Nonheterosexual British Asian men: Social representations, identity and social relations

This article explores social representations, identity, and social relations among nonheterosexual British Asian men. After an overview of two relevant theories from social psychology – identity process theory and social representations theory, the article outlines dominant social representations of sexuality that inform individuals' meaning-making, the impact of these representations for identity processes, how individuals cope with potential threats to identity, and the development and management of social relations. It is argued that being Asian and gay can result in threatened identity, leading to low psychological well-being and negative interpersonal relations.