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Emotional Detachment in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid ofVirginia Woolf: An Adlerian psychoanalysis

Tahany Riyadh Mattock Al-Saad (Iraqi Ministry of Education) FerdowsiUniversity of Mashhad. M.A Candidate.

Rajabali Askarzadeh Torghabeh*, (Corresponding author), Assistant Prof. Department of English Language and Literature, Ferdowsi University of

Mashhad,asgar@um.ac.ir

Azra Ghandeharion, Assistant Prof. Department of English Language andLiterature, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

Abstract

This article aims at examining emotional detachment in Edward Albee’s famous play; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. The study also explores the reasons for the characters' psychological distorted behaviors and attitudes, by the use of Alferd Adler’s Individual Psychology theory. Each individual is considered as a social human being, and personality is formed by his/her exclusive social settings and connections, not by human determinations to fulfill his/her biological desires. Psychological illnesses such as; social interest and inferiority feelings in the modern American community. Social Interest means appreciation and acceptance of the interconnectedness of all the individuals, while inferiority feelings is a deficiency of self-worth, an uncertainty and hesitation about oneself. This paper investigates the characters demands to get a high level of social interest due to their deep feelings of inferiority within the course of the play and explains the main reasons that led modern man to be detached from his fellow humans. The findings of the study show that adult's crises which he gets either by inheritance or by childhood's early experiences, led him finally to live in an emotionally detached state as a safeguard defense principle. Therefore, the way of understanding human beings is first through the family constellation. Then, it will be the prototype of his attitude. Albee wants to show modern man’s psychological crises through the family pattern in the play.

Key terms: Emotional detachment, Illusion, Social interest, Inferiority feeling, Reality, Edward Albee, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

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1. IntroductionThis paper focuses on the psychological reasons behind the emotional

detachment in Albee's Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?(1962). Many critics have studied Albee‟s play from a psychological perspective such as; Blum (1969) in his article: "A Psychoanalytic View of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" inwhich he emphases on the fantasy of adoption is the fundamental underlyingtheme, based on Freudian theory concerning the id, ego and super ego concepts. Eby (2007) in his article: "Fun and Games with George and Nick: Competitive Masculinity in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" focuses on the relationship between George and Nick, who represent two competing but interdependent models of heterosexual masculinity. Wasserman (1983) in; Edward Albee: An interview and essays illustrates that "in who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Albee adopted a different way of technique, through the title of this play, Albee exposes his creative technique of depicting his characters as complicated characters to make his play wonderful. Another important, in Albee, has the ability to insert Freudian perspectives like „Emotions are not controlled by the individual‟ and important biological needs" (p. 121). Yet, none of the critics have analyzed the play using Alfred Adler's (1870 – 1937) Individual Psychology theory. Adler (1933) talks about the individual psyche by the use of such concepts as tools to analyse the human‟s behaviour in the society. For instance, social interest refers to the vision of society and an essential potential to cooperate human with other people. In Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, in which the characters are ruined by infertility, for example; George‟s failure of becoming a prominent figure at the University. By inferiority feeling; Adler gives special situations and characteristics which concern to motivate the forces in the behaviour of human beings in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

This study will interpret and explain the nature of each character and the main reasons behind their behavior, troubles, and crises. Moreover, this studyexplains certain questions about the different attitudes of George, Martha, Nick,and Honey because it will study their psyche which makes them live in illusion, leading them toward the emotional detachment.

2- The Significance of the StudyThe significance of this study is to explore the emotional detachment

which the American individuals suffer after the Second World War especially during the 60s. This study also develops and extends our understanding of what illusion means in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the psychological reasons behind such illusion of modern individuals. Another significant point about this paper is the psychoanalysis study by Adler and his theory of Individual Psychology. This study applied Adler's concepts like social interest, inferiority feelings on the characters behaviors and attitudes within the course of the play.

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3. Review of Related LiteratureIn Modern psychoanalytic theory: According to Ansbacher and Ansbacher

(1956), Adler‟s individual psychology reacts differently to impressions from the outside. In general, those who are especially susceptible to suggestion and hypnosis are inclined to overestimate the opinions of others, that is, to have a lowopinion of the correctness of their own views” (p. 6)

The views of Adler's Psychology theory is described by Stein andEdwards (1998) as “deceptively simple and, typically, when there is apsychological disturbance and disorder present, then there are one of two things happening inside the person; exaggerated feelings of inferiority or insufficient feelings of community. Under these conditions, a person may experience or anticipate failure before a task that appears impossible and may become discouraged. When individuals are discouraged, they often resort to fictional means to relieve or mask rather than overcome their inferiority feelings” (p. 66)

