A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is, at the very least, an account of the psychological journeys of Stephen Dedalus as he he progresses from child to adult, uneducated rural boy to intellectual student, sinner to saint to artist. Stephen's level of devotion and intensity, whatever the object of these feelings, seems to increase after each transformation, culminating in his "desire to hold in my arms the beauty that has not yet come into the world" ( 273). William James, an early 20th century American psychologist, examined real-life experiences similar to Stephen Dedalus's conversions, religious transformations, and sainthood in his classic book on the psychology of religion, The Varieties of Religious Experience. James provides insight into Stephen's motivations, approaches, and actions using philosophy and psychology to analyze religion, particularly Christianity, and its effects on the human psyche. James's discussion of conversions is particularly interesting, especially in light of Stephen's rise from the depths of sin to the heights of fanatical asceticism, followed by his total embrace of art and beauty as the true object of his desire . A careful analysis of James's works will help determine whether Stephen's religious awakening was a true spiritual experience or simply a response to the pressures of his environment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay From an early age, Stephen Dedalus demonstrated a strong dedication to systems or externally imposed orders, whether whether by family, church or country. As he grows older, Stephen begins to shed these close social ties one at a time, undergoing a number of conversions that change the direction of his life, the most significant of which are his sudden transformation into a fanatically religious ascetic and his final transformation into a fanatically religious ascetic. Artist. Stephen's religious epiphany occurs after hearing a lecture on hell from Father Arnall at the university's retreat in honor of St. Francis Xavier. Realizing that his soul is “purifying in sin,” Stephen turns to God and cries “for the innocence he has lost” (150). After confessing each of his sins, Stephen finally feels the weight of guilt lifted from his shoulders and rededicates his life to God. He becomes a strict ascetic, denying himself any pleasure of the flesh or the spirit and praying constantly. However, after being invited to become a priest, Stephen discovers that his true purpose in life is Art and abandons his ascetic and religious lifestyle. William James sets out to study the extraordinary phenomenon of conversion, "whereby a self hitherto divided, and consciously evil, inferior and unhappy, becomes unified and consciously higher good and happy, in consequence of its firmer hold on religious realities" (Lesson Nine). He relates the studies of Professor Starbuck of Stanford, who undertook a statistical analysis to determine the causes of conversion. Starbuck concludes that "conversion is in essence a normal, incidental phenomenon of adolescence. to the passage from the small universe of the child to the larger intellectual and spiritual life of maturity” (Lesson Nine), adding that the normal age for such experiences ranges from fourteen to seventeen. incompleteness and imperfection is common in these conversions; sullenness, depression, morbid introspection, anxiety about the afterlife, etc.; ofProfessor Leuba, who focuses on the moral aspect of conversion rather than the theological aspect. Religion, states Leuba, is only a word which has come to denote "the conglomeration of desires and emotions springing from the feeling of sin and its liberation", that is to say, religion of 'a man has no effect on his spiritual conversions. He uses several cases of drunken conversions that were clearly not doctrinal, simply situations in which one absolutely needed and received God's help. This moment of salvation does not need to be linked to an institutional religion to be valid. So how do these theories provide insight into Stephen's conversions? His first conversion, to a devout Catholic, fits perfectly with Starbuck's theories. Stephen is 16 years old, between 14 and 17 years old. When he sinned, Stephen was aware of his wrongdoing. “He had sinned mortally not once but many times and he knew it, even though he faced eternal damnation for the first sin alone. , by each subsequent sin he multiplied his guilt and punishment” (110), showing a recognition of sin and doubt about the afterlife. “A cold, lucid indifference reigned in his soul” (110), as Stephen experiences periods of sullenness, depression, and morbid introspection. Starbuck notes that the results of every adolescent conversion are the same, happy relief and objectivity, and following his sudden conversion, Stephen exclaims, "Another life!" A life of grace, virtue and happiness!... the past was past” (158). Given that Stephen's conversion adheres almost exactly to Starbuck's earlier experiences, it seems natural that Starbuck's conclusion that conversion is a normal adolescent phenomenon that may or may not have long-term effects also applies to Stephen's situation, and this is supported by Stephen's subsequent behavior. Stephen's second conversion, from devout ascetic to passionate artist, occurs after he is offered a place in the order. Stephen has a vision of a "winged form flying above the waves" and realizes that his future depends not on the Church, but on his ability to create from within himself. This conversion follows Leuba's theories more closely than Starbuck's. Stephen's first conversion, to ascetic Catholicism, is almost entirely motivated by a sense of sin, corresponding to Leuba's "sense of ill-integrity." Leuba considers these types of conversions to be invalid, as they are motivated by a sense of doctrinaire and church control, while true conversions are free from such "doctrinal theology". Stephen's conversion to an artist is completely free of any influence from the Church, motivated only by his innermost feelings and desires. At the moment when he most needs God's guidance, he is overcome by a feeling of ecstasy that leads him towards his true destiny "to proudly create from the freedom and power of his soul, like the great artisan whose name he bore. » (184). Leuba states that a conversion “begins with the absolute need for higher help and ends with the feeling that he has helped us,” succinctly describing Stephen's experience. This conversion, unlike the previous one, is truly motivated by the spirit of Stephen. true feelings and desires. The final differences between the two conversions lie in their origin, or type. Following his writings on Starbuck and Leuba, James discusses the two different types of conversion: Volitional, in which the convert actively seeks to change, and Self. - abandonment, in which the change comes into effect within oneself. Although both types of conversion are valid,,.