Iranian Journal of Comparative Education, 2021, 4(4), 1479-1496

Research Article DOI: 10.22034/IJCE.2021.251165.1224 http://journal.cesir.ir

A Psychoanalytic Study of Two Iranian Novels Based on Albert

Bandura's Theory of Cognitive-social Learning

Farhad Hamedi1
Kamran Pashaei Fakhri2 (Corresponding author)
Parvaneh Adelzadeh3

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Received: 03 March 2020 Psychology and literature add to each other's richness through
Revised: 26 November 2020 interrelationships. Psychological theories help to understand
Accepted: 12 December 2021 literary characters, and the literature provides concrete examples to
Online: 25 November 2021 support the views of psychologists. Based on this thought, the aim of
the present study is to analyze the hermeneutics of two Iranian
novels “Showhar-e Ahoo Khanom" (Ahoo Khoum’s husband )
written by Mohammad Ali Afghani and " The Nocturnal Harmony of
Wood Orchestra" by Reza Ghasemi based on Albert Bandura's
theory of cognitive-social learning. The research method was a
comparative type of qualitative content analysis and method of data
collection was documentary. The research findings show that in
both novels, the three key presuppositions of Bandura's theory,
namely the interaction between people, environmental factors and
key characters of the stories, are quite visible. The atmosphere of
the stories also shows how observational learning is passed down
KEYWORDS
from generation to generation. Another important finding is that the
Cognitive-Social Learning both novelists have shown that cognitive-social learning is impaired
Content Analysis due to the conflict between tradition and modernism and has
Bandura confused the characters of the stories. From an educational
Modernism perspective, the present interpretation contributes to our
Observational Learning understanding of the role of social change and the conflict between
Tradition tradition and modernism in accelerating or disrupting the
observational learning of the younger generation.
.

1
Ph.D. Student, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad
University, Tabriz, Iran, Email: [email protected]
2
Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad
University, Tabriz, Iran, Email: [email protected]
3
Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad
University, Tabriz, Iran, Email: [email protected]
A Psychoanalytic Study of Two Iranian Novels ….

1. Introduction
Psychoanalytic critique of literary is an essential step in understanding the mindsets of
authors and the social and educational context in which they have lived. Psychological theories also
help to analyze literary characters - mostly real examples of which can be found in everyday life. It
is obvious that the authors of literary create their works mainly without considering the theories of
psychology. Of course, psychologists do not initially seek to find evidence in literary to present their
views. Nevertheless, the relationship between literature and psychology is based on mutual benefit
(Holland, 1990; Amir, 2016). As two separate scientific fields, literature and psychology also have
something in common. The literature - and especially the novel - shows how characters, behavioral
patterns, and the ways in which ordinary people learn and teach are formed (Akbari Soltan Baji,
Fallahi & Chaldareh, 2020). Novelists describe events and role of people with the help of words and
detailed descriptions. So far it seems that the novel is mainly a form of leisure entertainment.
Scientific thinkers- such as sociology and psychology- by analyzing and criticizing events and
characters, turn the novel into a scientific and contemplative work (Aras, 2015). In this way, the
novel takes precedence over other literary works. The analysis of events and characters makes the
novel a valuable work that can help explain the situation of society and people. Sociological and
psychological analysis of events and personalities allows us to better critique ourselves, friends,
strangers, and society as a whole.

Thus, two conclusions can be drawn about the causes of societal progress: First, the greater
the number of novels in a society means there are more writers who try to show people’s behaviors
and personality in a lovable and pleasant way; how they have learned positive and negative
thoughts and behaviors from the older generation and taught them to the younger generation;
thoughts and behaviors that have not changed for centuries and have caused the social and
educational challenges of society to be repeated over and over again. Second, the higher the
sociological and psychological analysis of literary works in a society, the more in-depth knowledge
about events and behavior of the people, and therefore the more opportunities for reform and
development of society. With regard to these two perceptions, we can use the index of development
of a society - instead of economic criteria - the abundance of literary works, especially novels
(Cooray, & Rao, 2012). Let us explore this further to understand the necessity of present research:

