Aditi Mantri

Dr. Mridula Sharma

PSY 602 Assignment and Activity

1. Same-sex relationships, their media portrayal, & the consequential effect on pre-
existing stigma

To understand same-sex relationships, we need to understand what the word sex connotates.
Biologically speaking, ‘sex’ is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or
plant produces male gametes or female ones. Ergo, a same-sex relationship is a relationship
between two persons of the same sex and can take many forms, from romantic and sexual, to non-
romantic homosocially-close relationships. The term is primarily associated with homosexual
couples.

State protections and prohibitions regarding (romantic or sexual) same-sex couples vary by
jurisdiction. In some locations, same-sex couples are extended full marriage rights just as opposite-
sex couples, and in other locations, they may be extended limited protections or none at all. The
policy concerning the adoption of children by same-sex couples. Homosexuality was only recently
legalized in India on 6 September 2018, a 5-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court of
India invalidated part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.

In their essential psychological respects, these relationships were regarded as equivalent

to opposite-sex relationships in a brief amici curia of the American Psychological Association,
California Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, National Association of
Social Workers, and National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter.

There have infinite instances where art and literature and culture have depicted same-sex
relationships with abound liberty. But due to misinformation, lack of awareness, and fear-abiding
propaganda to maintain heteronormative hegemony in society, same-sex relationships have often
been flagged as “unnatural” and threatening to the “ethical” functioning of society as a whole. Ill-
awareness of the concept of same-sex relationships can drive an individual to spew hatred
condescension and discrimination towards individuals belonging to the community. Sometimes
this hate arises out of internal angst as well and goes to the extremes of lethal violence and torture.
However, one of the many reasons for woeful feelings toward the community might be
“internalized homophobia”. Internalized homophobia occurs when a person is subject to society’s
negative perceptions, intolerance, and stigma toward people with same-sex attraction. They then
turn those ideas inward, believing that they are true, and experience self-hatred as a result of being
a socially stigmatized person.

Internalized homophobia happens when a person consciously or unconsciously accepts

homophobic biases and applies these biases to themself. It can happen to anyone, regardless
of sexual orientation, though most studies of internalized homophobia have looked at people who
identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.

Talking of Hindi cinema there have been numerous but insufficient depictions of same-sex
relationships. More often than not the movies in this subcontinent fail to portray accurate, hopeful
images and lack certain sensitivity and realism. At times, the characters have to face limited, short-
spanned dissonance as shown in movies like Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan or Ek Ladki ko Dekha
Toh Aisa Laga and the climax ends in a resolution of all stigma and issues. In other instances, like
Deepa Mehta’s Fire, there is an unconscious fetishization of the characters involved where the
relationship seems to arise out of dissatisfactory heterosexual relationships.

There have been contemporary pieces like Hansal Mehta’s Aligarh (2016) and Shonali Bose’s
Margarita With A Straw (2014) which have done an exceptional job in portraying the nuanced
versions of stories with delicacy and appropriate sentiment.

However, critically appreciable or not, with or without precise representation, the existence of the
conversation on the commercially viable programs (episodes of Satyamev Jayate) and cinema
helps in reducing the stigma around the topic and helps decrease its perception as a taboo. They
also help in facilitating an individual who is on the journey to explore their sexuality and reduces
internalized homophobia which is a significant contributor to stigma. As people’s struggle to
understand themselves in the most convenient man reduces, they are able to correct those around
them, hence improving society’s understanding as a whole and embracing their true selves with
more care and regard.
 2. Gender stereotyping, the role of media, & the contributing factors

Stereotypes are usually defined as beliefs about groups, prejudice as evaluation of or attitude
toward a group, and discrimination as behavior that systematically advantages or disadvantages a
group. Gender stereotyping refers to the practice of ascribing to an individual woman or man
specific attributes, characteristics, or roles by reason only of her or his membership in the social
group of women or men.

There have been concretized roots of gender stereotyping that cut across dimensions of personal
and the professional, the macro and the micro. People often assume that only one particular gender,
generally, women are phased or affected due to the effects of stereotyping but this is untrue. It is
undeniable that the degree of consequences is different, but gender stereotyping affects one and
all clusters. Men, for instance, are brought up with toxic notions of masculinity and are ridiculed
when they fail to fulfill them. They are burdened with the responsibility of being the bread earners
in Asian countries and numerous men have to defy their individual pursuits to comply with these
unjust expectations. Women, on the other hand, face subjugation in a social, cultural, and
professional context. They are often assumed to be less competent than men and are offered lesser
responsibilities. This in turn leads to minimalistic representation which forms a vicious cycle of
minimal opportunities and genuine concerns being solved. Apart from this, females are often not
offered a humanist perspective. They are either deified or dehumanized, this leads to superhuman
attribution and expectations, and when the female populous is unable to deliver on those (as any
human would) they are often robbed of the most basic right of dignity. Stereotyping is more
debilitating than issues of the psyche, it leads to twisted educational freedom and often justifies
unjust, many times brutal, and degrading practices.

But more marginalized groups like transgendered folk are at an utter disadvantage. The
stereotyping in the scenarios of the cisgenders might be inclined towards the attribution of positive
traits (which is inherently flawed as well) but in the case of transwomen and men, they are
presumptuous, ill-informed, and downright insulting.

Media, in terms of cinema, art, music et cetera is the largest cognitive consumption in today’s time
and owing to the capitalistic tendencies often gives in to the adherence to these stereotypes. This
is to make their ventures more commercial and appealing. The propagation of unrealistic beauty
standards in films and advertisement is one example. Humour generated on the misery and
stereotypes of genders (women being silly, men being weak/overly-sentimental, or trans people
being treated as outcasts) often garners a lot of attention and simultaneously, is deeply hurtful.

There are several factors that contribute to gender stereotyping and its inculcation in our cognitive
systems which include familial influence. Marriage as an institute in India is inherently patriarchal
and upholds and propagates those norms. Sometimes individual opinions that have been catalyzed
and strengthened over time are also contributing factors. Ill information and lack of awareness and
conversation around the topic are some others. Apart from this, socio-cultural tendencies also
contribute heavily to how an individual understands, perceives and modifies and defies these
stereotypes and how open they are to learning or unlearning.
 3. Problems Faced in Older
age

Mental Physical Cognitive

Cognitiv
Physical Mental
e
Disorders that
develop only
Dementia Hypertension after a certain
age

Depression and
Respiratory
feelings of Psychosis
Diseases
isolation

Lack of control
over involuntary Lack of support
cognitive Heart Diseases leads to loss of
functions and belonging
skills

Fragility in case
of physical
injuries

More often than not, people struggle to adjust to the sense of loss of purpose at later ages as the
work culture in today’s scenario conditions them to attach self-worth to their production value.
When this anxiety is met with skewed financial insecurity and abandonment issues, the struggles
deepen.

Not only this but on the physical front, as people start to lose control of their bodily functions, it
worsens the mental obstacles and renders the self-evaluation obsolete. It is difficult but with
proper care and support, these challenges can be gradually overcome to provide a sound sense of
existentialism to the individual.