Self-actualization in William Somerset Maugham's 'The Razor's Edge' and 'Of Human Bondage'

Master's Thesis from the year 2020 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: Excellent, , language: English, abstract: The main objective of this thesis is to examine William Somerset Maugham's 'The Razor's Edge' and 'Of Human Bondage' through Maslow's Theory of Psychology. It tackles the aspects of the Third Force Psychology and its positive sides. It focuses on illustrating the strong relation between literature and psychology because they are inseparable and interdependent. Moreover, it reveals the needs of the characters of the two novels through Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The study also illustrates that man desires and craves satisfying all of the basic needs in order to reach the highest level of self-actualization. Finally, it shows that there are some characteristics of self-actualized people that distinguish them from ordinary ones. It shows how self-actualized people are distinguished, successful and admired. Subsequently, it is interested in explaining how these qualities are applicable to the two protagonists.