Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Psychology in India: A Glance on Paradigmatic and Methodological Perspectives

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Psychology in Modern India

Abstract

This chapter expounds on paradigms where ingredients of Eastern and Western streams of psychological knowledge flow harmoniously in the scientific tradition. To achieve this objective, the chapter provides an overview of some defining features of psychology. It is in fact a narrative reminiscent of some important observations from the Western and the Eastern streams of psychology. It has two parts. The first part presents the concept of meaning along with mental control a broad meeting ground for the two streams. The four sections in this part look into various aspects of search for meaning in context of modern psychology. In the last section, we engage in self-analysis. The second part presents the premises of East–West dialogue in psychology. It has four sections, and each section introduces a very broad theme from concepts of Indian psychological origin to facilitate East–West dialogue for a positive change in the human condition.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Basalla, G. (1967). The spread of western science. Science, 156, 611–622.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., & Funder, D. C. (2007). Psychology as the science of self-reports and finger movements. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2(4), 396–403.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biswas, S., & Biswas, A. K. (1989). History of science in India: In the search of a paradigm. Indian Journal of History of Science, 24(3), 193–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloom, P. (2012). Religion, morality, evolution. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 179–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1997). Attachment and loss. Volume 1: Attachment. Pimlico.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R. F., & Milner, P. M. (2003). The legacy of Donald O. Hebb: More than the Hebb synapse. Nature Review Neuroscience, 4, 1013–1019.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bruner, J. (1991). Self-making and world-making. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 25(1), 67–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruner, J. (1997). A narrative model of self-construction. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 818(1), 145–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruner, J. (2004). Life as narrative. Social Research, 71(3), 691–710.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cacioppo, J. T., Semm, G. R., & Berntson, G. G. (2004). Realism, instrumentalism, and scientific symbiosis: Psychological theory as a search for truth and the discovery of solutions. American Psychologist, 59, 214–223.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cornelissen, R. M. M., Misra, G., & Varma, S. (Eds.). (2011a). Foundations of Indian psychology. Volume I: Theories and concepts. Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cornelissen, R. M. M., Misra, G., & Varma, S. (Eds.). (2011b). Foundations of Indian psychology. Volume II: Practical applications. Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cornelissen, R. M. M., Misra, G., & Varma, S. (Eds.). (2011a). Introduction. In R. M. M. Cornelissen, G. Misra, & S. Varma (Eds.), Foundations of Indian psychology. Volume I: Theories and concepts (pp. xii–xxiv). Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crook, J. H. (2009). World crisis and Buddhist humanism. End games: Collapse or renewal of civilisation. New Age Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2009). The promise of positive psychology. Psychological Topics, 18, 203–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daniels, M. (2002). The transpersonal self: 1. A psychohistory and phenomenology of the soul. Transpersonal Psychology Review, 6(1), 17–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Das, J. P., Kar, B. C., & Parrila, R. K. (1996). Cognitive planning: The psychological basis of intelligent behavior. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davar, B. V., & Bhatt, P. R. (1995). Psychoanalysis as a human science: Beyond foundationalism. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewsbury, D. A. (2009). Is psychology losing its foundations? Review of General Psychology, 13(4), 281–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. C. (1992). Evolution of consciousness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 89, 7320–7324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, P., Davidson, R. J., Ricard, M., & Wallace, B. A. (2005). Buddhist and psychological perspectives on emotion and well-being. Current Perspectives in Psychological Science, 14, 59–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • ESRC (2011). International benchmarking review of UK psychology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J. (1991). Dimensions of personality: 16, 5 or 3?—Criteria for a taxonomic paradigm. Personality and Individual Differences, 12, 773–790.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frankl, V. (1959/2008). Man’s search for meaning. The classic tribute to hope from the holocaust (1st ed.). Rider.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gadgil, M., Berkes, F., & Folke, C. (1993). Indigenous knowledge for biodiversity conservation. Ambio, 22, 151–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gazzaniga, M. S. (1994). Nature’s mind. The biological roots of thinking, emotion, sexuality, language and intelligence. Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gergen, K. J. (2001). Psychological science in a postmodern context. American Psychologist, 56, 803–813.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gierer, A. (2001). Ibn Khaldun on solidarity (Asabiyah)—Modern science on cooperativeness and empathy: A comparison. Philosophia Naturalis, 38, 91–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, S., Khandelwal, S. K., Tandon, P. N., Maheshwari, M. C., Mehta, V. S., Sundaram, K. R., Mahapatra, A. K., & Jain, S. (2000). The development and standardization of a comprehensive neuropsychological battery in Hindi (adult form). Journal of Personality and Clinical Studies, 16(2), 75–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haidt, J. (2007). The new synthesis in moral psychology. Science, 316, 998–1002.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayek, F. A. (1952). The sensory order. An inquiry into the foundations of theoretical psychology. The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hebb, D. O. (1946). Emotion in man and animal: An analysis of the intuitive processes of recognition. Psychological Review, 53, 88–106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hebb, D. O. (1959). A neuropsychologial theory. In S. Koch (Ed.), Psychology: A study of a science (Vol. 1, pp. 622–643). McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoenig, P. (2010). Totem and taboo: The case for a secession clause in the Indian constitution? Economic and Political Weekly, 45, 43–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofmann, A. (2009). The message of the Eleusinian mysteries for today’s world. Rosicrucian Digest, 2, 52–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofmann, W., & Dillen, L. V. (2012). Desire: The new hot spot in self-control research. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21, 317–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hubbard, E. M. (2003). A discussion and review of Uttal (2001): The new phrenology. Cognitive Science Online, 1, 22–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology (Vols. 1 and 2). Holt.

