Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Susanna Kaysen's "Girl, Interrupted". Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
6 pages in length. There exist myriad influences that can prompt a person into sidestepping what is considered to be normal behavior. Susanna Kaysen's "Girl, Interrupted" strives to answer the long-standing and elusive question: What is normal? When Kaysen was eighteen years old, even then at such a young age she realized that she did not respond to conventional social cues as set down by societal dictates. Her literary account relives her eighteen months worth of sometimes harrowing and other times enlightening experiences, all put forth for the sole purpose of opening eyes and minds to the reality of mental illness. The writer discusses Kaysen's account, as well as draws parallels with Tamara L. Roleff's "Mental Illness (Opposing Viewpoints)" and Gerald Grob's "The Mad Among Us : A History of the Care of America's Mentally Ill." Bibliography lists 8 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: LM1_TLCgirl.doc
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
is normal? When Kaysen was eighteen years old, even then at such a young age she realized that she did not respond to conventional social cues as set down
by societal dictates. Her literary account relives her eighteen months worth of sometimes harrowing and other times enlightening experiences, all put forth for the sole purpose of opening eyes
and minds to the reality of mental illness. For an adolescent such as Kaysen just beginning to develop a sense of herself and
her social significance at age eighteen, peer groups provided that measure of acceptance that every youth aspires to achieve. Indeed, it can readily be argued that this aspect of
social acceptance is even more crucial for mentally ill individuals. These formations of like-minded and similarly aged teens represent the onset of adulthood in that they help to establish
a pattern self-esteem and self-perception that will be carried on into adult years. Typically, however, their peers do not welcome mentally ill adolescents in the same manner as their
healthier counterparts, which is part of what Kayden experienced when she ultimately came to realize that she was unable - or unwilling - to assimilate into society.
Adolescence is considered one of the most crucial periods of socialization because of the very pressure it places upon youth. Through Kaydens personal account, the
reader gains a significantly better understanding of the fact that there exists a tremendous burden for teens to perform within their respective peer groups, whether that means to be cool,
smart, pretty or popular. For those like Kayden who do not fit these predetermined molds, being accepted by society can be a difficult maneuver, often creating ill will, jealousy,
...