Educational Critique of Women's Dominance Based on Adler and Horney Theories: A Case Study of “My Share” Novel

It is impossible to understand literary without considering its social context. The victory of the Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s provided a suitable opportunity to reflect the educational values and beliefs of Iran’s society in transition in the form of literary works. Accordingly, the purpose of the present study is educational criticism of dominance of girls based on the views of two famous psychologists namely Adler and Horney through analysis of the content of an Iranian novel. Researchers have used the qualitative method using case study approach. The research population includes all the works of Adler and Horney selected through purposeful sampling method. The method of data collection and analysis were documentary and semiotic analysis respectively. The research findings showed that from a sociological point of view, the trend of female domination cannot be easily explained by Adler and Horney theories, while semiotic analysis indicates a complete agreement between the characteristics of domineering women and the views of these two psychologists. Horney attributes the dominance to the insecure atmosphere of the family, while Adler emphasizes the role of the inferiority complex. The research findings also indicated the continuation of the patriarchal educational system in the context of the society in which the story of the novel "My Share" takes place. The educational critique of the present work emphasizes the continuation of the process of female domination at both macro and micro levels; an issue that draws the attention of policymakers to "revising gender policies" and providing new training to the younger generation.