    Google Scholar 

  • James, W. (1902). The varieties of religious experience: A study in human nature. Longmans, Green.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Joshi, A. P., Sriniwas, M. D., & Bajaj, J. K. (2003). Religious demography of India. Centre for Policy Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joshi, B. C. (1987). Neurology in ancient India: AJNA CAKRA—A physiological reality. Indian Journal of History of Science, 22(4), 292–315.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Joshi, N. V., & Gadgil, M. (1991). On the role of refugia in promoting prudent use of biological resources. Theoretical Population Biology, 40, 211–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1921/1960). Psychologische Typen [Psychological types]. Gesammelte Werke [Collected works] (Vol. 6, 9th, revised printing). Rascher.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D. (2003). A perspective on judgement and choice: Mapping bounded rationality. American Psychologist, 58, 697–720.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kak, S. C. (1997). On the science of consciousness in ancient India. Indian Journal of History of Science, 32(2), 105–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kakar, S. (2011). A book of memory. Confessions and reflections. Viking.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kandel, E. R. (1999). Biology and the future of psychoanalysis: A new intellectual framework for psychiatry revisited. American Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 505–524.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kandel, E. R. (2012). The age of insight. Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kazdin, A. E. (2009). Psychological science’s contributions to a sustainable environment: Extending our reach to a grand challenge of society. American Psychologist, 64, 339–356.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kripal, J. J. (1998). Kali’s child: The mystical and the erotic in the life and teachings of Ramakrishna (2nd ed.). The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, T. S. (1962/1970). The structure of scientific revolutions (2nd ed., enlarged 1970). The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lilienfeld, S. O. (2010). Can psychology be a science? Personality and Individual Differences, 49, 281–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., & Willoughby, B. L. B. (2009). Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 69–93.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meehl, P. E. (1967). Theory testing in psychology and physics: A methodological paradox. Philosophy of Science, 34, 103–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Misra, G. (2002). Deprivation and cognitive competence. In A. K. Dalal & G. Misra (Eds.), New directions in Indian psychology. Volume 1: Social psychology (pp. 280–300). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Misra, G. (2003). Implications of culture for psychological knowledge. In J. W. Berry, R. C. Mishra, & R. C. Tripathi (Eds.), Psychology in human and social development: Lessons from diverse cultures: A festschrift for Durganad Sinha (pp. 31–67). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Misra, G. (2009). Towards an inclusive psychology. Psychological Studies, 54, 1–2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Misra, G. (2011). Introduction. In G. Misra (Ed.), Psychology in India. Volume 4: Theoretical and methodological developments (pp. xv–xxxii). Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Misra, G. (2013a). Control. In K. D. Keith (Ed.), Encyclopedia of cross-cultural psychology. Wiley-Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Misra, G. (2013b). Happiness. In K. D. Keith (Ed.), Encyclopedia of cross-cultural psychology. Wiley-Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Misra, G., & Gergen, K. J. (2002). On the place of culture in psychological science. In A. K. Dalal & G. Misra (Eds.), New directions in Indian psychology. Volume 1: Social psychology (pp. 405–424). