This study delves into a psychoanalytic analysis of narcissism as a moral dilemma in George Bernard Shaw’s The Doctor’s Dilemma (1906). Based on psychoanalytic theory, the analysis explores the psychological foundation of narcissistic behaviour presented by characters in the play and its ethical effects. This study examines the application of psychoanalytic theory with literary analysis, focusing on characters in the play. It applies Freud's ideas of “id”, “ego”, and “superego” to George Bernard Shaw’s The Doctor's Dilemma. The paper demonstrates how Freudian, Jungian, and Lacanian ideas can be applied to understand characters' motivations and conflicts, and how psychoanalytic theory can provide insights into behaviour, impulses, and society. Challenges include the subjective nature of psychoanalysis and the complexity of characters and themes, such as the analysis of the main character’s behaviour, Sir Colenso Ridgeon, and using psychoanalytic conceptions such as the narcissistic personality, "ego" expansion, and moral development, in this aspect will lead to the struggles between personal desires and ethical considerations. It criticizes them for putting personal gain before patient care, discusses the need for nationalized healthcare, and critiques early 20th-century medical practices. As a result, the study evaluates the understanding of narcissism in psychoanalysis, including its influence on drive theory, ego-ideal function, self-esteem, and object relations through unconscious motivations, inner conflicts, and how a person's mind affects moral choices.
Mahmood Hasan Zghair (Sun,) studied this question.