Sychosocial study of Ian Mcewan’s unfamiliar child characters in nutshell and machines like me

Abstract EN

This paper discusses the unhealthy psychosocial development of child characters in Ian McEwan’s Nutshell (2016) and Machines like Me (2019) from Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development: “basic trust vs.

basic mistrust”, “identity vs.

role confusion” and “integrity vs.

despair”.

This study reveals that McEwan creates unfamiliar child characters who switch their identities and their roles from childhood to adulthood; like, the fetus in Nutshell, who fails to acquire the necessary basic trust and to be integrated in society.

Also, it demonstrates that McEwan creates child characters who switch from adulthood to childhood; like, Charlie in Machines like Me, who fails to identify himself as a child, or as an adult and to recognize his roles.

This paper specifically aims to show that these children are highly influenced by their domestic and social surroundings that play a role in whether constructing or destroying their psychosocial development.

By the same token, they are victims of their family and society that play a destructive role by aggravating and enduring the crises of their psychosocial development.

Consequently, the familial and the social experience of these children impact their psychosocial stages resulting in an unhealthy psychosocial development.