Corey (2009), in his article; Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy states that; “there is much in this theory that I appreciate Adler‟sindividual theory and will likely incorporate into my own therapeutic conceptand practice. First, the holistic view of the individual, contending that people can only be understood as integrated and complete human beings” (p. 173). As well as, he explains that “I also appreciate the notion that behavior is purposeful and the emphasis on individual choice and responsibility. This concept individual theory that genetics and heredity are not as important as what we choose to dowith the abilities and limitations we possess” (p. 187)

In Edward Albee and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: Lewis (1964) explains that in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? “George and Martha engage in dangerous emotional games. George is an associate professor of history andMartha is the daughter of the president of the college. After they return home,Martha reveals she has invited a young married couple, whom she met at the party, for a drink. The guests arrive Nick, a biology professor (who Martha thinks teaches math), and his wife, Honey. As the four drink, Martha and George engage in scathing verbal abuse of each other in front of Nick and Honey. The younger couple is first embarrassed and later enmeshed. They stay. Martha taunts George aggressively, and he retaliates with his usual passive aggression. Martha tells an embarrassing story about how she humiliated him with a sucker-punch in front of her father. During the telling, George appears with a gun and fires at Martha, but an umbrella pops out. After this scare, Martha's taunts continue, and George reacts violently by breaking a bottle. Nick and Honey become increasingly unsettled and, at the end of the act, Honey runs to the bathroom to vomit, because she had too much to drink” (pp. 29-39)

Bigsby (2000) also regards Albee as “his distinguish technique of realism appears in The Zoo Story, in which Albee embodies in this play illusion, which is

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presented by Peter, who has everything associated to American optimism, and Jerry who presents the other side of a world in which everyone is “a permanent transient” (p. 164). By producing these two different worlds, the communication between human become difficult. Albee writs the entire duologue between Peter and Jerry based on inquisition-answer type (Jerry-Peter), or of confession (Jerry). “When his confession is completed, Jerry becomes ready to die. Thus, the play form indeed turns from realism to a semi-abstract metaphorical form” (p. 189). This opinion of Bigsby will used in chapter four, in emotional detachment ofAlbee‟s plays, because Albee reflects the image of children in a wide sense.Albee‟s adoptive family brought him a sense of emotional detachment, for this reason, his drama states the figure of the social detachment.

Bailey (2005) in his article about Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? writes that “it is characterized as a play of linguistic training, a teaching of language or at least a forging of a familiar language founded on a primary act of exclusion and followed by a beginning or movement towards inclusion” (p. 140) Bailey (2005) tries to figure out the core problem of illusion on the modern stage and psychological analysis to explore the nature of the characters‟ relationship through the marriage bond and through psychoanalysis. However, according to him “the marriage problem in the American community, something is sad, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an evaluation of morality in a narrative way; it is not marriage, but social detachment, which progressively ends up in a community of commonly shared selves” (p. 148) Bailey (2005) discusses psychologically a very important view on marriage bond in American society throughout Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

4. Psychological Theory as a Motivation toward Emotional DetachmentThe psychological problems are among the most important reasons which

can lead to the emotional detachment and affect the behavior of an individual. Psychologists like Freud and Adler have discussed that childhood and upbringing methods have a great influence on an individual's behavior during his/her futurelife. Who‟s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? are Albee‟s most noticeable and successfulplay and his first full-length play in which embodies emotional detachment. The play has written and staged in New York in 1962. Though the play failed to win the Pulitzer Prize, yet it received NY Drama Critics Award and a Tony Award, amongst the others (Bigsby, 1967, p. 16). Apparently, all the four characters of the play show disorder in their behavior and their personality through their uncertainty and inability to achieve their goals.

Psychoanalysis is the common feature that appears in most of Albee‟s plays in the 20th century. It is one of the main techniques that is used in Albee‟s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Roy (2011) states that Albee‟s psyche shows