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Iranians have been and are very interested in poetry from all types of literary works. For this
reason, Iran has introduced great poets such as Ferdowsi, Hafez and Rumi to humanity (Solati,
2015). Why the Iranian people are more and more interested in poetry requires attention to
historical events as well as more research (Hoghogi, 2004). On the contrary, the novel should be
considered a literary tradition that has become popular among Iranians during the last two
centuries due to its contact with Western civilization (Mir Abedini, 1990). However, there is a
fundamental difference between poetry and the novel. While the poem is based on conciseness and
ambiguity, the novel benefits from detail (Kamshad, 2005). Therefore, although poetry, like the
novel, has the capability of sociological studies and psychoanalytic critique, the prevailing
conciseness of it has largely closed the hand of the analyst. On the contrary, in the novel, events and
characters are presented with descriptions of physical, psychological and social details, and there is
a more suitable space for accurate and unambiguous analysis. In this way, according to the
prevalence of production and reading of the novel and its critique, the degree of development of
societies can also be determined. This important point means that the more novels and their
readers in a society, the higher the level of development, the more people will be aware of events,
personalities and educational patterns, and the less likely they are to repeat bitter political, social
and behavioral-educational events.

With regard to this important point, it is now possible to provide both a brief analysis of why
the level of development in Iran and the need to conduct the present study. A review of the research
literature shows that during the last two centuries in Iran we have faced two phenomena: Firstly,
the number of novels published during this period has been increasing and secondly, the number of
readers of novels is not large compared to the population of Iran. Therefore, it can be said that in
the process of development, Iran’s society is still plagued by the repetition of historical events and
experiences. Reading, analyzing and interpreting the novel provide a good opportunity to prevent
the repetition of history and increases the speed of development in Iran. Accordingly, the aim of the
present researchers is the hermeneutical interpretation of the two Iranian novels “Showhar-e Ahoo
Khanom" and “The Nocturnal Harmony of Wood Orchestra" written by Mohammad Ali Afghani and
Reza Ghasemi based on Albert Bandura's theory of cognitive-social learning. The sub-objectives of
the research are:

• Identifying and explaining the content of the novel “Showhar-e Ahoo Khanom " based on
Bandura's theory

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• Identifying and explaining the content of the novel “The Nocturnal Harmony of Wood
Orchestra " based on Bandura's theory
• Identify and explain the similarities and differences between the two novels based on
Bandura's theory

According to this introduction, the next sections explain the following subjects: Research
background, brief introduction of Bandura theory, research method, results (including four steps of
brief introduction of authors, brief description of the content of each novel, matching the content of
each novel with Bandura theory and comparison of two novels) and conclusion.

A review of the research literature shows that both selected works of the present study have
been considered by many researchers and their dimensions have been criticized and analyzed in
various dimensions. Sadeghi (2004) in an article entitled "Simultaneity of Nocturnal Harmony of
Wood Orchestra with the Slaughterhouse No. 5 and the blind owl” has compared these three novels
in terms of structure and narrative, the relationship between name of novels and the introduction
of some characters. Kahdavi & Shirvani (2009) believe that Afghani has been more successful than
other Iranian author Simin Daneshvar in depicting the status of Iranian women and their morale
and existence. Hasanli & Joshaki (2010) by examining the narrator's role and narrative style in the
novel " The Nocturnal Harmony of Wood Orchestra " came to the conclusion that understanding the
story and characters of this novel is not possible without understanding the role of the narrator.
The findings of Horoush (2010) showed that Ghasemi's novel has all the features of a
postmodernist novel. Asgari Hassankloo & Bayat (2013) by examining the position of " Showhar-e
Ahoo Khanom " in Persian fiction literature believe that this novel for reasons such as realism of the
work and dealing with events and characters alive and familiar to the Iranian reader; time of
publish when other famous Iranian writers were not active; attention to the tragic fate of Iranian
women; and reflection and analysis of social issues was able to attract the readers of Persian novels.
Hashemi & Kahnemouipour (2013) examining the two themes of water and fire in the novel “The
Nocturnal Harmony of Wood Orchestra " found that water in this novel has two opposite roles of
mortality and procreation. Fire is also a sign of death, destruction and punishment. Nikobakht,
Gholam Hosseinzadeh, Roshanfekr & Tahoo (2013) examined the role of women in the Iranian
novel “Ahoo Khanum's husband” and the Egyptian novel “Bayn al-Qasrayn” (Najib Mahfouz). The
results of the research indicated that the main characters of the mentioned novels are women who

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are oppressed in a patriarchal society. These societies look down on women freedom, aspirations,
interests and desires and trample on women's rights.

