Trauma at the intersection of
beliefs of gender, caste and marriage is a prevalent issue in India. Such
traumas can have a profound impact on the well-being and development
of individuals who experience them. This research proposal aims to
investigate the impact of trauma at the intersection of gender,
caste and marriage on individual's well-being, using an institutional
betrayal perspective. In India, gender, caste and marriage beliefs are deeply ingrained in
society, and they often intersect in harmful ways. Institutional betrayal can exacerbate the negative effects of
trauma and lead to poor mental and outcomes, such as
depression, anxiety, PTSD, chronic pain and
substance abuse (Freyd & Birrell, 2013; Smith & Freyd, 2014). Some
examples of institutional betrayal are government policies that oppress marginalized groups, religious authorities that ignore
cases of abuse, and media outlets that misrepresent or silence
the voices of victims (Freyd & Birrell, 2013; Smith & Freyd, 2014).However, there is a lack of research on trauma and institutional betrayal
in India, especially among individuals from different caste and gender
groups. India has a long history of caste-based discrimination and
violence, which has been perpetuated by various institutions, such as the
legal system, the education system, the media and the religious
authorities (Pew Research Centre, 2021; Young et al., 2016). Individuals
from lower castes and marginalized genders are particularly vulnerable to
trauma and institutional betrayal, as they face multiple forms of oppression and stigma in their family and community norms regarding marriage, such
as inter-caste or inter-religious marriages, child marriages, dowry
practices, honour killings, etc. (Young et al., 2016; Burns & Novick, 2018).
This research aims to fill this
gap by exploring the impact of trauma at the intersection of beliefs of
gender, caste and marriage and its effect on adults in Indian society, using
an institutional betrayal perspective.