Freud’s original theoretical constructs regarding psychic trauma are useful and durable in explaining

how the effects of colonization on a brown Pakistani individual are likely to generate traumatic
experiences in his unconscious. However, this psychoanalytic framework of apolitical realm of family, as
seen in the life of a brown Pakistani individual does not hold true for the traumatic experiences he faces
on account of his family and the society.

While keeping in mind the traumatic experiences faced by a Pakistani individual on account of his family,
it is equally important to understand the external societal factors which result in the traumatic
psychopathology of a brown Pakistani individual. In a typical Pakistani household, it is mandatory upon
the male adult to act as a breadwinner for the house as he steps out of home, thereby causing an
increase in his responsibilities and societal pressures. These responsibilities act as a forceful liability
upon him which result in psychological anxiety and distress. These factors do not hold true for Freudian
psychoanalytical framework which only focuses on western familial liabilities and their implications,
where a typical white adult is not pushed to earn bread for the family and can live in

The concepts of superiority and inferiority incorporated among the inhabitants of a typical Pakistani
society on account of their complexion is yet another factor which adds to the trauma experienced by a
brown Pakistani individual. In a colonized society where there is an increased fascination with the west,
white supremacy is something which has deeply influenced the minds of the people and ultimately
made them to discriminate each other on the basis of color, hence generating racism. Colonization was
primarily built upon racism, and hence the white, naturally considered as superior to brown are
provided more consideration and value which results in trauma and psychological inferiority complex in
brown individuals.

In conclusion: Frued’s theory of psychoanalytical framework on the apolitical realm does not prove to be
adequate for the the family structures in a typical brown Pakistani individual’s household. Since, a
Pakistani individual has to receive pressure both from the family and the society on account of racism,
hence the traumatic experiences which he encounters as a result of those experiences are far more
different than a white individual.