Coping With Racism: An Analysis of Defence Mechanisms Employed by Lubinda in Dominic Mulaisho's The Tongue of the Dumb
Keywords:
Racism, defence mechanisms, coping, stress
Abstract
Sensitive as racism may be, it has continued to be a problematic reality, a thematic issue and a subject of scholarly discourse. Racism negatively impacts societies and individuals. Thus, the attention and need for relentless efforts in addressing, ameliorating, combating, eradicating and mitigating it. This paper concerns itself with representations and experiences of Racism in Dominic Mulaisho’s The Tongue of the Dumb. Using the Defence Mechanism Theory of Psychoanalysis, it investigates the defence mechanisms employed by a prominent character, Lubinda, to cope with racism. Further, the study explores the role and significance of defence mechanisms in coping with racism. The research was qualitative. Data was collected by textual analysis of the selected novel and analysed thematically. The findings of the study show that affiliation, humour, identification with the aggressor, sublimation, passive aggression and sublimation were utilised by the character. The usefulness and protectiveness of defence mechanisms is observable and it is rendered prudent to be acquainted with these mechanisms as stressful situations and unpleasant experiences are inevitable.References
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20. Hoffman, F. (1957). Freudianism and the literary mind. Louisiana: Louisiana University Press.
21. Jackson, L. (2000). Literature, psychoanalysis and the New Sciences of the Mind. Harlow: Pearson Education.
22. Mulaisho, D. (2007). The Tongue of The Dumb. New York: Maiden Publishers.
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25. Swaminath, G. (2006). Joke’s A Part: In Defence of Humour. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 48(3), 177-180.
26. Van Dijk, T. (1993). Elite Discourse and Racism. New Bury Park: Sage Publications.
27. Watts, R., & Carter, R. (1991). Psychological aspects of racism in organisations. Group and Organizational Studies, 16(1), 328-344.
28. Zambardo, P. (1995). A European Text. London: Harper Collins.
29. Zuckerman, M. (1990). Some Dubious Premises in Research and Theory on Racial Differences, American Psychologist, 45, 1297-1303.
2. Achebe, C. (1992). Things Fall Apart. New York: Knopf.
3. Aldefer, C. (1994). A White man’s perspective on the unconscious process within black white relations in the United States. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
4. Brenner, C. (1984). The Mind in Conflict. New York: International University Press.
5. Cherry, K. (2019). Understanding Passive Aggressive Behaviour. Verywell Mind. Retrieved on 19th December, 2019, from http://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-passive-aggressive-behavoir-22795481.
6. Chilala, C. H. K. (2017). Dorika’s Metamorphosis: The Allusive Potency of a Comic Character. In Joke-Performance in Africa: Mode, Media and Meaning (pp. 203-222). London: Routledge.
7. Chilala, C. H. K. (2016). Footprints of Caliban: Appropriation of English in Selected African Fictional Texts. Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, 39(2), 59-72.
8. Chilala, C. (2013). Through the Male Eyes: Gendered Styles in Contemporary Zambian Fiction. Leiden: Brill, pp. 91-108.
9. Clark, R., Anderson, N. B., & Williams, D. R. (1999). Racism as a stressor for African Americans. American Psychologist, 54(10), 127-136.
10. Cooper, H. (1998). The Happy Personality. A Meta-analysis of 137 personality traits and Subjective Well-being. Psychology Bulletin, 124(2), 197-229.
11. Corsini, R. J. (Ed.). (1994). Encyclopedia of Psychology (Vol. 1). Canada: John Wiley & Sons.
12. Cramer, P. (1987). The Development of Defence Mechanisms. Journal of Personality, 55, 597-614.
13. Fehr, S. S. (2000). GrupTerapisineGiris. Istanbul: SistenYayincilik.
14. Folkman, S. (2010). Stress, Coping and Hope. Psycho-Oncology, 19(9), 901-908.
15. Gokdag, R. (2015). Defence Mechanisms Used By University Students to cope with Stress. International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications, 6(2), 1-12.
16. Guerin, W. L. (2005). A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature (5th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
17. Hartman, H. (1960). Psychoanalysis as a Scientific Theory. In Psychoanalysis, Scientific method and Philosophy. New York: Grove Press Inc.
18. Hilgard, E. R. (1962). Introduction to Psychology (3rd ed.). New York: Harcourt, Brace.
19. Hjelle, L. A., & Ziegler, D. J. (1992). Personality theories: Basic assumptions, research and applications. New York: McGraw-Hill.
20. Hoffman, F. (1957). Freudianism and the literary mind. Louisiana: Louisiana University Press.
21. Jackson, L. (2000). Literature, psychoanalysis and the New Sciences of the Mind. Harlow: Pearson Education.
22. Mulaisho, D. (2007). The Tongue of The Dumb. New York: Maiden Publishers.
23. Plante, T. G. (2010). Contemporary Clinical Psychology (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley Publishers.
24. Ridely, C. (1995). Overcoming Unintentional Racism in Counseling and Therapy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
25. Swaminath, G. (2006). Joke’s A Part: In Defence of Humour. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 48(3), 177-180.
26. Van Dijk, T. (1993). Elite Discourse and Racism. New Bury Park: Sage Publications.
27. Watts, R., & Carter, R. (1991). Psychological aspects of racism in organisations. Group and Organizational Studies, 16(1), 328-344.
28. Zambardo, P. (1995). A European Text. London: Harper Collins.
29. Zuckerman, M. (1990). Some Dubious Premises in Research and Theory on Racial Differences, American Psychologist, 45, 1297-1303.
Published
2023-06-21
How to Cite
Mwansa, T. (2023) “Coping With Racism: An Analysis of Defence Mechanisms Employed by Lubinda in Dominic Mulaisho’s The Tongue of the Dumb”, Journal of Law and Social Sciences, 5(2), pp. 32-42. doi: https://doi.org/10.53974/unza.jlss.5.2.1012.
Section
Articles