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his ability of writing and he succeeds to portray his characters as a moralist who entrenched the vitality and feeling of purification which otherwise reinforce our self-destructive needs. Sasani (2015) has proposed different examples to explain this condition which eventually leads to the indefensible situation no one desires to be trapped in. Psychologically speaking, the suffering, pain, and isolation that is noticed in the general attitudes of the characters have influenced them in a remarkable way; for instance, George is a victim of some inner psychological conflicts due to his unstable childhood. As a result, Sasani (2015) calls this situation: "untenable", since the one who is tricked into it should select between "badness" and "madness", and whatever he chooses will be a failure for him. That's is why he may become confused and unable to solve this very problematical difficulty (p. 481). In fact, Adler (2002) attributes such disorder to the harsh childhood that a person might have experienced; the same is also true in the case of George and Martha. Thus, Adler attributed an individual's disordered behavior to his/her tough childhood and life events. Adler also confirmed that some parents are unable to resolve their children's problems, and this can lead to more critical issues in the child's personality and his future behavior. Adler, in his ideas, presents the notions such as social interest, inferiority feelings that I will explain below:5. Discussion and Results: Social Interest and Interconnectedness in Who’sAfraid of Virginia Woolf?

Social interest, is in no other words the human beings absolutelynecessity to each other because they cannot survive without each other. Thus, one of the most important principles of Adler's Individual Psychology is the issue of social interest in a sense that it is our active belonging to a group of people. George and Martha represent the spirit of an American modern society; their social crises is actually an imitation of their own society's crises, making them be lost in the modern life. Adler and Brett (1997) states that the issue of social interest can be clarified by the phrase 'me with you' as a paradox to 'me against you'. Occasionally, social interest seems like a behavioral code for doing good, and Adler himself styled it as an ideal image for the future of humanity, rather than something that is already being existed.

However, doing good deeds doesn't mean 'do-gooding'. Social interest is like an open-eyed co-operation or an innate ability that can be learned and developed. Even if it is a concept that is planned for the future, it is something which one can see in some features of his current life to a greater or lesser extent.

Stenz (1978) claims that ''Martha is a woman who lived at home and daydreamed about her future instead of creating it herself'' (p. 41). Through Martha's character, Albee has explained that a person's happiness is not related to his/her qualifications, social position, or wealth, but that happiness comes

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through facing reality and overcoming the problems encountered, not by escaping to a fantasy world.

As Stenz (1978) has also declared, ''truth is that the ultimate happiness of every human being does not rest in his social or academic rank or in his pay- envelope'' (p. 4). Martha's fear of Virginia represents her fear of the novelistVirginia Woolf's fate who was sterile; thus, she and her husband have decided tocreate an imaginary child to give a justification for the way they are living:

GEORGE. Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf Virginia Woolf Virginia WoolfMARTHA. I...am ... George...GEORGE. Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf...? MARTHA. I am ... George I am. ... (Albee, 1963, p.140)Because the human beings are naturally like a total system that cannot be

divided, this Adlerian point of view made Stein (2013) believe that a human isoriginally a part of some bigger totalities or systems just like family or society,all of the humanity, or even the whole planet and the universe. Consequently, as based on this context, all individuals should face three important tasks in their life which include job, love and sex, friendship, and the social challenges as well.

Therefore, understanding any human being first happens through the family constellation. Then, it will be the prototype of his views and attitudes. Stein explained what Adler meant by the concept of social interest by using the conditional (if) in the sense that if people developed their social interest at the prototype level (at childhood), they possibly found themselves appropriate to humanity in general and, as a result, able to collaborate with others.

People cherish their domestic life and undeniably agree to take both good and bad of life; moreover, they are able to identify the essential interdependence in different communications. In other words, the situation of any person eventually depends upon the others' situation. Again, this conditional (if) is not effective about the behavior and personality of the play's characters. In fact, it is totally the contrary because of their hard childhood.

At the same time, Nick and Honey play the same game. Honey connedNick into marriage by claiming that she was pregnant; she also rejected the idea of childbearing due to her fear of becoming old. Hence, Nick and Honey's lives are based on illusions, too. In spite of looking strong and forceful, Nick is impotent as we are later informed by Martha when she failed to achieve intercourse relationship with him. Honey, on the other hand, has been deceiving him by pretending pregnancy. As an absurdist, Albee believed that an illusionary life would be wrong:

NICK. I married her because she was pregnant.GEORGE. But you said ... didn‟t have any children…When I asked you,

you said…

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NICK. She wasn‟t… really. It was a hysterical pregnancy... She blew up, and then went down.

GEORGE. And while she was up, you married her. NICK. And then she went down.NICK. [very quietly] Thank you. What ... what happened to the boy ... the

boy who had shot his mother?GEORGE. I won‟t tell you.NICK. All right. (Albee, 1963, pp. 60-61)Stein (2013) clarified that every single human being is able to learn how

to continue living along with his society in a harmonious way. So, this vital perspective for the social connection should be intentionally enriched; as well, the social interest and feeling indicates the "social improvement" which is quite different from conformity and allows for the social development through the cultural struggle or rebellion.