Zahiri Nav & Ahadi (2013) found that the most important feature of the characters in
Ghasemi's novel is personality disorder and feelings of homesickness. Samati & Momeni Shahraki
(2014) with a comparative study of realism in the novel Ana Ahya (I Live) (1958) by Layla
Balabakki and "Ahokhanam’s Husband" by Mohammad Ali Afghani point to social themes and
attention to current events as common features of these two novels. Ghasemi & Jalali Pendari
(2015) examining the characters of Ahoo Khanum's husband novel, determined that all three
characters in the story have an extroverted personality. Khojasteh, Dehghanian & Fasaei (2016) in
their article “Ahokhanam’s Husband in the Plant of Poststructuralist Criticism" emphasize that this
novel is strongly influenced by democratic discourse and the ideal woman of the story lacks an
active and dynamic social aspect and therefore the dominant ideology of the novel absolutely does
not tolerate the aggression of social modernist forces. This ideology suppresses the wrongdoer and
shows him a sloppy character, an enchanter and finally an anti-social element. Also, Khojasteh &
Fasaei (2017) believed that this novel is known as one of the first feminist novels among Iranian
fiction, although in reality patriarchy dominates the novel and society.

This review of the research background shows that although both novels have been
analyzed and criticized from different angles, so far no research has been done that has examined
the characters of them from the perspective of Bandura learning theory. Bandura believes that
learning does not happen through direct training alone. According to him, the social system,
through encouragement and punishment, forces individuals to perform certain behaviors. This
theory is based on the idea that human learning takes place in a social environment. We through
the observation of others learn the usefulness, knowledge, rules, skills, strategies, beliefs, attitudes,
and patterns of behaviors (Bandura 1986, Kurt 2019). According to this theory, much of the
learning takes place through modeling and observing the consequences of the behavior of others. In
fact, contrary to the view of behaviorists such as Watson, who emphasized the role of
reinforcement and conditioning in the educational process, for Bandura, learning occurs based on
socio-cognitive status and conditions (Bandura 1999; Pajares & Urdan, 2006).

In this theory, Bandura assumes that a person's cognitive processes, environment, and behavior
interact, and that none of these three components can be considered in isolation from the other

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determinants of human behavior. He calls this tripartite interaction reciprocal force (Bandura
1989; Deaton 2015). Based on extensive research, Bandura concluded that most behaviors - good
and bad, normal and abnormal - are learned by imitating the behavior of others. Bandura considers
observational learning to consist of four main processes:

 Attention processes: The extent to which we are exposed to or pay attention to behavior. To
imitate a behavior, one must first pay attention to it because people observe many
behaviors on a daily basis, many of which are not noticeable.
 Retention processes: how quickly a behavior is recalled in our minds. Behavior may be
noticed but not always remembered, which clearly prevents imitation. Therefore, it is
important to form a memory of the behavior in the mind to be done later by the observer.
 Reproduction processes: The ability to perform the observed behavior. We see many
behaviors on a daily basis that we would like to be able to imitate, but this is not always
possible due to various reasons.
 Motivation processes: The desire to perform a behavior is based on possible rewards and
punishments. If perceived rewards outweigh perceived costs, behavior is more likely to be
imitated by the observer (Bandura 1986; Horsburgh, & Ippolito 2018)

According to the four stages, the content analysis of the two selected novels will be shown by
examining the behavior of the characters in each novel and the related words and sentences.

