Briony's Differentiation Of Self

The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce a different way of thinking about the great contemporary writer Ian McEwan's Atonement. The main focus is on the emotional process of human relationships, with a particular focus on the heroine Briony's successful actualization of self-differentiation. As Briony is a member of the Tallis family, the family systems theory provides an insight into her life.Ian McEwan is, in fact, more concerned with the characters' inner state. Atonement is appreciated by many literary critics, especially in its detailed and apt description of the development of Briony's inner world. The family systems theory is a theory of human behavior that views family as an emotional unit and uses systems thinking to describe the complex interactions in the unit. It is the nature of a family that its members are intensely and emotionally connected. In the light of the concept "self-differentiation" in Murray Bowen's family systems theory, this thesis first analyzes Briony's family of origin, and then analyzes how Briony develops into a poor differentiated person under this kind of family background, revealing the theory foundation for her thoughts and behaviors; Then based on the assumption that the level of'self', as established during childhood and adolescence, rarely changes except in the person who makes a structured and long-term effort to change it, the paper explains the tough road that Briony has to take in order to achieve the successful transformation of her self-differentiation.Then after a thorough discussion, the writer arrives at the conclusion: Briony achieved the successful transformation of her own self-differentiation. Briony was unable to balance her intellectual system and emotional system when she was young. Her poor self-differention was the main cause for her lies; with her maturity, Briony tried her best to balance her intellect and emotions, her high self-differentiation is the main basis of her atonement. Ian McEwan's Briony shows a well-differentiated adult can emerge from a poorly differentiated child through diligence and a desire for family connection.