This feeling is, in fact, a challenge to mankind and embedded in a great feeling of belonging and social progress. Albee, in the same sense, has performedthe broken social relationships within social groups such as family and friends'circles. Actually, they do not bother themselves with other peoples' problems. Rationally, there are some natural instincts in the human growth through the nature of his humanity, including the instinct towards emotions and achieving goals which happen unconsciously in many aspects such as the love that an individual has for his/her parents, family, relatives, and society.

Humankind is, originally, a social person and is never able to live alone. According to Adler, mankind, naturally, struggles to reach perfection; so, any person has to take the limitations which lead him to enhancement. Albee has reflected the fake perfection of the American society through a family in which all the members struggle continuously to get perfection and social improvement:

GEORGE. a race of scientists and mathematicians, each dedicated to and working for the greater glory of the super-civilization.

MARTHA. Goody.GEORGE. There will be certain ... loss of liberty, I imagine, as a result of

this experiment ... but diversity will no longer be the goal. Cultures and races willeventually vanish ... the ants "ill take over the world.

NICK. Are you finished?GEORGE. [ignoring him] And I, naturally, am rather opposed to all this.

History, which is my field ... history, of which I am one of the most famous bogs.... (Albee, 1963, p. 46)

Albee has portrayed a number of unhappy characters who are suffering due to their split and inconsistent backgrounds. In addition, the minimal properties of these characters provide valuable clues about their ambiguousidentities. Thus, the characters in this play have some identity problems like bad

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memories because of not knowing the reasons behind their actions; they are also hesitant of what they think or utter. Thus, in order to compensate for their lack of identities, these characters play roles to be included in a larger group; as a result, they lose their individuality. The uncertainty that they have about themselves is even intensified by the untrustworthiness of the other people who are shadowy and aggressive. Here, Albee has criticized the use of uncertainty as a substitution for a person's own identity:

HONEY. I've decided I don't remember anything. Hello, Dear.HONEY. I don't remember anything, and you don't remember anything,

either. Hello, Dear.GEORGE. You what?HONEY. You heard me, nothing. Hello, Dear.GEORGE. You do know that's your husband, there, don't you? HONEY. Well, I certainly know that.GEORGE. It's just some things you can't remember ... hunn?HONEY. Don't remember; not can't. Hello, Dear. (Albee, 1963, p. 124) Indeed, this feeling of community is not fully formed and so, the

characters retreat to keep their fragile exaggerated sense of the self and their social class, which Adler and Brett (1992) considered as an important task in anindividual life. Accordingly, during the 60s adoption was the only choice forinfertility, and Albee was very well familiar with such a subject as he was adopted himself. Likewise, unborn children were more probable to cause a psychological attendance within the lives of sterile and unwillingly sterile couples.

The sterile couples would finally agree to take or even embrace childlessness known as childfree; however, this state did not happen for George and Martha. At the time when the play was written, the dominant psychoanalytic theory would blame women for their infertility, threatening their social interest:

GEORGE. You don't know what's going on, do you? HONEY. I DON'T WANT ANYGEORGE. You don't know what's been going on around herewhile you been having your snoozette, do you.HONEY. NO! ... I DON'T WANT ANY ... I DON'T WANT

THEM.... GO 'WAY.... I DON'T WAN ... ANY ... CHILDREN.... I... don't ... want ... any.... children. I'm afraid! I don't want to be hurt... PLEASE!

GEORGE. I should have known. (Albee, 1963, p. 105)Still, those who fail to bear a child experience even more serious

psychological agonies. This issue may conciliate one's mental and physical health even more. Thus, couples who suffer from infertility and natural childlessnessneed help to find new connotations in their lives and in their close connections.

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Adler and Brett (1992) believes that individuals as an undividable whole organism are similarly a part of larger systems.

