prayers for bobby

Assignment GTU105

UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE, MALAYSIA
SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCE

GTU105: PSYCHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOURAL
SEMESTER II

SESSION 2021/2022

Topic:
Sexuality and Gender Issues

Name 1. Asther Emily Ronny (157618)
& 2. Kong Xin Jie (159399)
3. Rabietul Adawiyah Binti Hassan (159478)
Matric Number 4. Selvarani Mathan (159513)
5. Siti Nur Hidayah Binti Nordin (156637)
Course
Lecturer’s Name Environmental and Occupational of Health

Dr. Affizal Ahmad

Group 1 (Prayers For Bobby)

Assignment GTU105

Summary

Bobby Griffith is the protagonist of this movie, who was raised in a happy and affectionate
household. Bobby comes from a pious family who believes in God and the Bible.
Nevertheless, he noticed that he had a peculiar feeling about himself one day. He realised that
when he sees a male, he gets this strange romantic sensation that he never gets when he sees a
lady. He finally acknowledged that he was gay at that point. Bobby was upset and concerned
since his family was devoted and he believed he had done a serious transgression. He
confesses to his brother, Ed one day that he thinks he's gay. Ed pledged that he would keep
Bobby's illness a secret and not to tell anyone because he was attempting to console Bobby,
who was weeping at that moment. However, Ed's anxiety prompted him to inform their
mother, Mary, in the end. Mary instantly finds a means to mend after discovering that her son
was a gay. Since she believes that only God can heal him, she attempted to heal him via
prayer and treatment to guarantee that he returned to his original path. Mary continues to
persuade Bobby that homosexuality is a sin, that God despises homosexuals and having
sexual relations with another man as if he were a woman is a heinous sin. She bombards him
with Bible passages and tells him he was not trying hard enough when he admits to still
having gay feelings. Bobby strives to get out from his awful surroundings, which
continuously judge him and make him feel terrible about himself. He opted to spend his
vacation with his cousin, Janneth who was much more accepting of him. He explores the
LGBT society and even has a sexual relationship when he was away from his family.
However, his mother's remarks as well as his own religious views continue to torment him.
He gets despondent and destructive to himself. One day, he goes onto a bridge one night and
jumps into the path of an approaching truck due to his stressful situation. He passes away in a
second. Upon hearing the news of their son's death, Bobby's parents were devastated. Marry
went up to the pastor at the church and begs for forgiveness for his past hatred against
religion which led him to a tragic ending. One day, Mary found his diary’s and reads it
straight away. Mary was regretful for putting blame to Bobby for his situation and her
horrible treatment towards him. Mary, who was struggling to overcome her regrets, her
conflicting sentiments about religious beliefs, and her challenges with accepting her son's
sexuality, surprisingly turns to the homosexual community for encouragement and solace.
Marry and her husband ultimately realised that they knew very little about homosexuality yet
condemned their kid without hearing any explanation from him and were too religiously
zealous.

Assignment GTU105

Two main psychological issues

❖ Bobby felt stress and depressed

Bobby get a lot of pressure from his family, especially from his mother, Mary Griffith, that
tried to change bobby to get better. Mary Griffith did a lot of things, such as writing notes that
containing verses about being homosexual is a sin, which were sticked in every corner of the
room made Bobby even more depressed and upset. Mary cornered Bobby in every situation,
that also made Bobby feel sad that his mother couldn’t understand his situation and condition.

❖ Bobby felt guilty and felt that he was a big sinner

Bobby realized that his situation was a wrong situation. Bobby always remembered the verse
that his mother always sticked in every corner of his room saying that being homosexual is a
sin. Bobby couldn’t stop the desire of liking men. Bobby tried a lot to a positive support from
his family. The family support that Bobby need has a big effect on Bobby’s mental health.
Unfortunately Bobby does not get the support that he always want, this made him even more
depressed and sad because bobby was in confused about how to live in between of family
rejection and being homosexual. Being born in a harmonious family and being very obedient
to God, made Bobby often remember the sins of being homosexual and finally Bobby chose
to commit suicide.

