Benefits of Relationships and The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Primary Faculty Mentor’s Name
Dr. Clay Morton
Proposal Track
Student
Session Format
Paper Presentation
Abstract
Inside the scope of high school walls is the desire and need for sincerely fulfilling relationships, an unending need beginning at infancy. In Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower the depth of relational needs is widely explored through diverse characters in their high school years. Chbosky’s characters are prime examples of the exponential benefits of positive relationships with genuine depth of sincere emotions. Adding credibility to humanity’s needs for healthy relationships are psychological theories from diverse aspects of the psychological field with numerous studies revealing correlations between a person’s well-being both emotionally and physically. Research also explores causational studies that add legitimacy to the benefit of fulfilled belongingness needs, the need to be a participant in close relationships with other people. As Chbosky creates numerous characters, he places each of them in a unique world where each person seeks self-awareness and recognition. Chbosky explores how relationships do positively affect people physically, mentally and socially. Such characters who are representative of these aspects of the book are Charlie, a freshman in high school, Sam, a young woman in her senior year, and her step-brother Patrick, also a senior in high school. Exploring the character Charlie and his relationships with his family and friends, Sam, Patrick and others, the positive benefits of fulfilled relationships and the negative effects exacerbated by the absence of fulfilling relationships is related to the world. With little to no scholarly work having been done on Perks of Being a Wallflower this paper strives to take into accord book reviews and to apply various psychological theories to prove the character's have needs for fulfilling relationships and that these needs are unfulfilled until further progression of the novel. One such theorist to be discussed is Maslow and his Hierarchy of Needs.
Keywords
Contemporary Literatue
Award Consideration
1
Location
Room 2908
Presentation Year
2015
Start Date
11-7-2015 9:00 AM
End Date
11-7-2015 10:00 AM
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Turner, Calabria, "Benefits of Relationships and The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (2015). Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (2014-2015). 80.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gurc/2015/2015/80
Benefits of Relationships and The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Room 2908
Inside the scope of high school walls is the desire and need for sincerely fulfilling relationships, an unending need beginning at infancy. In Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower the depth of relational needs is widely explored through diverse characters in their high school years. Chbosky’s characters are prime examples of the exponential benefits of positive relationships with genuine depth of sincere emotions. Adding credibility to humanity’s needs for healthy relationships are psychological theories from diverse aspects of the psychological field with numerous studies revealing correlations between a person’s well-being both emotionally and physically. Research also explores causational studies that add legitimacy to the benefit of fulfilled belongingness needs, the need to be a participant in close relationships with other people. As Chbosky creates numerous characters, he places each of them in a unique world where each person seeks self-awareness and recognition. Chbosky explores how relationships do positively affect people physically, mentally and socially. Such characters who are representative of these aspects of the book are Charlie, a freshman in high school, Sam, a young woman in her senior year, and her step-brother Patrick, also a senior in high school. Exploring the character Charlie and his relationships with his family and friends, Sam, Patrick and others, the positive benefits of fulfilled relationships and the negative effects exacerbated by the absence of fulfilling relationships is related to the world. With little to no scholarly work having been done on Perks of Being a Wallflower this paper strives to take into accord book reviews and to apply various psychological theories to prove the character's have needs for fulfilling relationships and that these needs are unfulfilled until further progression of the novel. One such theorist to be discussed is Maslow and his Hierarchy of Needs.