2. Research Method

The present research method is comparative using qualitative content analysis approach. The
research population included all the works of selected novelists and purposeful sampling method
was used based on the selection of only one novel from each author. Documentary method was
used to prepare the content of the research literature and hermeneutic content analysis method for
analyze the data. This analysis is a classical method in thematic analysis and a kind of retelling of
the text or speech under study to clarify the messages hidden in the original text (Dowling, 2004).
The present researchers have also used the text-centered approach to analyze and interpret the
hermeneutics of the content of the two selected works, given its compatibility with Bandura's
observational theory.

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3. Findings

In this first section, the biographies of two Iranian novelists - Ali Mohammad Afghani and Reza
Ghasemi - are presented. Then, the story and main characters of the two selected novels are briefly
described. In the third stage, the content of each novel is examined according to Bandura's theory
and short sections are quoted from the text of each novel. In the last stage, a comparison is made
between the two novels according to Bandura's theory.

First) Familiarity with authors

1. Ali Mohammad Afghani

Ali Mohammad Afghani (1925) was born in a poor family in Kermanshah, western Iran. He
finished high school in his hometown and then entered the military academy in Tehran. Shortly
afterwards, he received a scholarship from the United States, where he became acquainted with the
literature of nations and novel writing. When he returned to Iran in 1954, he was arrested and
imprisoned by military agents on charges of membership in the Communist Party. He wrote the
thousand-page novel “Showhar-e Ahoo Khanom” (Ahoo Khoum’s husband) in prison. This book
was the first real novel in Persian, which was published in 1961 and was immediately selected as
the "Best Novel of the Year" by the "Iran’s Book Association". At the same time, the famous Iranian
writer and translator, Najaf Daryabandari, who knew Afghani before his imprisonment, wrote in the
press: This is the story of the lives of ordinary people in our society. Afghani has created a deep
tragedy and scenes that remind works of Anwar de Balzac or Leon Tolstoy. Also because of the
great popularity of the novel, a film of the same name was made in 1968. After his release from
prison, Afghani wrote other books but none of them became as famous as “Showhar-e Ahoo
Khanom." Afghani immigrated to the United States after the 1979 Iran revolution and published his
biography in English there (Afghani, 2016).

2. Reza Ghasemi
Ghasemi (1949) is a writer, composer and theater director born in Isfahan. His first work
was the play "Eclipse", which he wrote at the age of 18 and staged at the University of Tehran two
years later. In 1976, the first prize of the National Iranian Television for the best play was awarded
to his other work. Since 1970, while studying at the Faculty of Fine Arts, he has been writing plays
and directing theater. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he wrote several books and then
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immigrated to France in 1986. Ghasemi wrote his most famous novel, “The Nocturnal Harmony of
Wood Orchestra”, in Paris and published it in 1996 in the United States. Ghasemi has also worked in
the field of Iranian music and has composed and played (Bahrami 2015).

Second) Brief description of the selected novels

1) Showhar-e Ahoo Khanom

Showhar-e Ahoo Khanom was first published with the author's investment in 1961. The story
takes place during the year 1934 in the city of Kermanshah, western Iran - where the author spent
his childhood. The three main characters of the story are a man named Seyed Miran Sarabi, the
head of the bakers' union, and his two wives. Miran, a middle-aged and a flattering man of political
regime, falls in love with "Ahoo” - a divorced woman with four children. The first and second
chapters of the novel deal with the life and past of Ahoo and its coexistence with Miran. In the third
chapter of the book, Miran allows Homa - a beautiful and at the same time lustful woman - to enter
his life and marries her. Many parts of the novel are spent arguing between these three. Syed Miran,
who is being held captive by Ahoo ’s female charmer, abuses her, beats her and curses her. Homa is
a woman who loves modern looks and forces Miran to change his traditional and businesslike
appearance. In this way, Homa becomes more attached to her desires day by day and takes her
husband with herself. Meanwhile, Miran's wealth is diminishing every day. Poverty destroys the
relationship between Homa and Miran. Miran drives Ahoo out of the house and she returns to her
native village. Miran and Homa decide to go on a long journey, but Ahoo, who is informed of this
incident, returns Miran home. Homa also leaves the city with a driver. Ahoo tries to reorganize its
broken life (Afghani, 2011).

