Maggie’s psycho-social crises revealed in Stephen Crane’s "Maggie: A girl of the street" : Psycho-social approach

In this study, the researcher concerns with the novel entitled Maggie: a girl of the street which is written by Stephen Crane. The analysis of this research paper is focused on the major character, “Maggie”, based on psychosocial approach. The researcher presents Maggies’ crises in the novella Maggie: A Girl Of The Street as subject. The problems of the study are: What kinds of psychosocial crises faced by Maggie? What are the external factors that influenced Maggies’ psychosocial crises according to the Erikson’s theory? The purpose of the study are: (1) to find out the psychosocial crises faced by Maggie in Stephen Cranes’ Maggie: A Girl Of The Street, (2) to find out the external factor that influenced Maggies’ psychosocial crises according to Erikson’s theory in Stephen Cranes’ Maggie: A Girl Of The Street. In doing this research, the writer uses psychosocial theory by Erik Hamburger Erikson. It is a theory which analyzes psychosocial crises related to social factors.

Maggie was encountered with three kinds of psychosocial crises, first: Identity versus Role-Confusing, Maggie apparently cannot find her role in her society as anyone else can do. Second, Intimacy versus Isolation, Maggie feels worthless and unneeded. She couldn’t get intimate with Pete. She got isolated with the things herself doing. Third, Generativist versus Stagnation, and again this stage was where Maggie faced stagnation on herself. The external factors that influence Maggie’s psychosocial crises are; in four kinds of external factors. First is family, Maggie’s family was just so disorganized. They cannot have the same perspective to help and build for each others achievements. Second is culture, third is child abuse, and fourth is alcoholism.