Cooperation at the Institut Teknologi dan Bisnis Ahmad Dahlan Lamongan. She is also active as a permanent lecturer, teaching English and ESP (English for Specific Purposes) courses. Recently, she has pursued her doctoral degree in the teacher education program at Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.

References

Abbas, A., Pattu, A., Rahman, F., Pammu, A., & Badaruddin, M. S. (2023). Willa Cather’s Notion on Traditional American Women in the Novel My Antonia: An Approach of Genetic Structuralism. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 14(5), 1302–1312. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1405.18

Abdullah, A. A., Muhid, A., & S.A.P., R. S. (2021). Dissecting Implicit Meaning Intembang Dolanan: A Discourse Analysis. LiNGUA: Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa dan Sastra, 16(1), 61–74. https://doi.org/10.18860/ling.v16i1.10247

Afolalu, L. (2024). I’m Still Nigerian: Navigating Race Through Digital Literacies. Journal of Literacy Research, 56(3), 268–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X241273989

Albuja, A. F., Gaither, S. E., Sanchez, D. T., Straka, B., & Cipollina, R. (2019). Psychophysiological Stress Responses to Bicultural and Biracial Identity Denial. Journal of Social Issues, 75(4), 1165–1191. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12347

Allan, B. A., Autin, K. L., Duffy, R. D., & Sterling, H. M. (2020). Decent and Meaningful Work: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 67(6), 669–679. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000432

Atewologun, D., Kutzer, R., Doldor, E., Anderson, D., & Sealy, R. (2017). Individual‐Level Foci of Identification at Work: A Systematic Review of the Literature. International Journal of Management Reviews, 19(3), 273–295. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12148

Berezina, E., Gill, C. M. H. D., & Bovina, I. (2020). A Study of the Association Between Identity, Life Engagement, and Well-Being Among Young Asian Adults. Social Identities, 26(5), 608–623. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504630.2020.1783225

Bogaerts, A., Claes, L., Raymaekers, K., Buelens, T., Bastiaens, T., & Luyckx, K. (2023). Trajectories of Adaptive and Disturbed Identity Dimensions in Adolescence: Developmental Associations with Self-Esteem, Resilience, Symptoms of Depression, and Borderline Personality Disorder Features. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. 1125812. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1125812

Bowe, M., Gray, D., Stevenson, C., McNamara, N., Wakefield, J. R. H., Kellezi, B., Wilson, I., Cleveland, M., Mair, E., Halder, M., & Costa, S. (2020). A Social Cure in the Community: A Mixed‐Method Exploration of the Role of Social Identity in the Experiences and Well‐Being of Community Volunteers. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(7), 1523–1539. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2706

Butterbaugh, S. M., & Wood, N. D. (2020). Developmental Trajectories of Women’s Identity Development. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 12(3), 398–410. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12390

Cao, L., & Ma, J. (2024). Establishing Self-Concordant Goals: A Longitudinal Study on the Influence of Ego Identity on Goal Self-Concordance. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. 1382345. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1382345

Castillo‐Lavergne, C. M., & Destin, M. (2019). How the Intersections of Ethnic and Socioeconomic Identities Are Associated with Well‐Being During College. Journal of Social Issues, 75(4), 1116–1138. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12358

Claes, L., Boekaerts, E., Verschueren, M., Boukaert, W., & Luyckx, K. (2019). Identity Statuses in Prebariatric Patients with Obesity: Associations with Eating Disorder Symptoms, Psychological Complaints, and Coping Behaviour? European Eating Disorders Review, 27(4), 410–420. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2681

Cooper, A. L., Leslie, G. D., & Brown, J. A. (2022). Defining the Influence of External Factors on Nurse Resilience. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 31(6), 1523–1533. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13059

Czyżowska, N. (2022). Identity Processing Style and Meaning in Life Among Emerging Adults: Mediational Role of Commitment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6585. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116585

de Carvalho, N. A., & Veiga, F. H. (2022). Psychosocial Development Research in Adolescence: A Scoping Review. Trends in Psychology, 30(4), 640–669. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-022-00143-0

De Meulemeester, C., Lowyck, B., Vermote, R., Verhaest, Y., & Luyten, P. (2017). Mentalizing and Interpersonal Problems in Borderline Personality Disorder: The Mediating Role of Identity Diffusion. Psychiatry Research, 258, 141–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.09.061