Individuals respond to the family constellation as the first social system and it may become the prototype of their world view and attitude towards life. That is why the prototype of the characters in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? isruined by their bad experiences of the past. Crandall and Putman (1980), statesthat according to Adler, the issue of the social interest protects people against the feelings of inferiority; it can also encourage better handling of the attitudes concerning the stressful situations. (p. 156)

Richardson and Manaster (2003) have proclaimed that ''the ideal of social interest is intended to inspire a way of life that counters such disconnectedness and helplessness with a sense of wider belonging and purpose'' (p. 124). That isto say; insufficient progress of the social interest within children and adolescentswill probably lead to emotional complications or the feeling of emotional detachment in adulthood. From Adler's point of view, all the Americans tend to think of the social concern as a subject of being friendly with others. While some individuals may express their social concern in this way, others use merely a type of behavior that is more suitable to further their ends. Adler supposed the social concern or feeling not in terms of a specific social behavior, but in terms of a much larger feeling of consideration for family relationships, community, society, humanity, and even for life so that they can be helpful through their social concern for others. Consequently, George, Martha, Nick, and Honey all suffer from numerous problems in making natural, simple, and verbal communications within the whole play:

NICK. I was going to say…why give it up until youhave toMARTHA. I couldn't agree with you more. I

couldn't agree with you more.GEORGE. Martha, your obscenity is more than …MARTHA. George, here, doesn't cotton much to

body talk… do you, sweetheart? George isn't too happy when we get to muscle. You know flat bellies, pectorals…

MARTHA. Paunchy over there isn't too happy when the conversation moves to muscle. How much do you weigh? (Albee, 1963, p. 38)

This conversation approves of what Adler had stated about the effects of the parent-child relationships as well as the family life on the development ofsocial interest; for example, Johnson and Nelson (2003, pp. 281-283) attributed the high levels of family cohesion and expressiveness to the high levels of socialinterest in young adults. Thus, those individuals living in more cooperative and compassionate families, and experiencing fewer problems are more probable tobenefit higher levels of social interest. Again, the family that Albee has meant to

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show is experiencing extreme conflicts; for example when Martha announced that she is mad:

MARTHA. All right, George. What do you want, George? GEORGE. An equal battle, baby; that's all.MARTHA. You'll get it! GEORGE. I want you mad.MARTHA. I‟m mad!GEORGE. Get madder!MARTHA. DON‟T WORRY ABOUT IT! (Albee, 1963, p. 123)It happens many times that George and Martha blame each other for being

unable to differentiate between the facts in their unrealistic lives in which the most crucial issue is related to a fictional child. All the characters of the play aresuffering from the problem of being captured in collusion; that is to say, therelationship between family affiliation and social interest suggests a better level of consistency and intimacy within the family members. The theory of Amerikaner and Thomas (1994) is very well true about Albee's depiction of an American family because its members feel unsafe whenever there isn't a suitable level of family consistency.

On the other hand, as stated by Johnson and Smith (2001), an extreme level of family cohesion can be awkward and difficult as well. Fusion is noticeable by the family members' trend to show distress through detachment in their relationships (pp. 265-268). Such an idea, also, confirmed by Bailey (2005) by stating that " in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? it is not marriage, but social detachment, which progressively ends up in a community of commonly shared selves” (p. 148)

6. Inferiority Feeling as an Allegory to Self-ActualizationAccording to Ansbacher and Ansbacher (1956) Adler's concept of

inferiority feeling represents the people struggle toward a "creative power of life, which expresses itself in the desire to develop, to strive, to achieve, and even tocompensate for defeats in one direction by striving for success in another. Thispower is teleological, it expresses itself in the striving after a goal, and, in this striving, every bodily and psychological movement is made to cooperate" (p. 92).

Children help human beings to improve a feeling of importance by decreasing their inferiority feelings which can motivate their bravery, make themdynamic, and help them to be regarded as a part of the whole. In other words, theimaginary child of the play seems to reflect the illusionary life of the characters which is essential to make life bearable for them.

George and Maratha have created an illusionary life for themselves through their imaginary son because they refuse to be alone with having a childwho lives with them. So, this imaginary child is somehow a representative of the

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problems that grown characters of the play have been surrounded by due to their inferiority feelings during their childhood. The same is also true about George and Martha who attempt to compensate their bad childhood through their imaginary child:

MARTHA. And I was young, and he was a healthy child, a red, bawling child, with slippery firm limbs.

GEORGE. ... Martha thinks she saw him at delivery....MARTHA. ... with slippery, firm limbs, and a full head of black, fine,

fine hair which, oh, later, later, became blond as the sun, our son.MARTHA. A child! [Quieter] A child. And I had my child.GEORGE. Our child. (Albee, 1963, p. 36)Stein (2013) recognized a difference between the major and minor

inferiority feelings. The major inferiority feelings provide a careful investigation of an individual's original childhood experiences of inadequacy against normal or overloading conditions. On the other hand, the minor inferiority feelings discuss an adult's experiences of inadequacy while comparing performance with a fictional final or ideal goal.

