When you feel constantly overwhelmed, it can feel all-consuming. When confronted with being overwhelmed, it can be difficult to think and act rationally, and even function in a normal way. When a person believes the stressors are far too great to manage, they become overwhelmed. Here are 9 psychology novels to read and calm yourself if you’re constantly feeling overwhelmed.
Invisible Man (1953) by Ralph Ellison
The nameless narrator recounting his horrific experiences with racism and discrimination offers up one of literature’s most effective, wrenching perspectives on marginalization. Being unfairly shoved to the margins of society for no reason other than skin color carries with it a unique facet of psychology to explore.
Fight Club (1996) by Chuck Palahniuk
Contemporary perceptions of masculinity and conspicuous consumerism receive a much-needed deconstruction and darkly comedic parody in this tense, deeply psychological read. From a sociological perspective, it also provides some incredible inquiry into the ironies and hypocrisies present in various subcultures.
Gravity’s Rainbow (1973) by Thomas Pynchon
At the center of this wild, quintessentially postmodern work lay an intention to entirely derail and challenge prevailing societal norms regarding pretty much everything one can imagine. The results will absolutely fascinate anyone interested in the psychology of rebellion and revolution, providing them with some scathingly tar-black comedy along the way.
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Middlesex (2002) by Jeffrey Eugenides
Anyone interested in the psychology of gender and gender identity should certainly pick up this emotional portrayal of an intersexed man coming to grips with his ambiguous biology. It’s a tragic, evocative and educational narrative that peers into how it feels to be an outsider when society holds ridiculously narrow definitions of “normal,” “attractive” and “acceptable.”
A Scanner Darkly (1977) by Philip K. Dick
Psychology students with a particular interest in studying drug addiction and the surrounding culture will find A Scanner Darkly an incredibly fascinating read. A lifetime of mental illness and self-medication went into its often agonizing narrative, which paints an incredibly depressive portrait of users and the people and institutions that prey on their habits.
Don Quixote (1605 and 1615) by Miguel de Cervantes (Bonus)
The famous tale of an older man completely obsessed with the concepts of chivalry and knighthood embarks on an epic, humorous quest for glory. His frequent delusions and dynamic relationship with neighbor and sidekick Sancho Panza make for both provocative and thoroughly entertaining reading.
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A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole
In spite of this Pulitzer winner’s epic hilarity and breakneck pace, John Kennedy Toole still included plenty of pathos and psychological insight with his beloved narrative. Iconic, grotesque protagonist Ignatius J. Reilly fascinates audiences for more than just his flatulence and defective pyloric valve? contrasting his intellectualism with horrendous laziness and motivation issues is only the beginning.
The Supermale (1902) by Alfred Jarry
This surrealist, unfortunately overlooked curiosity sports tinges of science fiction and uses psychology as a means to further exploring sociology. A man determined to test the boundaries of the human mind and body undertakes some bizarre challenges, questioning society’s phallocentrism and over-reliance on machinery along the way.
The Metamorphosis (1915) by Franz Kafka
One otherwise average morning, Gregor Samsa awakes and discovers he’s inexplicably turned into a giant insect, usually interpreted as a cockroach or a beetle of some sort. The emotional and physical torment he experiences at the mercy of his even more monstrous family raises plenty of provocative questions regarding psychology and mental illness.
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A Farewell to Arms (1929) by Ernest Hemingway
A semi-autobiographical romance nakedly contrasts with World War I in one of the American author’s most studied works. Here, he painstakingly details the self-destruction of a soldier trapped in a cursed love affair with nowhere to run but a massive, disconcertingly anonymous and violent conflict.
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