Fulay, S., Gillani, N., & Roy, D. (2023). Divergences in Following Patterns Between Influential Twitter Users and Their Audiences Across Dimensions of Identity. Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media, 17, 1123–1127. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v17i1.22220

Genovese, J. (2015). Sports Television Reporters and the Negotiation of Fragmented Professional Identities. Communication, Culture & Critique, 8(1), 55–72. https://doi.org/10.1111/cccr.12069

Hatano, K., Luyckx, K., Hihara, S., Sugimura, K., & I. Becht, A. (2022). Daily Identity Processes and Emotions in Young Adulthood: A Five-Day Daily-Diary Method. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(9), 1815–1828. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01629-x

Hihara, S., Umemura, T., & Sugimura, K. (2019). Considering the Negatively Formed Identity: Relationships Between Negative Identity and Problematic Psychosocial Beliefs. Journal of Adolescence, 70(1), 24–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.11.002

Isenhardt, A., Kamenowski, M., Manzoni, P., Haymoz, S., Jacot, C., & Baier, D. (2021). Identity Diffusion and Extremist Attitudes in Adolescence. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. 711466. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.711466

Jørgensen, C. R., & Bøye, R. (2022). How Does It Feel to Have a Disturbed Identity? The Phenomenology of Identity Diffusion in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Personality Disorders, 36(1), 40–69. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi_2021_35_526

Kang, S. K., & Kaplan, S. (2019). Working Toward Gender Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine: Myths and Solutions. The Lancet, 393(10171), 579–586. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)33138-6

Kimmons, R., & Veletsianos, G. (2014). The Fragmented Educator 2.0: Social Networking Sites, Acceptable Identity Fragments, and the Identity Constellation. Computers & Education, 72, 292–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.COMPEDU.2013.12.001

Kroger, J., & Marcia, J. E. (2011). The Identity Statuses: Origins, Meanings, and Interpretations. In Handbook of Identity Theory and Research (pp. 31–53). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_2

Liu, L. (2023). The Impact of Identity Perception Factors on U.S. National Strategy (pp. 1596–1602). https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-126-5_179

Lucia, S., & Ornella, M. (2024). The Importance of Mental Functions and Autobiographical Memory in the Development of Identity and Life Story in Adolescence: Their Role in Preventing Identity Diffusion, Aggressiveness, and Depression Among Adolescents. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1(3), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.14302/issn.2643-6655.jcap-24-4898

Maimunah, I., Wargadinata, W., Faisol, M., Wahyudi, R., & Huda, M. (2022). Laamiyat Al-Arab: A Genetic Structural Analysis. LiNGUA: Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa dan Sastra, 17(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.18860/ling.v17i1.15290

Manzoor, F., Wei, L., & Asif, M. (2021). Intrinsic Rewards and Employee’s Performance with the Mediating Mechanism of Employee’s Motivation. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. 563070. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.563070

Maree, J. G. (2021). The Psychosocial Development Theory of Erik Erikson: Critical Overview. Early Child Development and Care, 191(7–8), 1107–1121. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2020.1845163

María, L. S. (2024). Socialising Feminism and Diversity: The Use of Gender in Young Female Readers’ Literary Attachments and Exclusions. Literacy, 58(3), 312–321. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12377

Mauduy, M., Bagneux, V., & Sénémeaud, C. (2023). Fostering Victim-Defending Behaviors Among School Bullying Witnesses: A Longitudinal and Experimental Test of Two New Strategies for Changing Behavior. Social Psychology of Education, 26(1), 263–274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-022-09745-z

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2018). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Method Sourcebook (Fourth). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Nasution, S., Siwi, P., & Pardi, P. (2024). Rime in Eka Kurniawan’s Novel Lelaki Harimau. Journal of Language, 6(2), 489–501. https://doi.org/10.30743/jol.v6i2.9613

Notley, C., Houghton, B., Maskrey, V., Holland, R., Lingford-Hughes, A., Punukollu, B., Duka, T., & Kouimtsidis, C. (2022). An Exploration of Identity Change in Post-Detoxification Alcohol Dependent Individuals. Drugs, Habits and Social Policy, 23(1), 48–61. https://doi.org/10.1108/DHS-04-2021-0021