Although it seems absurd, a fictional goal is originally adopted by an individual to recompense a feeling of inferiority in his childhood and can, actually, cause an inferiority feeling in his/her adulthood. In fact, the attitudes of the play's all four characters represent both the major and the minor types of the inferiority feelings, since all of them have been facing troubles and difficulties in both their childhood and adulthood.

As a wife and husband, Martha and George have developed a relationship which is shrouded by illusion. They pretend to be a happy couple in public, but they have no passion for each other in their private life. In fact, they feel inferiorto each other and always fighting with each other. Similarly, if they start aconversation, they hurt each other savagely. Martha reveals her hidden feelings towards her husband when she calls him a cluck. She asks George to tell herwhat the film was about by using the words of “what a dump”:

MARTHA. What a dump. Hey, what is that from? „What a dump!‟GEORGE. How would I know what ...MARTHA. WHAT IS IT FROM, FOR CHRIST‟S SAKE? GEORGE. What‟s what from?MARTHA. I just told you; I just did it. „What a dump!‟ Hunh? What isthat from?GEORGE. I haven‟t the faintest idea what…MARTHA. Dumbbell! It‟s from some goddamn Bette Davis picture ...

some goddamn Warner Brothers epicGEORGE. I can‟t remember all the pictures that (Albee, 1963, p. 11)

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From an Adlerian perspective feeling of inferiority start in childhood. For example; Martha‟s mother died at an early age; hence, she lived as a teenager without a mother, and her father was so busy with his career that he could not give enough attention to his daughter during the early stages of life, leading her to distrust and fear the reality. Then, her father sent her to a boarding school which belonged to a monastery. It was after school that she married the gardener who worked for her father; however, she divorced because of her father's dissatisfaction with this marriage:

GEORGE. Well, I think that's very nice.NICK. Martha's got money because Martha's father second wife ... not

Martha's mother, but after Martha's mother died ... was a very old lady with warts who was very rich.

NICK. She was a witch.GEORGE. She was a good witch, and she married the white mouse...NICK... with the tiny red eyes ... and he must have

nibbled her warts, or something like that because she went up ina puff of smoke almost immediately…POUF! (Albee, 1963, p.69)

According to Lewis (1964) Martha spent a long period of her life just to preserve her social status as a college president's daughter. Then, she married a young professor in the history department of the same college. This man could not please or help her to achieve her ambitions, and she could not bear any child for him, leading to a kind of inappropriate behavior which was not at all suitable for Martha as the daughter of a renowned college president.

Accordingly, Ansbacher and Ansbacher (1956) have stated that if a woman is mistreated by her own father within her babyhood, she is more likely to reject and belittle all men by treating them as some terrible beings. In fact, she can never be involved in a fruitful love connection, and may feel lonely as well; yet, she feels ethically superior and even aggressive towards the men who have been for sure chastised by her denial. In fact, this kind of woman punishes all men as a result of her father's iniquities rather than getting over her fears or refining her capability to love a single man. In an extreme level, this feeling of inferiority may even lead to a huge psychotic illusion of being "God":

NICK. Sad.MARTHA. … whom I will not forgive for having come to rest; for

having seen me and having said: yes; this will do; who has made the hideous, thehurting, the insulting mistake of loving me and must be punished for it. Georgeand Martha sad, sad, sad.

NICK. Sad.

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MARTHA. …who tolerates, which is intolerable; who is kind, which iscruel; who understands, which is beyond comprehension...

NICK. George and Martha: sad, sad, sad. (Albee, 1963, p. 113).Stenz (1978) has explained that “every member of a university or college

faculty knows this woman as assertive rowdy, and rough-talking” (p. 39). Martha has treated her husband in a humiliating way for more than twenty-three years: “You didn‟t do anything; you never do anything; you never mix. You just sitaround and talk” (Stenz, 1978, p. 7); moreover, she is addicted to alcohol.

All this makes her life meaningless. Martha's life has been burdened by the numerous problems of her life, and instead of facing these problems to resolve them, she lives in a fantasy world. Yet, she escapes the complications of life through a type of childish behavior and adultery symptoms such as nervousness, worries, and uselessness. In this way, individuals like Martha can use the mentioned points in order to shield themselves from probable or real disappointments.

Of course, Adler and Brett (1992) has asserted that such people may have a good function merely in some of the life's problems and may have difficulty regarding the problems related to work, community, or love; but, what is observed in the play proves that the characters are facing most of these problems; furthermore, characters like George are unable to be successful at work or their romantic relationships. And this has happened not only for George but also for all the other characters. These individuals all prove what Adler and Brett (1992) has called "safeguarding devices".

