EFFECTS OF PARENTAL BEHAVIOR AND LINGUISTIC CHOICES ON SHAPING CHILDREN’S PSYCHE: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF PAKISTANI DRAMA HUM KAHAN KE SUCHY THAY

Abstract

This work examines how parental behavior and the choice of language affect the psychological growth of children in the Pakistani drama Hum Kahan Key Suchy Thay (Ahmed, 2009). The study explores the effects of prolonged exposure to media content on the conceptions of reality among viewers by using the Cultivation Media Theory (Gerbner, 1998) and internalizing the media narratives into their personal worldview. The study analyzes the behavior of characters and discourse, the negative impact of the toxic influence of parents, and their role in the psychological instability of children. The description of Mashal, Mehreen, and Aswad shows how childhood trauma, a condition created by negative linguistic decisions and manipulative behavior, transforms young children into adults with psychological problems. This paper applies Critical Discourse Analysis and Psychoanalytic Theory (Freud, 1923) in explaining how the media shapes family relationships and the long-term emotional repercussions of poor parenting. In the end, this study upgrades psychoanalytic research on kinship relations and the influences of language on early childhood development. The study discusses the language and behavior of characters and their role in creating mentally unstable adults from innocent souls as they are told wrong narratives in their childhood. The study can pave the way for psychoanalysis of kinship relations and the use of language at home in the future.