Psychological analysis of the character of toward people in the novel by Bin al-Qasserin (Palace Walk): A case study of "Amina"

Today, psychological criticism is one of the important approaches of literary criticism. Psychological criticism is one of the important approaches in literary criticism. Karen Horney was one of Freud's students who despite being influenced by him, critiqued some of his theories. In "fundamental conflict" theory, Horney stated that mental illnesses are the consequence of violent and abnormal relationships of people with children. Therefore, according to Horne's theory, childhood is the most influential factor in the formation of personality types (the need for affection and approval; the need for social recognition, etc.), which has been widely used in literary analyses. In Naguib Mahfouz’s Palace Walk many characters suffer from internal conflicts which can by analyzed based on Horney’s ideas. Drawing on a descriptive-analytical framework, this study attempts to examine different psychological dimensions of one of the two main characters in Palace Walk. The study finds that Amina is an exemplar of affection-seeking personality as she bursts with submission and low self-confidence.