Striving for Superiority in Zadie Smith’s White Teeth Novel: An Individual
Psychological Approach.
THESIS
Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of Requirement for S-
1 Degree in English Department
By:
NAAFI’ATUN NUR LATHIFAH
B0315064
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT FACULTY
OF CULTURAL SCIENCES
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MOTTO
“Verily, with hardship comes ease.”
The Holy Qur’an (94:5)
“There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life
may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is
hope.”
–Stephen Hawking
“Take it easy for a little while, you know you did everything good so far”
-Ardhito Pramono-
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DEDICATION
I dedicated this thesis to:
Myself
My beloved mother, father,
and sister
My thesis supervisor
English Department Family
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful
Alhamdulillah, all the praises and thanks to Allah S.W.T for His bountiful
blessing in giving me the strength, the ability, and the courage to complete this
thesis well. Without encouragement and guidance from many people, I as the
researcher would never have been able to finish this thesis well. Therefore, I intended
to express gratitude and appreciation to:
1. The Dean of Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Prof. Dr. Warto, M. Hum for
approving this thesis
2. The Head of English Department, Dr. Fitria Akhmerti Primasita, S.S., M.A.,
for her approval on this thesis.
3. My thesis supervisor, Dra. Rara Sugiarti, M.Tourism, for her endless
patience, guidance, and support in completing this thesis.
4. My academic supervisor, Drs. Agus Hari Wibowo, M.A., P.h.D., for his
assistance and advice during my study at Sebelas Maret University.
5. All of the English Department lecturers for their valuable knowledge and
experience during my study at Sebelas Maret University.
6. My beloved mother, father, and sister for their loves, supports, and endless
prayer for me to be better every day.
7. All of my friends from the English Department students 2016, especially
literature program for the great time
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8. All of my best friends, Dhiana, Sandra, Retno, Irma, Nandhika, Evi, Nisa,
Sufina, Intan, Azizah, Resa, Grace, Kelita, and Nur for the endless support
9. My boyfriend, Galih Aji Wicaksono for the endless support through my
thick and thin
Lastly, I realized as the researcher that this thesis has not been perfect,
therefore I would be glad to receive suggestions and criticism to improve
my ability in conducting future research. I hope this research will be useful
for whoever reads it.
Surakarta, 10 September 2020
Naafi’atun Nur Lathifah
B0315064
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover .......................................................................................................................... i
Thesis Approval of the Thesis Supervisor ................................................................. ii
Thesis Approval of the Board of Examiners ............................................................. iii
Statement of Academic Integrity.............................................................................. iv
Motto ..........................................................................................................................v
Dedication ................................................................................................................ vi
Acknowledgement................................................................................................... vii
Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... ix
Abstract .................................................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Research Background .....................................................................................1
B. Scope of the Study ..........................................................................................4
C. Research Questions .........................................................................................4
D. Research Objective .........................................................................................4
E. Research Benefits ...........................................................................................4
F. Research Organization ....................................................................................5
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
A. Previous Studies .............................................................................................6
B. Individual Psychology ....................................................................................9
1. Inferiority Feeling .............................................................................10
2. Inferiority Complex ..........................................................................12
3. Style of Life ......................................................................................15
4. Striving for Superiority .....................................................................16
5. Fictional Finalism .............................................................................18
C. Theoretical Approach
1. Psychological Approach ......................................................................24
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Research methodology ....................................................................................23
1. Type of Research ..............................................................................23
2. Data and Source of Data ...................................................................24
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3. Technique of Collecting Data ...........................................................24
4. Technique of Analyzing Data ...........................................................25
CHAPTER IV FINDING AND DISCUSSION
A. The Reasons Why Irie Strives for Superiority ..............................................29
1. Inferiority Feeling .............................................................................29
2. Inferiority Complex ..........................................................................32
3. Style of Life ......................................................................................36
4. Striving for Superiority .....................................................................37
5. Fictional Finalism .............................................................................39
B. The Ways Irie Strives for Superiority ...........................................................43
1. Inferiority Feeling .............................................................................43
2. Inferiority Complex ..........................................................................46
3. Style of Life ......................................................................................49
4. Striving for Superiority .....................................................................52
5. Fictional Finalism .............................................................................55
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
A. Conclusion ..................................................................................................56
B. Suggestion ..................................................................................................57
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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ABSTRACT
Naafi’atun Nur Lathifah. B0315064. 2020. Striving for Superiority in Zadie
Smith’s White Teeth Novel: An Individual Psychological Approach.Thesis:
English Department Program Faculty of Cultural Sciences Universitas Sebelas
Maret Surakarta.
This research studies the issues why and how the main character strives for
superiority. This study uses individual psychology theory by Alfred Adler to
analyze the issues portrayed in the novel. The researcher employs psychological
and structural approach. The researcher uses descriptive qualitative method in
analyzing the novel. The result of this research shows that the main character, Irie
Jones has an inferiority feeling of her Jamaican appearances. Because of her
Jamaican features, she often gets bullied and discriminated by her classmates. That
is why Irie Jones tries to change her appearances by dyeing and straightening her
hair. She also uses a corsetry to make her body look slimmer.
Keywords: superiority, inferiority, jamaican, individual, psychology.
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ABSTRAK
Naafi’atun Nur Lathifah. B0315064. 2020. Striving for Superiority in Zadie
Smith’s White Teeth Novel: An Individual Psychological Approach. Thesis:
English Department Program Faculty of Cultural Sciences Universitas Sebelas
Maret Surakarta.
Penelitian ini mempelajari masalah superioritas dan bagaimana karakter utama
memperjuangkan superioritasnya. Teori yang digunakan untuk menganalisis
permasalahan yang terdapat di novel dalam penelitian ini yaitu psikologi individual.
Peneliti menggunakan pendekatan psikologi dan pendekatan struktur. Dalam
menganalisis novel ini, peneliti menggunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif. Hasil
dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa Irie Jones memiliki perasaan inferioritas
karena penampilan Jamaika-nya. Dia sering mendapatkan rundungan dan
diskriminasi dari teman sekelasnya dikarenakan penampilan Jamaika-nya. Hal
inilah yang membuat Irie Jones mencoba merubah penampilannya dengan
meluruskan dan mewarnai rambutnya. Dia juga memakai korset untuk membuat
perutnya terlihat lebih ramping.
Kata kunci: superioritas, inferioritas, jamaika, individual, psikologi
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