A Psychology of Literature Study: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)
Keywords:
Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, Child Character Development, Scout Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper LeeAbstract
This study examines the development of a child character in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) using Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory. The research focuses on Scout Finch as both the main character and the narrator, aiming to analyze how the fulfillment and lack of fulfillment of human needs influence her psychological development, empathy, and moral awareness. The findings indicate that Scout's physiological needs are relatively well fulfilled through a stable family environment, while her needs for safety, love and belonging, and self-esteem experience various disruptions due to social conflict, the educational environment, racial prejudice, and injustice within Maycomb society. In addition, the study finds that Scout's interactions with other characters who possess different backgrounds of needs also shape her perspective toward others, thereby fostering the development of empathy and a more mature moral understanding. Through a child's perspective, Harper Lee conveys a critique of racism, social prejudice, and structural inequality, while simultaneously emphasizing that understanding human needs constitutes an essential foundation for building justice and humanity. Thus, this study affirms the relevance of Maslow's theory in analyzing the development of child characters in literary works and its role in revealing the relationship between human needs, social structures, and moral development.
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