The personality structure of the characters of the drama "My Father Is Home" by Usmar Ismail: A Study of Literary Psychology

Abstract

Family conflict often reflects the complexity of human personality, as depicted in literary works. Usmar Ismail's play "My Father Returns" depicts the inner struggles of its characters in dealing with responsibilities and emotional relationships between family members. This study aims to describe the personality structures of the characters in the play through a literary psychology approach, utilizing Carl Gustav Jung's theory, and to analyze their relevance to Indonesian language learning in eleventh grade. The research method used was descriptive qualitative, using observation, note-taking, and interviews with teachers and students. The results indicate that the father represents the persona and shadow, the mother represents the self and animus, while the children depict ego conflict and emotional tension. These findings are relevant for strengthening literary literacy, character development, and students' critical thinking skills through the characters and moral values in the drama text. This research provides an academic contribution in developing Indonesian literary studies with psychological and educational dimensions to increase empathy and moral awareness of high school students.