Overview
Provides insights into the complexity of the Indian psyche
Traces the roots of present behaviour in ancient thought
Helpful particularly for non-Indians in understanding the modern Indian mindset
Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Access this book
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
Table of contents (10 chapters)
Keywords
- Collectivism in Indian mindset
- Complexity of Indian personality
- Duplicity and selfishness in Indian mindset
- Hierachy and power in India
- Indian psyche
- Liberalization and Indian mindset
- Masculinity and femininity in Indian psyche
- Paradoxes in Indian mindset
- Religiosity, secularism and sexuality in India
- Social psychology of Indians
- Spirituality and materialism in India
- Spirituality and materialism in Indian culture
About this book
This volume situates Indians in the contemporary world and profiles the major facets of their thought and behaviour; then goes back to trace their roots to ancient thought to see how the past predisposes and the present guides Indians in their everyday life. The volume begins with a conceptual framework showing how the Indian worldview has encompassed and enveloped a variety of ideas and influences from divergent sources. As a result, Indians are both collectivists and individualists, hierarchically oriented while respecting merit and quality, religious as well as secular and sexually indulgent, spiritual as well as materialists, excessively dependent but remarkably entrepreneurial, non-violent in principle but violent in practice and comfortable in shifting between analytical, synthetic as well as intuitive approaches to reality. Such a coexistence of opposites often causes inaction, hesitation and perfunctory action, but also equips Indians to be innovative by continuously aligning their thought and behaviour to the demands of a milieu. The milieu has an inner layer consisting of desh (place), kaal (time) and paatra (person), which are embedded in the larger societal contexts of castes and classes, poverty, corruption, fragmenting politics, conflicts and violence and unfolding global opportunities and challenges. Cultural heritage permeates in all these. Indians function in this tiered, multifactorial, dynamic space.
This volume draws evidence from ancient texts and the latest national and international research, many of which were conducted by the author and his associates. It does not, however, hesitate to indulge in anecdotal evidence, cases and speculative ideas in order to complete the picture. The author takes an in-depth view of the Indian mindset without getting the reader lost in either the intricacies of ancient philosophical abyss or the trivialities of present-day non-events.
Reviews
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Psycho-Social Analysis of the Indian Mindset
Authors: Jai B.P. Sinha
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1804-3
Publisher: Springer New Delhi
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science, Behavioral Science and Psychology (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer India 2014
Hardcover ISBN: 978-81-322-1803-6Published: 03 November 2014
Softcover ISBN: 978-81-322-3509-5Published: 23 August 2016
eBook ISBN: 978-81-322-1804-3Published: 17 October 2014
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXI, 244
Number of Illustrations: 7 b/w illustrations
Topics: Personality and Social Psychology, Cultural Studies, Non-Western Philosophy