BS Thesis/ Reports 2023

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Browsing BS Thesis/ Reports 2023 by Author "AYESHA RAI"

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    IDENTITY FORMATION IN YOUNG GAY MEN: A NARRATIVE INQUIR
    (KINNAIRD COLLEGE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT, 0023-06-18) AYESHA RAI
    Sexual minorities in Pakistan are largely ignored in research fields. This study aimed to fill this gap by focusing on the narratives of young gay men in Pakistan regarding their identity formation. Qualitative research design and narrative research paradigms were adopted to maintain the integrity of the participants’ own voice. For this purpose, snowball sampling was conducted in Lahore, Pakistan and in depth, unstructured interviews were taken from the four participants. The resulting data was analyzed using thematic narrative analysis and yielded the themes of (a) initial development of identity (sexual assault, gender identity crisis, religious identity crisis, queer trauma), (b) societal implications on identity (sexism, the heteronormative default, sexual and romantic challenges, western queerness) and (c) recognition and integration of identity (I contain multitudes) regarding the identity formation of the young gay men. All these factors and experiences played into their sense of self and the narratives they provided regarding their identity formation. Identity formation is a tumultuous journey for all youths but this is made more difficult for young gay men because of the lack of social support systems in the community. Social awareness and education can provide aid in this regard. More research is required in this aspect for sexual minorities in Pakistan for ignoring someone’s existence does not make them vanish.