THE ARTISTIC PORTRAYAL OF YOUTH PSYCHOLOGY AND LIFESTYLE IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S LITERARY WORKS

Rakhimova Zarina Uktamovna

Authors

Rakhimova Zarina Uktamovna PhD student, Teacher of Foreign Languages and Social Sciences Department, Asia International University, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Keywords:

Youth psychology, Adolescence and identity formation, Emotional development, Trauma and resilience, Moral awakening, Guilt and repression, Psychological realism,Psychoanalytic literary criticism, Developmental psychology in literature, Eriksonian identity crisis, Jungian individuation, Freudian catharsis, Gender and psychological endurance.

Abstract

This study investigates the representation of youth psychology and emotional development in the novels of Khaled Hosseini. Recognized as one of the most influential contemporary writers, Hosseini skillfully combines literary artistry with profound psychological insight. His major works—The Kite Runner (2003), A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007), and And the Mountains Echoed (2013)—offer multifaceted portrayals of adolescence, identity formation, trauma, and resilience within contexts marked by war, displacement, and social oppression.

Drawing upon psychoanalytic and developmental theories proposed by Freud, Jung, Erikson, and Piaget, this research examines how Hosseini’s characters embody universal psychological conflicts such as guilt, repression, moral awakening, and the search for selfhood. Through qualitative literary analysis, the study demonstrates that Hosseini’s narratives integrate cultural authenticity with psychological realism. Consequently, his fiction transcends storytelling, functioning as a powerful medium for moral reflection, empathy, and psychological healing.

References

Hosseini, K. (2003). The Kite Runner. Riverhead Books.

Hosseini, K. (2007). A Thousand Splendid Suns. Riverhead Books.

Hosseini, K. (2013). And the Mountains Echoed. Riverhead Books.

Huang, A. (2019). "The Kite Runner: A Psychological Analysis of Amir's Redemption." Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, 1(1), 25-30. (Academic analysis of the novel's psychological themes).

Janoff-Bulman, R. (1992). Shattered Assumptions: Towards a New Psychology of Trauma. The Free Press. (A key psychological text on trauma, relevant to the experiences of Hosseini's characters).

Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and Crisis. W. W. Norton & Company. (The foundational text on adolescent identity development, a core theme in all of Hosseini's work).

Saikal, A. (2004). Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival. I.B. Tauris. (Provides essential historical context for the settings of Hosseini's novels).

Shafia, L. (2014). "The Concept of Betrayal and Redemption in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner." International Journal of English and Literature, 5(8), 192-195. (Scholarly article focusing on core themes).

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