Students’ name: Ounissi Houssam, Fathallah Abdallah, Boutera Ahmed Abbass, Yahia

Belgacem, Akram Garel Metred, Ben Moussa Aymen.

Title of the project: Psychological Dimensions of Heart of Darkness: An Exploration of

Characterization and The Human Psyche in Colonial Settings.

Introduction

1. The context:

Psychoanalysis is a groundbreaking theory that developed by Sigmund Freud in which explores

the unconscious mind and the influence of early childhood experiences on personality and
behavior. Freud believed that hidden conflicts and desires in the unconscious shape human
behavior (introduction-to-types-of-treatments, 2016). Psychoanalysis aims to bring these hidden
aspects into awareness through techniques such as free association and dream analysis.
Essentially, it offers profound insights into the complex interplay between unconscious forces
and individual personality, making it a pioneering exploration of the human psyche. While
Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory offers a comprehensive exploration of the unconscious
mind and its impact on human behavior, the literary works of Joseph Conrad, born in 1857,
provide a rich narrative that vividly reflects the complexities of the human psyche. Conrad, a
seasoned English novelist with a two-decade seafaring career, seamlessly integrates his profound
understanding of the human condition into his literary creations.

One of Conrad's most celebrated novellas, "Heart of Darkness," serves as a compelling example
of his exploration into the depths of the human psyche. The story unfolds through the eyes of
Charles Marlow, a sailor embarking on a challenging journey up the Congo River. As Marlow
navigates the river's depths, he confronts the darkness within himself and grapples with the
atrocities of colonial exploration (readfy.com, n.d.). Conrad's narrative raises poignant questions
about the very essence of civilization.

In drawing parallels between Freud's psychoanalytic insights and Conrad's literary exploration, a
fascinating interplay emerges. Both Freud and Conrad delve into the hidden recesses of the
human mind, exposing unconscious conflicts and desires that shape behavior. Conrad's narrative
acts as a vivid illustration of these psychoanalytic concepts, providing readers with a literary
journey that mirrors the profound psychological depths plumbed by Freud. Together, these
intellectual endeavors offer a nuanced understanding of the human psyche and the intricate
forces that mold our thoughts and actions.
Conrad's narrative vividly portrays colonization as the act of taking control of an area or country
that is not one's own, particularly using people from the colonizer's homeland sent to live there,
and as the establishment of colonies away from one's origin.

2. Statement of the problem:

Colonialism is defined as controlled by one power over a dependent area or people it occurs
when one nation subjugates another, conquering its population and exploiting it often while
forcing its own language and cultural values upon its people (nationalgeographic.com, 2023).
Colonial representation relies on political images which are contradicted by ideas of power and
domination over the other so colonial representation is a kind of colonial discourse which creates
a false ideology (crusoe). So, the problem of the statement of the topic is: this study explores
how colonial representation and discourses shape the human psyche of the characters inside
Joseph Conrad 's novel “heart of darkness”.

3. The rational / the significance of the study:

this research which is titled research proposal for the topic of psychological dimensions of
“heart of darkness”: an explanation of characterization and human psyche in colonial setting is
being conducted to support and reinforce the understanding of English students of literature and
civilization at the university of El-OUED about the impact of colonial perspectives in addition,
getting to the strategies used by western writers to impact the psychology of characters and the
setting as they want. This research project would contribute to the two theories which are:
psychoanalytical theory and postcolonial theory. In addition knowing how these two theories
work in the field of literary studies, this as well would help students of literature and civilization
of the university of EL-OUED in writing their thesis and literary analysis.

4. The aim / objectives:

a) The aim: this research project aims at discovering the perspective of English students of
literature and civilization at the university of EL-OUED about the relationship between
the effects of postcolonial narratives and the psychological statements of characters in
Joseph Conrad 's heart of darkness.
 Question: what are the perspectives of English students of literature and civilization
at the university of EL-OUED about the relationship between the effects of
postcolonial narratives and the psychological statement of characters in Joseph
Conrad 's novel “Heart of Darkness”?
b) The objectives:
 Assessing the perspectives and awareness of English students of literature and
civilization at the university of EL-OUED on the content of postcolonial narratives.
- what are the perspectives of English students of literature and civilization at the
university of EL-OUED about the content of postcolonial narratives?
  Evaluating the understanding of English students of literature and civilization at the
university of EL-OUED about the psychological statement of characters in the novel
“Heart of Darkness”.
- In what way, do English students of literature and civilization at the university of
EL-OUED understand the psychological statement of characters in the novel of heart of
darkness?
 Identifying the impact of colonial narratives on the psychology of characters in
“Heart of Darkness” according to the point of view of English students of literature
and civilization at the university of EL-OUED
- According to the point of view of English students of literature and civilization at the
university of EL-OUED what is the impact of colonial narratives on the psychology of
characters in heart of darkness?
5. The Research Question:

The research question for this study is generated by using the PCC framework, this framework
contains the three main elements which are: (problem, concepts, and context). The question is:
how does the portrayal of characters in postcolonial narratives reflect their realistic human
nature and psychological statement in Joseph Conard’s novel “Heart of Darkness”?

6. The hypothesis:

This study would provide a hypothesis to discover the outcomes of the relationship between the
effects of postcolonial narratives on the psychological statement of characters inside Joseph
Conrad 's novel. So, the hypothesis for this study is: the acts and language used in the colonial
narratives would impact negatively on the behaviors and the attitudes of characters in the
novel “Heart of Harkness” by Joseph Conrad

List of references:

(n.d.). Retrieved from readfy.com: https://www.readfy.com/en/ebooks/630508-heart-of-darkness-the-

original-1899-edition/

crusoe, R. (n.d.). Retrieved from core.ac.uk: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/61803058.pdf

introduction-to-types-of-treatments. (2016, March). Retrieved from lumenlearning.com:

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-fmcc-intropsych/chapter/introduction-to-types-of-
treatments/

nationalgeographic.com. (2023, 10 06).