This book offers a critical account of the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological developments in key areas of psychology in India, providing insights into the developments and advances as well as future directions. Filling an important gap in the literature on the history of psychology in India, it brings together contributions by leading scholars to present a clear overview of the state of the art of the field. The thematic parts of the book discuss the historical perspectives: development of psychology in India; research methodologies in the West and India; future directions for research in the field. The book is of special interest to researchers, school administrators, curriculum designers, and policymakers.

The Survey of Psychology series presents critical reviews of and reflects the major changes in psychological research in India. After a comprehensive introduction, this, the third volume in the series, begins with a chapter that critically highlights the major contributions in the areas of attitudes, social cognition and justice from a theoretical and cultural perspective. The second chapter examines individualistic as well as traditional collectivist Indian values arguing that both can co-exist. This is followed by a chapter on the various dimensions of poverty, the poor and deprivation. Chapter Four reviews the major theoretical approaches to the subject, and the next chapter presents the prevalent trends and shortcomings of the conceptual and methodological problems in the relatively new area of environmental psychology. Chapter Six provides various pertinent issues related with motivation, leadership and human performance within a conceptual framework and with theoretical perspectives. The last chapter critically examines the changes and the general shift in the content of research as well as the strength and weaknesses of the discipline of psychology at the start of the new millennium.

Contributed articles with reference to India.

With the emergence of positive psychology in the West, and the many fold discovery of the impact of psychology in one’s life, there is a need to understand spirituality, and to use its positive aspects to maintain a balance in hectic modern life. This book presents models for mapping basic psychological processes and their relationships. It covers basic constructs like cognition, emotion, behavior, desires, creativity, as well as applied topics like personal happiness, intercultural conflict handling, and world peace.

Papers presented at the 7th and 8th Congress organized by the National Academy of Psychology, India, held at Bhopal and Bhubaneswar, in 1996 and 1997 respectively.