Psychology of Belonging and Traumatised Soldiers in In-Yer-Face Theatre: Anthony Neilson’s Penetrator and Sarah Kane’s Blasted

Year 2021, Volume: 24 (2) Issue: 48, 516 - 536, 01.09.2021

Mustafa Bal , Çağan Fırtına

https://doi.org/10.18691/kulturveiletisim.894880

Abstract

The psychological concept of belonging (or belongingness) is a strong motive found in human nature. When not satisfied or is lost, it causes highly problematic behaviors and relationships, leading sufferers to try to satisfy their need to belong. This article studies how belongingness finds reflections in the isolated and traumatized soldier characters of the two significant plays, namely Penetrator (1993) by Anthony Neilson and Blasted (1995) by Sarah Kane, of the 1990s British drama, known also as the In-Yer-Face theatre. In order to achieve this, this article analyzes the soldier characters – Tadge from Penetrator and Soldier from Blasted – found in these plays by means of the theories and related studies on the concept of belonging such as those put forth by Roy Baumeister, Mark Leary, Abraham Maslow, Sigmund Freud, and Jacques Lacan. The study expands the analyses on the soldier characters of the plays by juxtaposing the theories on belonging and sense of belonging with the related studies on several other psychological concepts such as recognition, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and transference.

Keywords

belonging - belongingness, in-yer-face theatre, Anthony Neilson, Penetrator, Sarah Kane, Blasted

Yüze Vurumcu Tiyatroda Aidiyet Psikolojisi ve Psikolojik Travmalı Askerler: Anthony Neilson’ın Delici (Penetrator) ve Sarah Kane’in Harap (Blasted) Adlı Oyunları

Abstract

Psikolojik bir kavram olarak aidiyet insan doğasında bulunan güçlü bir güdüdür. Bu güdünün tatmin edilmeyişi veya yitirilişi, insanların davranışlarında ve ilişkilerinde son derece ciddi sorunlara sebep olmaktadır. Bu sorunu yaşayan kişiler aidiyet ihtiyaçlarını gidermeye gayret ederler. Buradan hareketle bu makale aidiyet ihtiyacı ve aidiyet duygusu kavramlarının, Yüze Vurumcu Tiyatro (In-Yer-Face theatre) olarak da adlandırılan 1990’lar Britanya tiyatrosunun iki önemli oyunu olan Anthony Neilson’ın Delici (Penetrator-1993) ve Sarah Kane’in Harap (Blasted-1995) adlı oyunlarında bulunan yalnızlaşmış, çevrelerinden soyutlanmış ve psikolojik travmalı asker karakterler ile olan ilişkisini incelemektedir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda bu makale Delici’deki Tadge karakteri ile Harap’taki Asker (Soldier) karakterini örneğin Roy Baumeister, Mark Leary, Abraham Maslow, Sigmund Freud ve Jacques Lacan tarafından ortaya konulmuş aidiyet kavramı ile ilişkili teoriler ve ilintili çalışmalar yardımıyla irdeler. Oyunların asker karakterleri ile aidiyet ihtiyacı ve aidiyet duygusu arasındaki bağlar, ilgili teorilerin, takdir edilme/onaylanma, travma sonrası stres bozukluğu ve aktarım gibi diğer psikoloji kavramları ile birlikte değerlendirilmesiyle çözümlenmektedir.

Keywords

aidiyet, yüze vurumcu tiyatro, Sarah Kane, Blasted, Anthony Neilson, Penetrator

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