The Conflict between Individual Desires and Social Expectations: A Psycho-realistic Reading of Ibsen’s Female Characters

The Criterion: An International Journal in English
ISSN: 0976-8165 | Impact Factor: 8.67 | Peer-Reviewed | Open Access
World Literature

The Conflict between Individual Desires and Social Expectations: A Psycho-realistic Reading of Ibsen’s Female Characters

Dr. Swarna
Vol. 17, Issue 1February 2026Pages 1010-1028Article ID: 2026V17N1019

Abstract

Henrik Ibsen, the father of Modern Drama, is regarded as a social reformer, critic and agitator for women’s rights who explored the inner pressure and conflicts of the individual in modern society through his works. The present study aims to interpret the author’s profound observations of his contemporary society and its effects on human psychology, particularly women’s psychology in his most famous plays: The Pillars of Society, A Doll’s House, Ghosts, Hedda Gabler. In other words, his plays delve into the complex interplay between individual desires and social expectations, portraying the psychological struggle faced by his female characters. with social conflict, dilemma of freedom and necessity, marriage problems, unwed motherhood and divorce, career and family, and freedom and fairness in expression of salvation, vicissitudes of human life, universal rights and suffrage of women in modern society. Social issues and women’s questions are the central points in his plays while portraying some powerful female characters: Lona, Nora, Mrs. Alving and Hedda Gabler in the model of New Woman. Thus, the portrayal of the character’s internal turmoil, their attempts to reconcile their own desires with societal demands, and the psychological consequences of this conflict made his plays controversial and shocked conservative critics and audiences.

Keywords

psychological realism, individual desires, social expectations, truth and freedom, self-realization

How to Cite

Dr. Swarna. “The Conflict between Individual Desires and Social Expectations: A Psycho-realistic Reading of Ibsen’s Female Characters.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 1, Feb. 2026, pp. 1010-1028. ISSN: 0976-8165.

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