Psychology, Development and Social Policy in India

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

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2. Introduction: Psychological Coordinates of Social Policy in India

   • R. C. Tripathi, Yoganand Sinha

   Pages 1-29

3. Social Research and Public Policy: Some Cautionary Notes

   • Rajnarain

   Pages 31-39

4. Psychology and National Development

   • Fathali M. Moghaddam, Cynthia Bianchi, Katherine Daniels, Michael J. Apter, Rom Harre

   Pages 41-57

5. Human Development: Concept and Strategy

   • Jai B. P. Sinha

   Pages 59-80

6. Education: Path to Development and Happiness in Rural India?

   • R. C. Tripathi

   Pages 81-101

7. Language Policy and Education: Towards Multilingual Education

   • Minati Panda, Ajit Mohanty

   Pages 103-129

8. Learning Disability: Issues and Concerns with Implications for Social Policy

   • Bhoomika R. Kar

   Pages 131-147

9. Social Policy and Mental Health: The Case of India

   • Komilla Thapa

   Pages 149-170

10. Psychology and Physical Disability Policies

    • Namita Pande, Shruti Tewari

    Pages 171-192

11. Salience of Indigenous Healing Practices for Health Care Programmes in India

    • Ajit K. Dalal

    Pages 193-209

12. Psychological Impact of Poverty and Sociocultural Disadvantage: Some Problems of Policy and Intervention Research

    • Durganand Sinha

    Pages 211-221

13. Research on Distributive Justice: Implications for Social Policy

    • Lilavati Krishnan

    Pages 223-255

14. The Hindu-Muslim Divide: Building Sustainable Bridges

    • R. C. Tripathi, E. S. K. Ghosh, R. Kumar

    Pages 257-284

15. Gender-Role Socialization, Stereotypes, Government Policies and Development

    • Daya Pant

    Pages 285-296

16. The Environment–Behaviour Link: Challenges for Policy Makers

    • Roomana N. Siddiqui

    Pages 297-320

This book examines how and where psychology can engage itself in the framing of social policies for national as well as human development in India. Although the role that psychological knowledge can play in informing social policy decisions has been discussed for a long time, psychologists by and large have had little role in framing policy decisions related to such important domains as education, health, social justice and social inclusion. Policy makers, not only in India, but more or less everywhere have focused on interventions at the macro level, which has led them to ignore the root causes of the problems lying at the micro level. However, with the more humanistic approaches now being followed by economists and other social scientists, the person in society is slowly taking centrestage. Micro-level variables like happiness, the wellbeing of individuals and the social relationships within which people define themselves are becoming important.

Therefore, this book discusses important psychological issues related to human development; particularly, health and education, social justice, social integration, environment and work organizations, besides focusing on some general issues relating to the logic of making social policies. It is a first-ever attempt in India to inform policy makers about how micro-variables can be a crucial factor to consider while framing social policies.

• Development and Well-being
• Healthcare Practices in India
• Psychology and Public Health
• Psychology in India
• Social Policy and Psychology
• Traditional Healing Practices

“The present book by experts and practitioners in the field of psychology, who, with their work have transcended disciplinary bounds is a book long due. It presents a mirror to both the practitioners in psychology as well as the administrators and policy makers. … In the book, there are several chapters, which set the tone for discussions and dialogue on the core idea of well-being and the radiating arrows into different fields … .” (Shilpa Ashok Pandit, Psychological Studies, Vol. 60, 2015)

• Department of Virology, University of Allahabad, Allahabad, India

  R. C. Tripathi

• Department of Psychology, University of Allahabad, Allahabad, India

  Yoganand Sinha

R. C. Tripathi (PhD, Michigan) is former Professor in Psychology, University of Allahabad, India and former Director, G.B. Pant Social Science Institute, India. He has been on the boards of many apex higher education bodies in India, including the University Grants Commission and the Indian Council of Social Science Research. Among his publications are Expanding Horizons of Mind Science/s (with P.N. Tandon and N. Srinivasan); Norm Violation and Intergroup Relations (with R. DeRidder); and Psychology in Human and Social Development (with J.W. Berry and R.C. Mishra). He is the Editor of Psychology and Developing Societies, an international journal published by SAGE.

Yoganand Sinha is Associate Professor in Psychology, University of Allahabad, India and has been involved in the development and teaching of programmes of the psychology of social change and national development; and also of Human Resource Development and Management. He is an HR consultant and serves on the boards of HR firms. An avid bird photographer, he has recently published a book on birds at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.

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