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Misra, G., & Paranjpe, A. (2012). Psychology in modern India. In R. W. Rieber (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the history of psychological theories (pp. 881–892). Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molden, D. C., & Dweck, C. S. (2006). Finding “meaning” in psychology: A lay theories approach to self-regulation, social perception, and social development. American Psychologist, 61, 192–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moynihan, R., Heath, I., & Henry, D. (2002). Selling sickness: The pharmaceutical industry and disease mongering. British Medical Journal, 324, 886–890.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Nandy, A. (1997). Facing extermination: A report on the present state of the gods and goddesses in South Asia. Manushi, 99, 5–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nature Editorial. (2009). Psychology: A reality check. Nature, 461(7266), 847.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norenzayan, A., & Gervais, W. M. (2013). The origins of religious disbelief. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17, 20–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norenzayan, A., & Shariff, A. F. (2008). The origin and evolution of religious prosociality. Science, 322, 58–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Owens, L. S. (2011). Jung and Aion: Time, vision, and a wayfaring man. Psychological Perspectives, 54, 253–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paintal, A. S. (1954). A study of gastric stretch receptors. Their role in the peripheral mechanism of satiation of hunger and thirst. Journal of Physiology, 126, 255–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paintal, A. S. (1969). Mechanism of stimulation of type J pulmonary receptors. Journal of Physiology, 203, 511–532.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Pandey, J. (1998). Environment in the Indian context: Socio-psychological issues and research. Indian Psychological Abstract and Reviews, 5, 147–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paranjpe, A., & Misra, G. (2012). Psychology in pre-modern India. In R. W. Rieber (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the history of psychological theories (pp. 892–908). Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perfors, A. (2012). Levels of explanation and the workings of science. Australian Journal of Psychology, 64, 52–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pirta, R. S. (2007). Ecology and human well-being: Nature and society in Himachal Pradesh. Shipra Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pirta, R. S. (2009). Biological and ecological bases of behaviour. In G. Misra (Ed.), Psychology in India. Volume 1: Basic psychological processes and human development (pp. 1–67). Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pirta, R. S. (2012). Mutuality of mind and body: Role of supernatural elements in human well-being. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 38(2), 221–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pirta, R. S. (2013). Yoking gnosis and logos: On the knowledge function of some exceptional mental states for well-being. Psychological Studies, 59(2), 166–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poldrack, R. A. (2010). Mapping mental function to brain structure: How can cognitive neuroimaging succeed? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(6), 753–761.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Posner, M. I., & Rao, S. (2009). Cognitive neuroscience: Development and prospects. In Current trends in science. Platinum Jubilee Special. Indian Academy of Sciences. http://www.ias.ac.in/pubs/splpubs/pjubileebook/419.pdf. Accessed 05-10-2013.