Assignment GTU105

Discussion
The main issue in the film Prayer’s for Bobby (2009) is Bobby's psychological condition after
receiving rejection from his family. Bobby knew well that things weren't right because of his
homosexual situation. Sometimes he experiences a rejection of himself, as Bobby feels like a
sad and cursed sinner. The pressure exerted by Bobby's family, especially his mother, aims to
allow Bobby to return to the norm of being a woman-loving man, but the rejection and
pressure Bobby is experiencing makes Bobby's psychological state become worse. This is
what Bobby experienced because he was rejected in the environment, such as at a party.
Bobby's self-rejection arose from an environment that did not support Bobby at all especially
after talking to his mother about his situation. Childcare style, self-esteem, and mental health
are all significantly correlated in which there is a possibility that negative parenting styles can
be accompanied by behaviours such as parental rejection and over-rearing undermine a
child's self-esteem, resulting in reduced self-esteem and reduced mental health (Peng et
al,2021).

Thus, the rejection had made Bobby feel guilty and felt that he was a big sinner. Then, Bobby
realized that his situation was wrong and always remembered verse, which his mother gave to
every corner of his room that homosexuality was a sinner's treatment. But in any case, the
normal attempt that Bobby’s mother made always fails when she could not resist her desire
for Bobby to stop liking men. Due to the difficult situation Bobby faced, Bobby’s mom began
to seek active support from her family. Family support is the act and method by which the
family accepts the family in the form of evaluation support, instrumental support, emotional
support, and information support (Friedman, 2013). The family support that Bobby needs has
a major impact on his status as a homosexual and he is even more depressed and sad because
confused about on how to live in a family rejection will become. Bobby's rejection and
pressure gradually dared to rebel Bobby against his mother. Another factor Bobby
experienced as a result of changing attitudes in difficult situations was the feeling of guilt.
Born into a harmonious family and very obedient to God, it often reminds us of the sins
Bobby committed because was homosexual. As more than 80% of parents in a study assume
that it is understandable that parents of conservative values have difficulty accepting
disclosures of their children that were LGBT. Some may speculate that the nature of the battle
is the most important, not the battle itself that has to be concerned. For example, parents have
their own Children's homosexuality is less reflected in them, their interest and focus were
more on what others will think about them rather on the happiness of their children
(American Association of Christians in Social Work, 2016)

Lastly, Bobby finally encouraged to choose on commit suicide. When he returned from
Portland, Bobby decided to move to Portland after daring to turn his attention to his mother.
Bobby found happiness in Portland because he felt accepted by the people around him
without having to hide his gay identity. Generally, LGBT people's friends were generally
perceived to be much more supportive, compassionate, empathetic, and trustworthy when
they faced more difficulties compared with their families. Perhaps this can be explained by
the fact that most friends of LGBT people are more similar in age and interest and therefore

Assignment GTU105

more open than their parents. Can be seen that only a quarter of the family is considered
available for emotional help and support, and the family has much to do for improvement
(American Association of Christians in Social Work, 2016). This was a situation that Bobby
had experienced until he decided to move to Portland. Because he felt peaceful, he felt that
being included in the area was the best choice, without covering the situation of plus he also
had a partner named David. However, the pressure exerted by Mary continued to send
Bobby's birthday gift, along with a note containing a poem that homosexuality is a cursed
sinner and punishment from God. Slowly Bobby walks his life with a gap, feeling like a big
cursed sinner and many times useless. Like the text he wrote for himself. Every day, he felt
his situation wasn't right, so he contacted David to share his concerns. Unfortunately, David
didn't receive Bobby's call, so Bobby decided to go to David. However, Bobby found David
with another man. After accepting the refusal, under constant pressure away from 's mother,
feeling like a great bloody sinner, and accepting David's betrayal, Bobby felt like a worthless
person. That time, Bobby felt guilty, sad, worried, depressed, angry, hurt, cursed, sinner, and
useless, then he finally decided to jump off the bridge and commit suicide. Sometime people
will think that suicide is the last escape in the real world because people feel unbearable pain
and sadness. The difficult situations Bobby experienced became the main reason for suicide,
as pressure, family rejection, and feelings of being a sinner and betrayed made Bobby feel
useless to continue his life. As a result, People with depression often have completely
different ideas before and after a depression. This may be due to a chemical imbalance and
the person may not understand the options available to alleviate his condition. Many people
suffering from depression report feeling that they have lost the ability to imagine a happy
future and remember a happy past. In many cases, they are unaware that they are in a
treatable condition and may not even ask them for help. Even emotional and physical pain
can become intolerable. They don't want to die, but they believe their pain is the only way to
end it. Thus, it is really an irrational choice.