The illusionary child that we see in Albee's play is one of these safeguarding devices in case of George and Martha. Adler and Brett (1992) has also talked about people's ability to use "safeguarding devices" as a way todefend themselves against their sense of dissatisfaction (p. 18). Through thecourse of the play, these "safeguarding devices" are everywhere and used by the all the four characters. These devices include symptoms such as devaluation, allegations, self-charges, and guilt. Generally, "safeguarding devices" are completely unconscious; besides, they result in serious discomfort for those who caused them.

Not only George and Martha used these safeguarding devices, it is observed that when Honey gets sick as the reality of her fake pregnancy is revealed by her husband. The fake pregnancy work as a safe guard technique in order to cover a feeling of lack or insufficiency. Conversely, the protection and elevation of the feeling of the self are dominant for them, and they may bother themselves or others instead of exposing their hidden extravagant feelings of inferiority as another kind of safe guarding technique; that is why quarreling and insulting are everywhere in the play. When Honey and Nick arrive, Martha and

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George as the older private family start to quarrel in public by Martha callingGeorge amuck-mouth (Albee, 1963, p. 20) in front of their guests.

Moreover, as the night advances, both the couples are embroiled in fun and competitions. When Nick and Honey arrive at Martha's and George's home, Martha simply shows Honey the house. Then, George reads Martha‟s mind andis troubled by what she is going to tell Honey. He guesses that Martha is going tobreak the rule of their game by revealing their secret to Honey:

MARTHA. Honestly, George, you burn me up! GEORGE. All right.MARTHA. You really do, George.GEORGE. O.K Martha … O.K. just … along.MARTHA. You really do.GEORGE. Just don‟t shoot your mouth off...about you-mow-whatMARTHA. I will talk about any goddam thing I want to, George! GEORGE. OK. OK.MARTHA. Any goddamn thing I want to! (Albee, 1963, p. 126)However, in Albee's play, emotional detachment could be noticed

throughout the bad social relations that exist between the two couples. Likewise, George indicates that his role as a college president's son-in-law has destroyedthe emotional part of his masculinity. In fact, he believes that his current positionis due to Martha‟s father, not due to his own skills or his social position. So, this is regarded as the main reason for the coldness and emotional detachment of the older couple:

GEORGE. So? What will it be?NICK. Oh, I do not know ... I will stick to bourbon, I guess. GEORGE. That what you were drinking over at Parnassus? NICK. Over at...?GEORGE. Parnassus.NICK. I do not understand...GEORGE. Skip it. One bourbon. (Albee, 1963, p. 126)Psychologically speaking, the suffering, pain, and isolation that is noticed

in the general attitudes of the characters have influenced them in a remarkableway; for instance, George is a victim of some inner psychological conflicts due to his unstable childhood. This is distinguished through what he tells Nick abouthis adolescence and how he killed his parents. He is also suffering from agony and guilt because he considers himself responsible for his parents‟ death.

He is ashamed of himself but unable to confess his secret to any person;that is why he wrote his novel in order to confess his feelings of guilt to himself and others as well. However, Martha embarrasses him by talking about this secret in front of their guests after getting drunken. The two couples got marriedfor some other reasons rather than attraction and love. George and Martha

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disgrace and hate each other and are also unable to accept love from others sincerely.

They fail to get over the flaws of their past; that is why they create an imaginary child as a way of achieving redemption. This issue reflects their hidden desire to get rid of their feelings of inferiority and bad memories ofbecoming good parents. However, their illusive son represents a particular kindof social crisis and inferiors, leading for George and Martha need to create their child in order to be somehow united:

GEORGE. You see. I told you. MARTHA. It was an easy birth...GEORGE. Oh, Martha…no. You labored, how you labored.MARTHA. It was an easy birth… once it had been accepted, relaxed into.GEORGE. Ah ... yes. Better.MARTHA. It was an easy birth, once it had been accepted, and I was young. (Albee, 1963, p. 36)Gassner (1963) has his own opinion about this illusive son. He states that

the imaginary child is in fact used to comfort the characters within theiremotional detached life. Thus, the child is created out of a need to compensate their inferiority feelings, and comfort the unfertile loneliness of these twocharacters. Yet, these characters are absolutely conscious that the child isnothing, but a fictional one. They pretend to be happy families in the presence of other people.7. Conclusion

According to what has been discussed further, Albee has consciouslydepicted the psychological circumstances of his characters in his play. All these circumstances work together to produce the characters' emotional detachment regarding each other and the society in which they live. Likewise, Albee has portrayed that the American society's progress in this direction will lead to the failure of the individuals to face reality, resulting in their choice of living in an imaginary world; this is what George and Martha do. They have been living for twenty-three years under the illusion of an imaginary child since they are not able to face reality. This issue has had negative effects on their mental status. In fact, this is the contemporary theme of Albee's plays to show how the modern man is helpless in his facing the reality, being left aimless and in disbelief without any sense of dignity.