2) The Nocturnal Harmony of Wood Orchestra

The novel, first published in the United States in 1996 and reprinted more than 15 times by
2018, is the story of a man named Yadollah who lives on the sixth floor of a building in France. A
self-proclaimed exile, he has lived in the apartment for a year with several of his compatriots and
immigrants from other countries. With the arrival of a person named “Prophet” (Messenger) who
considers himself an agent from God, the relative peace of the Floor Six and the narrator is lost and
they are subjected to events that eventually lead to the murder of the narrator by Prophet. The time
of the novel is completely non-linear and the way of narration is like a puzzle that parts of it are
solved as we move forward and a part of its vague and dreamy narrative becomes clear. Finally, the

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narrator - who is apparently dead - and throughout the novel speaks to the angels of the first night
of the tomb (whom the narrator sees as Faust of Murnau and an Indian over the Cuckoo's Nest),
dissolves into the body of the owner dog (Gabik) and a part of the novel is narrated from the
language and mind of that dog.

Third) Identification and explanation of content of selected novels based on Bandura theory

1) Showhar-e Ahoo Khanom

As mentioned earlier, according to Bandura's theory, the first necessary process for
observational learning to occur is attention. This stage shows how the characters in the story pay
attention to objects, things, behaviors, words and deeds in the first place. This attention is the first
step in reproducing all actions in the form of behavioral patterns that expose themselves in social
relationships.

"The smell of paint filled the space and those who dealt with shops and stores were very
careful not to rub the doors ..." (Afghani, 2011: 22)

Therefore, attention is a requirement for learning. Anything that disturbs human attention will
have a negative effect on observational learning.

"... Well, what did you say?" Tell me what I have to say, when I still do not know what
language to speak to him. They say that he is very naughty and bad-mouthed ...” (Ibid:
28)

If the whole phenomenon or aspect of the situation is new to the individual; it attracts her/his
attention more.

"During the few days of Ramadan, as was the custom every year, Sayyid Miran Sarabi
often went to the mosque in the afternoon. Behind the mullah, he prays in the mosque
and listens to the sermon of the Imam of the mosque with peace of mind and inner
freshness. He listened to hadiths and allegories and learned things ...” (Ibid: 33)

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The novelist shows that in the beginning, the character of the story went to the mosque as a
repetitive and habitual behavior, but little by little, he paid attention to the topics that were said by
the cleric of the mosque and learned things. Also, the process of observational learning is a
repetitive process that has existed since childhood. In the continuation of the first stage, the stage
of maintaining and remembering events and behaviors is formed. Many things that people observe
cannot affect them unless they remember what they saw. The observer, after paying attention to
the pattern or the observer remembers its actions and behavior - by symbolic encoding and
conversion into code.

"Homa was a fearful soul and in search of freedom" (Ibid: 103)

"She sincerely rolled up her sleeves to her armpits and washed the edges of her arms. By
doing so, she wanted to make it clear to Seyyed Miran that she wanted freedom in her
home" (Ibid: 368)

At this stage, the ability to store and maintain information plays an important role in the
learning process, although several factors can affect retention:

"... His judgment of the woman in the white veil did not go beyond a curious and
cautious curiosity. The beauty and tenderness of the face of this Angel-like customer,
for all its simplicity, had such a dazzling and superficial appearance ... "(Ibid: 35)

This sentence shows that the character of the story (baker) completely remembers the face of
the female customer and the memory of her physical movement is recorded in the mind of the
observer.

"... During the prayer in the mosque, his memory darkly and vaguely helped him to
remember that among the customers of the previous day, a woman of the same height
and size had bought from the bread shop. Little by little, he remembered ... "(Ibid: 35)

Often social learning is not instantaneous, so the ability to store the information learned is an
important part of the learning process. There are many factors that affect retention, but the ability
to extract this information and act accordingly is very important in learning observation.

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"If you had work to do tomorrow night, remember that you have disappointed the old
woman with me forever? ..." (Ibid: 67).

