Representations of “Divorced” in Turkish media on psychological health: a multimodal critical discourse analysis

Employing Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis, this study examines the concept of “divorced” on Turkish psychological health websites to explore the emotional and psychological dimensions of divorce concerning the individuals involved. Grounded in the principles of Critical Discourse Analysis, the study investigates how ideologies and social assumptions are reproduced through both textual and visual modes. The analysis shows that divorce is overwhelmingly depicted as a negative event through metaphors, analogies and overgeneralizations. The assumed emotional and psychological harm to children receives the greatest focus. Gendered stereotypes are evident as women are depicted in both positive and negative ways, while men, with minimal emphasis in amount, are largely portrayed negatively regarding their emotional state and post-divorce fathering behaviors. Ignoring individual differences, the data frequently present divorce as having predictable and uniform consequences. The visual elements also consistently enhance the textual content through the use of body language, gaze, facial expressions, color tones, spatial arrangements, visual metaphors and strategic points of focus. Furthermore, a dominant ideology of heteronormativity, which fortifies traditional gender roles and expectations, is evident throughout the data.