Mohammad Amin Shirkhani - University of Sistan and Baluchestan

Paulo Coelho’s writings not only catalogued his own experiences, but alsoprovided one of the earliest examples of the psychological processes involvedin ego and memory storage. It demonstrates the self’s psychological use of theEgo, in a classical sense, to negotiate between emotional response and reality,in order to create meaning around a set of events. More specifically, the deathof his significant characters operates as a catalyst for the author’s journey ofself-discovery, which is richly tied to the psychoanalytical principles of Freudand Lacan, and which ultimately allows him to fully appreciate his experienceof loss, by supporting the wish fulfillment related to his relationship with hischaracters, and his need to understand the rejection he perceives suffering as achild. This highlights the difference between the inner child’s ego-centric ornarcissistic perception, and the adult’s ability to rationalize, especially as itrelates to memory and unfulfilled need.

existence, psychoanalysis, journey, memory, self-myth