This emphasis is used to help recall previous events by different characters in the story. In
fact, it can be said that remembering memories or forgetting them causes a person to repeat
mistakes or avoid repeating them in future life situations. The third process in imitation is the issue
of motor reconstruction or production of behavior. For example, the child may pay attention to the
model (observed) and turn the results of his observations into code, but due to limitations in motor
skills, he will not be able to reconstruct the activities of the pattern. Paying attention to the actions
of the model and remembering it does not mean that one can imitate the observed actions exactly.
To do this, in addition to having the necessary abilities, you need practice and feedback. This is
especially true for complex behaviors. In practice, a person may not be able to use what he or she
has learned or may interpret the observed behavior in a cognitive framework and his or her
behavior may be somewhat different from what he or she observed. The observer's behavioral
response may also occur long after the pattern is observed. Stored cues act as role models to which
the observer compares his behavior and gradually corrects himself.

"... Unless we dream in those days that the miller in the baker's hand was softer than
wax! When they heard the name of the baker, their hair became straight "(Ibid: 26)

As soon as people pay attention to the model and store the information in their memory, it is
time to actually perform the behavior they have observed.

"... He began to weigh in on the offers he wanted to make to his strong partner in the new
contract. Before, he had talked about this once or twice with Yavar, who was a gentle and
moral man." (Same: 30)

When you pay attention to the model and store information, the next step is to do the learned
behavior. Subsequent exercises of the learned behavior lead to the improvement and increase of
skills in the individual.

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"... The woman turned her head to the other side, changed the hand with which she was
holding her chador with the same pleasant simplicity, and after a moment of hesitation
and pause, her lips moved in response" (Ibid: 31)

The fourth process of observational learning is motivation. Remembering and even having the
necessary power is not enough to imitate the pattern and motivation is essential. Without sufficient
encouragement and motivation, the learning process will not be realized as it should be. The
consequence of action, that is, the expectation of reinforcement and punishment, is effective in
imitation. Bandura, of course, does not see reinforcement as a necessary factor in learning, and says
that one's performance - not one's learning - depends on reinforcement or reward. Therefore, the
role of reinforcement in Bandura theory is different. He distinguishes between learning and
performance because people do not necessarily do everything they have learned. For observational
learning to be successful, one must have sufficient motivation to imitate the behavior being
modeled.

"Yes, Mr. Shoja, not only I have visited all the shops, but, as you are certainly aware, I
have invaded the gentlemen's houses in the middle of the night. To make a promise of
honor; somewhere I have made a commitment and in another place I have begged until I
have finally been able to satisfy them for the meeting of the twelfth day of Ramadan, that
is, this hour ... "(Ibid: 25)

The desire to do the behavior, the rewards, and the punishments that follow the behavior will
be considered by the observer. If perceived rewards outweigh perceived costs, the behavior is
more likely to be imitated by the observer.

“The day you was selected instead Qasim Khan as head of the bakers' union, my
happiness and that of many others was that we found at least one knowledgeable,
enterprising and, most importantly, disinterested person.(Ibid :27 )

The last step to successful observational learning is to motivate people to imitate behavior.
Internal and external reinforcements as well as punishment also play an important role in
motivating people.

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"... He did not have the patience to sit, to preach and to listen. At least he could reach the
mosque in ten minutes or a maximum of a quarter of an hour by placing the caliph of the
shop behind him, perform a prayer, and return to work with the purity of heaven,
ablution on the face, and the remembrance of God on the lips ... »( Ibid: 34)

2) The Nocturnal Harmony of Wood Orchestra

Observing the behavior of others not only teaches new behaviors, but also reinforces
previously learned behaviors that have not yet occurred due to lack of incentives or for other
reasons. When a behavior is observed and noticed, not only the behavior itself is learned, but also
various situations, objects, and contexts provide information that a person can use in later
situations.

"... His face resembled that of Gary Cooper. The only difference was in the hair, which,
unlike Gary Cooper's hair, was both long and a little messy. The crooked light that
illuminated the right half of his face gave him an eerie mood that involuntarily reminded
me of German expressionist cinema ... "(Ghasemi 2019: 11).

