In literature, psychological fiction is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration examines the reasons for the behaviors of the character, which propel the plot and explain the story. Psychological realism is achieved with deep explorations and explanations of the mental states of the character's inner person, usually through narrative modes such as stream of consciousness and flash back.
Early examples
The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki, written in 11th-century Japan, was considered by Jorge Luis Borges to be a psychological novel. In the west, the origins of the psychological novel can be traced as far back as Giovanni Boccaccio's 1344 Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta; that is before the term psychology was coined. The first rise of the psychological novel as a genre is said to have started with the sentimental novel of which Samuel Richardson's Pamela is a prime example. In French literature, Stendhal's The Red and the Black and Madame de La Fayette's The Princess of Cleves are considered early precursors of the psychological novel. The modern psychological novel originated, according to The Encyclopedia of the Novel, primarily in the works of Nobel laureateKnut Hamsun – in particular, Hunger, Mysteries, Pan and Victoria.
Notable examples
One of the greatest writers of the genre was Fyodor Dostoyevsky. His novels deal strongly with ideas, and characters who embody these ideas, how they play out in real world circumstances, and the value of them, most notably The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment. In the literature of the United States, Henry James, Patrick McGrath, Arthur Miller, and Edith Wharton are considered "major contributor to the practice of psychological realism."
Psychological horror - Psychological horror is a subgenre of the horror and psychological novel genres, which psychological, emotionally and mentally relies on the state of characters to generate horror. On occasions, it overlaps with the psychological thriller subgenre to enhance the story suspensefully.
Psychological drama - Psychological drama is a subgenre of the drama and psychological novel genres, which focuses upon the emotional, mental and psychological development of characters in a dramatic work.
Psychological science fiction - Psychological sci-fi films are dramas or thrillers occurring in a science fiction setting. Often the focus is on the character's inner struggle dealing with the political, technological forces or with any fatales. Inception, Donnie Darko, The End of Evangelion, and A Clockwork Orange are notable examples of this genre.
