“There’s a Tear in My Beer”: Understanding Childhood Trauma and the Addiction Memoir
Document Type
Panel Presentation
Keywords
Psyche, Addiction, Childhood
Biography
I am a junior at Marshall University and grew up within the area.
Major
English
Advisor for this project
Professor Steele
Abstract
Abstract
“There’s a Tear in My Beer”: Understanding Childhood Trauma and the Addiction Memoir
My paper aims to explore Mary Karr’s psyche through her memoir Lit to take a closer look into how her dominant id was created and how the id was one cause of her alcohol addiction. I will first give a brief summary of the memoir for those who have not read it, as well as a brief introduction into Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis. Then, I will begin to look into Karr’s id and ego in her adulthood to show her id is dominating resulting in her acting more in favor towards the pleasure principle than the reality principle. Discussion about her childhood will follow to show how her childhood trauma hindered her id and ego. The conclusion ties together the importance of learning about addiction through memoirs as well as Karr’s influence on the discussion on addiction.
“There’s a Tear in My Beer”: Understanding Childhood Trauma and the Addiction Memoir
Abstract
“There’s a Tear in My Beer”: Understanding Childhood Trauma and the Addiction Memoir
My paper aims to explore Mary Karr’s psyche through her memoir Lit to take a closer look into how her dominant id was created and how the id was one cause of her alcohol addiction. I will first give a brief summary of the memoir for those who have not read it, as well as a brief introduction into Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis. Then, I will begin to look into Karr’s id and ego in her adulthood to show her id is dominating resulting in her acting more in favor towards the pleasure principle than the reality principle. Discussion about her childhood will follow to show how her childhood trauma hindered her id and ego. The conclusion ties together the importance of learning about addiction through memoirs as well as Karr’s influence on the discussion on addiction.