  • Raman, C. V. (1928). A new radiation. Indian Journal of Physics, 2, 368–376.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raman, C. V. (1968). The physiology of vision. The Indian Academy of Sciences.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rao, K. R., Parnajpe, A. C., & Dalal, A. K. (Eds.). (2008). Handbook of Indian psychology. Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renner, W., Ramalingam, P., & Pirta, R. S. (2013). Moral universals, ancient culture and Indian youth: Part I—Theoretical foundations. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 39(2), 154–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renner, W., Ramalingam, P., & Pirta, R. S. (2014). Moral universals, ancient culture and Indian youth: Part II—Facing the challenge of westernization. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 40(1), 9–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roeser, R. W. (2005). An introduction to Hindu India’s contemplative psychological perspectives on motivation, self, and development. In M. L. Maehr & S. Karabenick (Eds.), Advances in motivation and achievement. Volume 14: Religion and motivation (pp. 297–345). Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salagame, K. K. K. (2011). Ego and ahamkara: Self and identity in modern psychology and Indian thought. In R. M. M. Cornelissen, G. Misra, & S. Varma (Eds.), Foundations of Indian psychology. Volume I: Theories and concepts (pp. 133–145). Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sankhyan, A. R., & Schug, G. R. (2011). First evidence of brain surgery in Bronze Age Harappa. Current Science, 100(11), 1621–1622.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schacter, D. L., & Loftus, E. F. (2013). Memory and law: What can cognitive neuroscience contribute. Nature Neuroscience, 16, 119–123.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, R. N. (1987). Toward a universal law of generalization for psychological science. Science, 237, 1317–1323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, K. A. (2011). From dejection to action: A narrative analysis of the transformation of Arjuna and Yudhisthira. In R. M. M. Cornelissen, G. Misra, & S. Varma (Eds.), Foundations of Indian psychology. Volume I: Theories and concepts (pp. 451–467). Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimamura, A. P. (2010). Bridging psychological and biological science: The good, bad, and ugly. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(6), 772–775.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shweder, R. A. (2001). A polytheistic conception of the sciences and the virtues of deep variety. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 935, 217–232.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shweder, R. A., Much, N. C., Mahapatra, M., & Park, L. (2003). The “big three” of morality (autonomy, community, divinity) and the “big three” explanations of suffering. In R. A. Shweder (Ed.), Why do men barbecue? Recipes for cultural psychology (pp. 119–169). Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1956). A case history in scientific method. American Psychologist, 11, 221–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1987). Whatever happened to psychology as the science of behavior? American Psychologist, 42, 780–786.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1990). Can psychology be a science of mind? American Psychologist, 45, 1206–1210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steger, M. F. (2012). Making meaning in life. Psychological Inquiry, 23, 381–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, S. S. (1946). On the theory of scales of measurement. Science, 103, 677–680.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sundararajan, L., Misra, G., & Marsella, A. J. (2013). Indigenous approaches to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders. In F. A. Paniagua & A.-M. Yamada (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural mental health: Assessment and treatment of diverse populations (pp. 69–87). Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, E. (2010). William James and the humanistic implications of the neuroscience revolution: An outrageous hypothesis. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 50, 410–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tripathi, R. C. (2002). Aligning development to values in India. In A. K. Dalal & G. Misra (Eds.), New directions in Indian psychology. Volume 1: Social psychology (pp. 307–325). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vahali, H. O. (2011). Landscaping a perspective: India and the psychoanalytic vista. In G. Misra (Ed.), Psychology in India. Volume 4: Theoretical and methodological developments (pp. 1–92). Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Velleman, P. F., & Wilkinson, L. (1993). Nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio typologies are misleading. American Statistician, 47, 65–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiskrantz, L. (1990). Problems of learning and memory: One or multiple memory systems? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, B, 329, 99–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westen, D. (1998). The scientific legacy of Sigmond Freud: Toward a psychodynamically informed psychological science. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 333–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, D. S., & Wilson, E. O. (2008). Evolution “for the good of the group”. American Scientist, 96, 380–389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, E. O. (2012). The social conquest of earth. Liveright Publishing Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wynne-Edwards, V. C. (1986). Evolution through group selection. Blackwell Scientific Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yerkes, R. M., & Yerkes, A. W. (1935). Social behavior in infrahuman primates. In C. Murchison (Ed.), A handbook of social psychology (pp. 973–1033). Clark University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimbardo, P. G. (2004). Does psychology make a significant difference in our lives? American Psychologist, 59(5), 339–351.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmer, C. (2004). A distant mirror for the brain. Science, 303, 43–44.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, 171005, India

    Raghubir Singh Pirta

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India

    Girishwar Misra

Authors
  1. Raghubir Singh Pirta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Girishwar Misra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, Delhi, Delhi, India

    Girishwar Misra

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Nilanjana Sanyal

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Sonali De

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Pirta, R.S., Misra, G. (2021). Psychology in India: A Glance on Paradigmatic and Methodological Perspectives. In: Misra, G., Sanyal, N., De, S. (eds) Psychology in Modern India. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4705-5_24

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation