Ana Acoltzi Perez
ENG 2150
April 3, 2023
Topic Proposal
Research Question: How do cultural factors impact the expression and treatment of mental health disorders?
My topic for this proposal will be mental health as well as the different ways culture and race can impact the way a person might express or treat their mental health. Based on my research question, I want to figure out how there could be cultural factors that can create barriers to seeking mental health and why. My thesis will be mainly about the negative impact a culture might have to prevent a person from speaking about their struggles because of possible expectations or pressure. I plan on supporting my research with accurate and trustable sources that could back up or add to my claim. I will gather sources like interviews, surveys, personal narratives, and previous research on this topic. However, I might struggle with how I want to organize my research into one piece without focusing on more than one factor. But regardless of how I will organize it, I will attempt to express my topic creatively. In a way where it might be easier to understand and not be as boring. By doing so I will try to include examples others might be able to relate to, noticeable references, or a metaphor.
To sum up my proposal, I’m personally interested in this topic because it relates to my life and the people around me. Regardless of whether or not I know a person, I think there’s always a certain emotion hidden beneath compared to the way they paint themselves to appear. That’s why I care about this topic, because without any fear of being judged a person should be able to express their struggles before it builds up and eventually explodes. I believe this is something any reader would be able to care about because there’s a high possibility that they might relate to this topic or find it surprising to figure out.