Palmeroni, N., Claes, L., Verschueren, M., Bogaerts, A., Buelens, T., & Luyckx, K. (2020). Identity Distress Throughout Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: Age Trends and Associations with Exploration and Commitment Processes. Emerging Adulthood, 8(5), 333–343. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696818821803

Pearce, T., Maple, M., Shakeshaft, A., Wayland, S., & McKay, K. (2020). What Is the Co-Creation of New Knowledge? A Content Analysis and Proposed Definition for Health Interventions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7), 2229. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072229

Penner, F., Gambin, M., & Sharp, C. (2019). Childhood Maltreatment and Identity Diffusion Among Inpatient Adolescents: The Role of Reflective Function. Journal of Adolescence, 76(1), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.08.002

Reinhart, R. (2021). Community Found: Young Adult Catholic Identity and Commitment. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 60(2), 382–399. https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12714

Rhoden, N., Senker, S., & Glorney, E. (2022). A Qualitative Exploration of the Role of Employment in Desistance and Subsequent Identity Change – Ex-Prisoners’ Lived Experiences. The Journal of Forensic Practice, 24(2), 168–183. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-11-2021-0055

Risma, R., Karima, F. H., & Widiyanto, M. W. (2022). The Analysis of Estella’s Characterization as the Main Character in “Cruella 2021” Movie. Lingua Franca, 1(2), 26–46. https://doi.org/10.37680/lingua_franca.v1i2.1699

Rivnyák, A., Pohárnok, M., Péley, B., & Láng, A. (2021). Identity Diffusion as the Organizing Principle of Borderline Personality Traits in Adolescents—A Non-Clinical Study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 683288. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.683288

Sano Sana, M., Niyonsenga, J., Niyonkuru, F., Mahoro, E., Uwimana, E., Uwingeneye, L., Mutabaruka, J., Sebatukura, S. G., & Kanyamanza, C. U. (2024). Association Between Identity Dimensions and History Sexual Abuse Among Rwandan Adolescents: A Case-Control Study. Rwanda Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 7(3), 392–401. https://doi.org/10.4314/rjmhs.v7i3.1

Schachter, E. P., & Galliher, R. V. (2018). Fifty Years Since “Identity: Youth and Crisis”: A Renewed Look at Erikson’s Writings on Identity. Identity, 18(4), 247–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2018.1529267

Suhadi, M. F., Pardi, P., Manugeren, M., Zein, T. T., & Pratiwy, D. (2023). Existential Feminism in Andrea Hirata’s Novel Padang Bulan and Cinta di dalam Gelas. Eralingua: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Asing dan Sastra, 7(2), 174–187. https://doi.org/10.26858/eralingua.v7i2.46011

Tlonaen, Z. A. (2022). Exploring Emma Bovary’s Diffused Personality in Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary Novel. Journal of Linguistics and Literature, 6(1), 19–36. https://doi.org/10.33019/lire.v6i1.138

Tlonaen, Z. A., & Bil Haq, A. H. (2022). Comparation of Learning Outcomes Based on Identity Statuses. JPI (Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia), 11(1), 117–124. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpi-undiksha.v11i1.34993

Toukhy, N., Ophir, S., Stukalin, Y., Halabi, S., & Hamdan, S. (2022). The Relationship Between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Identity Conflict, and Risky Behavior Among Druze Adolescents. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.938825

Vassilieva, J., & Zavershneva, E. (2020). Vygotsky’s “Height Psychology”: Reenvisioning General Psychology in Dialogue with the Humanities and the Arts. Review of General Psychology, 24(1), 18–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1089268020902723

Wicks, S., Berger, Z., & Camic, P. M. (2019). It’s How I Am . . . It’s What I Am . . . It’s a Part of Who I Am: A Narrative Exploration of the Impact of Adolescent-Onset Chronic Illness on Identity Formation in Young People. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24(1), 40–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104518818868

Wu, Y. J., Wu, T., & Arno Sharpe, J. (2020). Consensus on the Definition of Social Entrepreneurship: A Content Analysis Approach. Management Decision, 58(12), 2593–2619. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-11-2016-0791

Yancey, G. (2023). Identity Politics, Political Ideology, and Well‐Being: Is Identity Politics Good for Our Well‐Being? Sociological Forum, 38(4), 1245–1265. https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.12966