Attention to sound is also one of the features of Ghasemi's novel. The narrator's ear is full of
strange and startling noises: powerful sound of a cello, the sound of a saw, the ominous melody of a
number of Laughing doves, the sound of electric sandpaper, the loud sound of opera singers, the
tiny sound of glass marbles, the rustling of a ragged bed, and the sound of coughing. The observer
must pay close attention to the observer in order to obtain the information necessary to imitate his
behavior. In this case, usually several variables affect the attention processes, which can be noted as
attractiveness, reputation, and competencies of observed. Consider two examples in Ghasemi's
novel:

"... Let me reassure you, it was all advice; do not forbid all; nobody said what to do. One
of them said, "Do what you can ..." Finally, he did not say what to do. It so happened that
I learned nothing; including resisting ...” (Ibid: 12).
"... I was afraid. I realized a few things together in an instant: First, Faust of Murnau is
not alone and someone is holding him. Secondly, this close friend is not visible. Thirdly,
what is the meaning of "special issue" ... (Ibid: 13)

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In addition to model features - which are effective in attracting the learner's attention - the
learner's own characteristics also draw his attention to observational learning; Characteristics such
as perceptual and cognitive talent and readiness, level of arousal and acquired preferences.

"... This upholstery, which took place in an unusual direction, was a clear sign of the
calamity that was to come. But I was amazed at something else ... "(Ibid: 17)

Developing cognitive processes and perceptual skills requires that one be able to pay full
attention to the model in order to imitate behavior.

"... Sayyid was right in front of me. He listened with full interest and often made points
about the other party's speech that were a sign of his deep attention ... "(Ibid: 31)

"... Faust Morenau, ignoring my stupid laughter, looked at the office as if he had seen
something new in it ..." (Ibid: 34)

In the reminding phase, Ghasemi uses cognitive processes to encode or form mental images
and verbal descriptions of behavior. The narrator has three deadly diseases: Time lapse, self-
destruction and the mirror. In the first disease, he points out that he suffers from a kind of
forgetfulness and inability to remember things.

I had to wash my head several times while taking a shower, because I had time breaks
each time in the middle of work; because I do not know whether I finally washed my
head or not. Do not fast doubtfully and start working again.

In the third stage of observational learning, the behavior of the model (observant), which has
a high status, may be imitated.

"... However, like me, he had not yet reached an important position in his life. In this
respect, we had a strange resemblance ... "(Ibid: 32)

We learn more from the behavior of someone of the same sex than opposite sex. In addition,
we are more likely to be influenced by the behavioral patterns of peers.

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A Psychoanalytic Study of Two Iranian Novels ….

"... No, It's over for me. I realized this as soon as you appeared on the doorstep. What a
dizzying youth! It was as if I saw myself in the mirror of my fourteen years old. The eyes
were the same as the eyes ...” (Ibid: 41)

The last step in Bandura's theory for observational learning is sufficient motivation to imitate
model behavior. At this stage, encouragement and punishment play an important role. Just as
dealing with these stimuli can be very effective, observing the encouragement or punishment of
others is also effective.

"... I was bleeding profusely and I no longer needed external motivation to play my role, so
I quickly reached out to him ..." (Ibid: 39)

Fourth) Comparison of two novels

The first thing that can be said about both novels is the influence of the authors on the social
events of Iran. The atmosphere of the novel and the characters of Ahoo Khanam’s husband mostly
reflect the relationship between men and women in the first decades of the twentieth century in
Iran, where society was transitioning from traditional values to new values that were mainly
inspired by the West. Afghani in Ahoo Khanum’s husband shows how the relationship between
men and women, the rich and the poor, and the worker and the employer has been passed down
from generation to generation through traditional learning. For this transfer, all four stages of
Bandura's observational learning seem to have been fully observed. Learning that, of course, has
always happened without encountering any major obstacles with the introduction of Western
values, for the first time in the process of observational learning of Iranians is disrupted. Ghasemi's
novel also reflects the impact of social and political events in Iran - especially the victory of the
Islamic Revolution - on the process of observational learning in Iranian immigrants living far from
home in fear. The novel " The Nocturnal Harmony of Wood Orchestra " shows the process of
observational learning and its outputs are challenged - namely daily habits, moral principles, family
relationships, social etiquette, gender divisions, political thinking and many values that are native
to the individual and seem to be obvious. Immigrant people - whether in conflict or in harmony
with a foreign culture - are forced to reflect on the validity and effectiveness of their previous
behavioral imitation methods, values, and standards. Conflict with new heterogeneities and
conditions can lead to complex educational, social, and identity problems. In Ghasemi's novel,

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A Psychoanalytic Study of Two Iranian Novels ….

