Ram Mahalingam
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Michigan
W/ http://urlsnip.com/215876
Culture, Idealized Beliefs about Gender and
Psychological Well Being
Saturday, May 13, 2006 | 16:30 - 18:30 EST
* Presenter has withdrawn paper.
In my talk, I will focus on the relationship between social
marginality and idealized beliefs about various identities. Based on my research
in India in communities with male biased sex ratios (as a result of extreme
forms of female neglect including female feticide and infanticide), I argue that
social marginality contributes to idealized notions of gender such as chastity
and machismo. Internalizing such idealized notions of gender has positive and
negative consequences. These ideals are a source of pride and pressure. While
they positively contribute to a positive sense of self, they also become a
source of stress because of the pressure to live up to these ideals leading to
shame and depression. In my talk, I examine the role of intersecting identities
in various pathways in negotiating the stress and pride associated with the
ideals. Further, I discuss the implications of this dual pathway model to study
immigrant’s health.
Dr. Mahalingam’s research primarily focuses on how the relationship between social marginality and intersecting social identities shape psychological well being. He is particularly interested in the relationship between gender and immigration. His recent publications include "Essentialism, culture and power: Representations of social class" in Journal of Social Issues 59:4 (2003), and Cultural Psychology of Immigrants (forthcoming).