Assignment GTU105

(Theory-draft)

1. Cognitive dissonance theory
Cognitive dissonance theory was introduced by Leon Festinger in 1957s. The idea has arisen
from a participant observation study of a cult about a belief of “the earth was going to be
destroyed by a flood”.The members were more likely to verify that the evidence is right
based on their previous experiences while there are some fringe members who predicted it is
just their wishful thinking. The theory shows a condition linked with conflicting attitudes,
behaviours or beliefs. Thus, it is related to a contrary behaviour with the thoughts and beliefs
of a person might lead the person to a result in underlying psychological tension. At that
moment, the person will take a chance on his/her attitude to produce a balance between
thoughts and attitude. In the movie, the main character who is Bobby faced a confusing
situation since he found himself gay but homosexual love seems like a freak and
unacceptable to the public at the period. The most important thing is his family considered
that he was something wrong, especially his mother, Mary. The public opinion gave him a
sense of excruciation as he want to be a normal person in their eyes but he was unable to
control his sexual orientation. He felt happy when he was head over heels with a man. For a
long time, Bobby experienced the underlying psychological tension and it made him decide
to leave the world to reduce the sense of discomfort.

Assignment GTU105

Solution

Being homosexual is against the norm. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer
(LGBTQ), on the other hand, have human rights as well. As human beings, they are also like
our brothers and sisters, and we must guide them on the right path to becoming a complete
person, especially when they have faced so much discrimination. In reality, LGBTQ people
face stigma (negative and usually unfair beliefs) and discrimination (unfairly treating a
person or group of people) throughout their lives, and are victims of sexual and physical
abuse, harassment, and racial violence. Moreover, LGBTQ people have higher rates of
depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and phobic disorders, suicidality, self-harm, and
drug use. In this context, there is also evidence that LGBTQ people are more likely than the
overall population to suffer with drug addiction. According to some studies, LGBTQ people
may use alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs at a rate that is two to four times higher than
heterosexual people.

Consequently, there are some ways to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for
LGBTQ individuals such as support from family and friends, which has been recognized as a
key factor in lowering the risk of depression and suicidality in youth. For instance, building
resilience in LGBTQ people can help them to improve their mental health and adjust to their
new lives. This includes acceptance by the family of origin, that is parents, siblings,
grandparents, and having a supportive social network that made up of LGBTQ friends, allies,
and a family of choice like close relationships with people who are not biologically related
but who act as a family are two factors that strongly prevent LGBTQ individuals, especially
adolescents, from spiraling into despair and suicidal behavior. Besides, many adult
homosexual men rely on their friends for social support, therefore a systematic evaluation of
social support system is likely to be useful. It may also be beneficial for healthcare
professionals to study men's level and somewhat involvement in LGBT communities.

Apart from that, identifying with the homosexual community can lead to a better mental
health. In addition, addressing socioeconomic determinants of health where healthcare
professionals should ask open-ended questions regarding the patient's sexual orientation
disclosure, how it was received, how it affected their relationships, if drugs and alcohol were
involved, and how it affected their mental health. This will assist healthcare professionals in

Assignment GTU105

determining the patient's level of self-acceptance and probability of social isolation. In order
to recover from drug addiction or mental health issues, a solid support system is much
needed. Other than that, all other health centre workers, including clinical and non-clinical
staff, should be educated to provide LGBTQ-affirming therapy in addition to behavioural
health providers as LGBTQ people are more likely to seek treatment at health clinics that
make a concerted effort to be friendly and inclusive.

References

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016, February 29). Mental health for gay
and bisexual men. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 30,
2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/msmhealth/mental-health.htm

Mental health. CMHA Ontario. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2022, from
https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/lesbian-gay-bisexual-trans-queer-identified-people-a
nd-mental-health/

SOCIAL WORK & CHRISTIANITY (2017). The Impact of Family Rejection or
Acceptance among LGBT+ Millennials in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Retrieved April 30, 2022 from
http://www.nacsw.org/Publications/SWC/SWC44_1&2.pdf#page=75

Journal of child, Family and consumer studies (2022). RELIGIOSITY, FAMILY
GENDER ROLES SOCIALIZATION, AND COLLEGE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES
TOWARDS LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT).Retrieved
April 30, 2022 from https://journal.ipb.ac.id/index.php/jcfcs/article/view/40520

Cognitive Dissonance Theory | Simply Psychology (no date). Available at:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html (Accessed: April 26,
2022).

Assignment GTU105