The Individual and the Collective: A Depth Psychological Reading of The Fountainhead

Abstract

This hermeneutic study of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead attempts to understand the psychological issues associated with the novel. It makes a depth psychological reading of The Fountainhead’s three main characters: Peter Keating, who is swallowed by collective attitudes and expectations, Howard Roark, who exhibits a radical individualist heroism, and Dominique Francon, an anima figure who ties the characters together. The objective of the study is to understand how these characters exemplify the conflict between the individual and the collective. The dissertation addresses Rand’s personal life and conscious intention in writing this novel as well as several archetypal themes present in the text: virginity, rape, betrayal, projection, and the persona. The dissertation concludes that the tension between the collective and the individual is unavoidable and can give rise to either the best or worst in people. Contrary to Rand’s own point of view, the depth psychological perspective embraces the psychological necessity of this tension and questions both radical individualism and excessive collectivism.