ARCHETYPAL STUDY OF GENDER DYSPHORIA IN GARVIN’S SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN AND WILLIAMSON’S ART OF BEING NORMAL

Abstract

Advancements in technology and increased industrialization provided children with more independence to think and freedom to express their opinions, allowing them to navigate their determinations in a new way.This study is based on Carl Gustav Jung’s theorization of archetypes, which argues that children exhibit themselves in society in various ways that reinforce their perceptions of males and females.Jung states that gender is an elusive identity that is established through the constant repetition of acts.Conventions, roles, and connections are just a few examples of socially created traits that make up gender.This study examines young adult fiction in Lisa Williamson’s The Art of Being Normal (2015) and Garvin’s Symptoms of Being Human (2016) to shed light on how children suffering from gender anxiety recognize their sexist orientations.