Albee was exercising his ability for unpleasant criticism. However, Who'sAfraid of Virginia Woolf? attacks the false hopefulness and myopic assurance of modern society, it does eventually assert the presence of other values. It confirms the option of choice and the reality of freedom. So it, also, re-forms the option of dignity. As a final remark on the play; the characters psychological crises represents the American individual bad states during the 60s in which adoption

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was the only choice. They come to be dependent on illusion and emotionally detached from each other, that analyses the variation between dishonesty and reality.

8. ReferencesAdler, A. (1933). Advantages and disadvantages of the inferiority feeling. In H. L.

Ansbacher (Eds.), Superiority and social interest. Evanston, IL: NorthwesternUniversity Press, 1970.

Adler, A. (2002). The collected clinical works of Alfred Adler. Bellingham: ClassicalAdlerian Translation Project.

Adler, A., & Brett, C. (1992). What life could mean to you. London: OneworldPublications.

Adler, A., & Brett, C. (1997). Understanding life: An introduction to the psychology.Oxford, England: Oneworld.

Amerikaner, M., Monks, G., Wolfe, P., & Thomas, S. (1994). Family interaction and individual psychological health. Journal of Counseling and Development, 72 (6),614-620. DOI: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.1994.tb01691.x

Ansbacher, H. L., & Ansbacher, R. (1956). The individual psychology of Alfred Adler: a systematic presentation in selections from his writings. New York: Harper Perennial.

Albee, E. (1963). Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: A play. New York: Atheneum. Bailey, L. M. S. (2005). Absurdly American: Rediscovering the representation of

violence in The Zoo Story. In B. Mann (Ed.), Edward Albee: A casebook (pp.33-50). New York & London: Routledge

Bigsby, C. W. E. (1967). Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee's Morality Play. Journal of American Studies, 1(2), 257-268. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27552789

Bigsby, C. W. E. (2000). Modern American drama, 1945-2000. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press.

Blum, H. P. (1969). A psychoanalytic view of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 17(3), 888-903. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/000306516901700311

Crandall, J. E., & Putman, E. (1980). Relations between measures of social interest and psychological well-being. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 36(2), 156-168.

Eby, C. V. (2007). Fun and Games with George and Nick: Competitive masculinity inWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Modern Drama, 50(4), 601-619. DOI:10.3138/md.50.4.601

Gassner, J. (1963).Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? on Lp. In B. L. Horn, Edward Albee: A research and production sourcebook (pp.39-40). London: Praeger Publisher.

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Johnson, P., Smith, A. J., & Nelson, M. D. (2003). Predictors of social interest in young adults. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 59(3), 281-292. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.

Johnson, P., Thorngren, J., & Smith, A. (2001). Parental divorce and family functioning: Effects on differentiation levels of young adults. The Family Journal, 9(3), 265-272.

Lewis, A. (1964). The fun and games of Edward Albee. Educational Theatre Journal.The Johns Hopkins University Press 17(3), 29-39. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3204375

Richardson, F. C., & Manaster, G., J. (2003). Social interest, emotional well-being, andthe quest for civil society. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 59(2), 123-135.

Roy, E. (2011) "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And the Tradition." Bucknell, Review13(1), 27-36.

Sasani, S. (2015). Oscillating between madness and badness: The untenable situation in a streetcar named desire. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 6(1), 481-489. Doi:10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n1s1p481

Slotkin, R. (1973). Regeneration through violence: The mythology of the American frontier, 1600-1860. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.

Stein, H. T. (2013). Classical Adlerian Depth Psychotherapy. Theory & practice: A Socratic approach to democratic living. Retrieved from http:// www.adlerian.us.

Stein, H.T., & Edwards, M.E. (1998). Classical Adlerian theory and practice. In P.Marcus (Ed.), Psychoanalytic versions of the human condition. New York: NewYork University Press.

Stenz, A. (1978). Edward Albee: The poet of loss. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. Wasserman, J. N. (1983). Edward Albee: An interview and essays. Houston, Tex:

University of St. Thomas. Retrieved from http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/44949313

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