Paper Details

Name: Naresh Prasad Singh
Country: India

Year: 2026
Volume: Volume No: 13, Issue No: 1 (January-June)
Page Number: 105-109
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19730542

ABSTRACT
This study examines adolescent self-realization and psychological growth in selected works of J. D. Salinger, Stephen Chbosky, and John Green. It argues that these authors redefine the traditional coming-of-age narrative by foregrounding emotional vulnerability, trauma, grief, and ethical self-awareness rather than linear maturation or social integration. Through close textual analysis informed by developmental psychology and narrative identity theory, the study demonstrates that adolescent growth in these works is achieved through narrative selfarticulation, relational responsibility, and the acceptance of ambiguity. The study situates these texts within the evolving tradition of the Bildungsroman and contemporary young adult literature, concluding that self-realization emerges as a fragile, ongoing process rather than a
completed developmental endpoint.

Keywords: Young Adult Literature, Adolescence, Self-Realization, Psychological Growth,
Bildungsroman, Narrative Identity