"“What do you need me for? Salander's greatest fear, which was so huge and so black that it was of phobic proportions, was that people would laugh at her feelings. And all of a sudden all her carefully constructed self-confidence seemed to crumble” (p.464).
In the mid 1900's, developmental psychologist Erik Erikson created a theory consisting of eight stages that are vital towards healthy human development from birth to adulthood. Negative long term psychological issues and consequences can occur from the improper completion of each of these stages.
The fourth stage of Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development, Industry vs. Inferiority, is said to occur between the ages of six and eleven. Social interaction is very important during this time, primarily through schooling. Children gain a sense of pride in their abilities while performing tasks and their accomplishments.
During this time, children become capable of mastering new skills, and need encouragement from friends, teachers, and parents, or else they are said to doubt their abilities to be successful. Erikson pegs this stage as being the most important towards developing a healthy sense of self confidence.
Lisbeth Salander most likely did not properly complete this stage. She was moved around a lot, living with different people, and in different places, and experiencing traumatic events at a young age. Salander does a good job acting like she is confident in herself, but it's clear that she missed out on important stages in her development which have a permanent impact on how she views herself. As the quote I used at the beginning of the post says, "her carefully constructed self-confidence seemed to crumble," because it is actually not as strong as it seems to be, otherwise it wouldn't disperse in such a manner. She is ashamed of her feelings, and doesn't know how to deal with them because of her development.
The fourth stage of Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development, Industry vs. Inferiority, is said to occur between the ages of six and eleven. Social interaction is very important during this time, primarily through schooling. Children gain a sense of pride in their abilities while performing tasks and their accomplishments.
During this time, children become capable of mastering new skills, and need encouragement from friends, teachers, and parents, or else they are said to doubt their abilities to be successful. Erikson pegs this stage as being the most important towards developing a healthy sense of self confidence.
Lisbeth Salander most likely did not properly complete this stage. She was moved around a lot, living with different people, and in different places, and experiencing traumatic events at a young age. Salander does a good job acting like she is confident in herself, but it's clear that she missed out on important stages in her development which have a permanent impact on how she views herself. As the quote I used at the beginning of the post says, "her carefully constructed self-confidence seemed to crumble," because it is actually not as strong as it seems to be, otherwise it wouldn't disperse in such a manner. She is ashamed of her feelings, and doesn't know how to deal with them because of her development.