Existential Crisis in James Joyce’s ‘Eveline’: A Rollo Mayan Interpretation

Abstract

Every member of our society is aware that anxiety and sadness are pervasive, both from personal experience and from watching their peers. We are growing increasingly conscious of the less evident but no less significant causes of anxiety and depression, such as inner turmoil, psychological disorientation, and uncertainty about appropriate behaviour standards. These include the obvious causes of anxiety and depression, such as the threat of war, the uncontrolled atomic bomb, and the drastic political and economic upheavals. The study of the human condition with an emphasis on personal autonomy, responsibility, and choice is known as existential psychology (May, 1953). Rollo May established the groundwork for existential psychotherapy for years to come with his insightful and profound body of writing. His perceptive observations on the psychological, philosophical, and cultural conundrums facing modern people bring up issues that psychotherapists should continue to be aware of and address in their work. The ramifications of Rollo May's ideas for successful psychotherapy and existential psychology are examined in this article. In order to shed light on existential dilemmas from a general to a specific domain, we shall often cite Rollo Mays' model in this exclusive work. This study aims to understand the impact of existentialism on human psychology in order to facilitate an understanding of Eveline's character. The character of Eveline from James Joyce's collection Dubliners is the subject of this essay. This investigation uses qualitative and descriptive analysis to access the existential effects on human psychology while keeping in mind Rollo May's existential dilemma model. It highlights the resulting existialism, existential crisis, and the process of meaning-making and the development of a sense of responsibility in one's character.