Iranian immigrants face exactly these crises (Khodaei, 2010). In this situation, they are not able to
resolve the psychological crises resulting from observational learning in migration, and they face
strange conflicts - with themselves and outside with society.

The second similarity between the two novels - as can be seen in the sentences above - is the
conflict between cultures and the disruption of the characters' observational learning process. In
both novels, the authors show how different characters collapse in the conflict between previous
learning and new patterns of behavior and education. This, of course, is still an unsolvable problem
in Iran society. Despite more than half a century between the events of the two novels, the conflict
between tradition and modernism has not yet been resolved in Iran. The third common
denominator of each period is a change in observational learning related to the educational
practices that govern sexual relations. In Ahoo Khanum’s husband, the main character of the story
is caught between two women: The first woman - who symbolizes the effects and charms of
traditional culture - and second woman - who follows modern behavioral patterns and does not
want to accept the ruling and condemned relationship between Iranian men and women. . In
Ghasemi's novel, too, the characters are caught up in various forms of legitimate and illegitimate
sexual relations. This sexual diversity also completely disrupts the traditional frameworks of past
observational learning. The main difference between the two novels is Afghani’s strong emphasis
on environmental cues (locations and native language) in the process of observational learning,
while Ghasemi emphasizes the role of sounds. Throughout the novel, Afghani acquaints readers
with places such as mosques, streets and alleys, gardens and springs, as well as local proverbs in
Kermanshah, so that events and happenings are constantly evoked by readers. On the contrary,
Ghasemi chooses the sixth floor of a dilapidated apartment in Paris to take advantage of the role of
different voices to pay attention, remind and motivate.

4. Conclusion

The novel provides a pleasant opportunity to examine abstract theories of psychology.

Believing in this mental presupposition, the aim of study was to show how two Iranian novelists -
by creating completely different novels with a time interval of about half a century - were able to
create scenes and characters to explain Albert's cognitive-social theory. Bandura's goal was to
prove that learning does not necessarily follow a linear- conditioned process. In his view,
individuals - as inclusive - have an interactive relationship with the social environment. This
interactive relationship is generally not very challenging for ordinary people in a culturally unit

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A Psychoanalytic Study of Two Iranian Novels ….

society. People have learned customs, traditions, behavioral patterns, and social relationships from
their parents for centuries. These learning occurred mainly through observation. The important
finding of the present study is that both authors have tried to reveal that a new challenge has been
created in the structure of Iranian cognitive-social learning process during the last hundred years.
Both novelists also highlighted that the characters in their novels are caught up in the conflict
between tradition and modernism.

Afghani tactfully portrays the conflict between tradition and modernity in the form of the
behavior of two women: One tends to tradition and returns from the city to village, and the other,
interested in new patterns of behavior, migrates from a small town to Tehran, a symbol of
modernity; while the man is caught between the choices of the two. Ghasemi also shows through
his protagonists that a complex cultural composition is gathered in one floor of a dilapidated
building: A highly religious person, an absurdist, and an unidentified and wandering figure. The
present researchers tried to prove how, First of all, literature and psychology show “what is the
educational and social challenge of Iranian society for observational learning”. Secondly, how,
despite the passage of more than half a century and the occurrence of great events such as
revolution, war and technological developments, still Iranians confused between tradition and
modernism have not been able to reconcile the two. All this indicates that the educational system of
Iran society - both within the family and in schools and universities - has failed to provide a
coherent pattern of behavior. Everyday events show that the Iran educational system has not been
successful in providing appropriate behavioral patterns between men and women, the poor and the
rich, and the State and nation. Therefore, a fundamental revision must be made in the process of
observational learning.

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