Volume IV Special Issue V June 2024

Name of Author : Rughanyah. S, Dr. D. Nalina Palin

Title of the paper : Parental Decision-Making and Adolescent Autonomy: A Discourse Analysis of Jody Picoults My Sisters Keeper through Eriksons Psychosocial Development

Abstract: Popular culture is an emerging area of literature. It acts as a shared social structure. It corresponds with the principles and opinions of the majority of society. Young adult cancer fiction in popular culture often shows the transformative journey of characters as they try to handle the challenges of cancer and its treatment. My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult highlights various themes including cancer, relationships, law, survivorship and identity. The text emphasizes the idea of identity formation of the three adolescents who try to find a way through changes in self-perception and relationships during distress situations. This paper attempts to bring out the impact of parental decision-making on adolescents autonomy development during the stages of psychosocial growth using Erikson’s selective stages from the theory of psychosocial development. A discourse analysis of the text is done to bring out the challenges faced by adolescent characters while they handle family expectations, personal aspirations and medical dilemmas.

Keywords : Young Adult Fiction, Adolescent Autonomy, Psychosocial Development, Parental Decision-Making.

DOI :

Page Number : 177-182