Psychoanalysis is a method of analyzing the mind and helping emotional and mental disorders by inspecting the unconscious mind. According to Jacques Lacan, a psychiatrist, “human behavior is often something enigmatic, requiring concerted acts of investigation to discover root causes and multiple effects” (105). Holden Caufield in the novel The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, is a perplexed teenager living in the misery and agony of the past. From a psychoanalytic perspective, readers can understand Holden's behavior throughout the novel as a troubled teenager who tries to avoid growing up and demonstrates reckless actions such as alcohol consumption, immature relationships with women, not trying hard in school, and stupid thoughts of fantasy to face his life. Holden's childish actions show that he cannot deal with the responsibilities of life. The novel is written from first-person point of view to allow readers to observe Holden's perplexed mind. Author J.D. Salinger has similarly troubling behavior that occurred throughout his life that is seen in the character of Holden. Salinger begins the novel with Holden telling the reader, "If you really want to hear this, the first thing you probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how busy my parents were and all that ". before they caught me… but I don't want to go into it, if you want to know the truth” (Salinger 1). Holden presents to the audience Sigmund Freud's theory of the unconscious mind which contains the variety of ordinary awareness and which holds troubling or improper impulses, impulses, memories and ideas. According to Sigmund Freud, neurologist and psychiatrist, he interprets psychoanalytic literary criticism as "the person of the author... in the center of the paper... accepts and heals Allie's memories to begin living a normal lifestyle". . Likewise, Salinger must repair his mental state after witnessing and experiencing the torment of war. By examining Sigmund Freud and other theorists from a psychoanalytic perspective we can conclude why Holden behaves and thinks the way he does. According to several psychologists, Holden behaves this way because he experienced trauma early in his life that had a lasting effect on his growth. Holden must break through the past to recover and turn his life around. According to Rollo May, a psychologist who spoke wise words for understanding life, “suffering and sadness are not pathological issues to be 'solved,' he says; they are natural and essential parts of human life and are also important because they lead to psychological growth” (141).