Byrne’s (1971) attraction paradigm was a novel perspective on how to conduct programmatic research in social psychology. Once a base relation between a stimulus (S) and the response (R) is established: R = f (S), research can be directed at (a) refining the base relation (analytic research), (b) replacing the original S by a new one (stimulus generality), (c) replacing the original R by new ones (response generality) and (d) theory building (i.e., explaining the S–R relations and generating new predictions). In this article, the author presents (1) an overview of the attraction paradigm and (2) the recent literature on mediators of the attitude similarity–attraction relation to show that what originally seemed to be a ‘simple causal relation’ is hardly so. There are five mediators (i.e., Validation → Positive affect → Respect → Inferred attraction → Trust) of the attitude similarity–attraction relation.
Pata & ntilde;jali's Ashtanga Yoga encompasses more than physical postures (& amacr;sana), incorporating a robust psychological framework designed to enhance mental well-being. However, current research on yoga interventions predominantly focuses on & amacr;sana (physical postures), pr & amacr;n & amacr;y & amacr;ma (breathwork) and meditation, neglecting the psychological dimensions. This study develops, validates and tests a structured yoga psychology-based intervention that emphasises key components of yama and niyama (ethical disciplines), praty & amacr;h & amacr;ra (sensory withdrawal), dh & amacr;ran & amacr; (concentration) and dhy & amacr;na (meditation). The preliminary effects of this 7-week multi-component online intervention were evaluated in 12 participants (mean age 40.08, standard deviation [SD] 8.01) using a pre-post intervention design. Data were analysed using non-parametric tests. The intervention reduced tamas (p = .031, r = 0.6) and negative affectivity (p = .033, r = 0.6), improved psychological well-being (p = .015, r = 0.7), emotional well-being (p = .016, r = 0.6), positive affect (p = .33, r = 0.6), sattva (p = .022, r = 0.6) and other aspects of psychological functioning such as non-attachment (p = .020, r = 0.6) and hope (p = .46, r = 0.5). The intervention significantly improved emotional and psychological well-being in the community-based adult sample.
This article focuses on the religious, philosophical, cultural and scientific belief systems and how they define human nature, relationships, community and society. First, the historical and cultural development of Western science and psychology and their limitations are reviewed. Second, the belief about the objectivity of science is evaluated. Third, the limitations of traditional psychological theories, which provide simple categorisation and correlation between observable phenomena without documenting the mechanism of behavioural change, are outlined. Fourth, the social cognitive theory of Albert Bandura that views human nature as agentic and proactive and the scientific mechanism to understand the software of the mind, belief systems and subjective well-being are outlined. Sixth, the development of Islam as a spiritual way of life and its influence on family, marriage and relationships are reviewed. Seventh, the factors that influence happiness, life satisfaction and subjective well-being are reviewed, focusing on Indonesia and Korea. These results are consistent with the current epigenetic, neurobiological and mindfulness research that the agentic experience of prayer, meditation and mindfulness promotes physical, psychological, relational and social well-being. These results challenge traditional Western psychological theories, which have failed to examine human agency and the relational, family-based, spiritual and cultural beliefs.
Religious beliefs and practices, especially in the form of prayer and meditation, have always utilised imagination. Yet, since imagination takes us beyond mundane reality and can accept truth beyond lay logic, religious and spiritual experiences have often been designated as mental derangement. Additionally, undeniably, religion has often become the cause of intercommunity hatred. In this backdrop, the present article examines the possible points of argument between the believers and non-believers in God, and categorises these arguments in terms of their strength and role. A brief review of the empirical evidence of the relationship between religious belief and mental and social health highlights its ambiguity. Therefore, emphasis should be given to understanding the factors mediating this relationship. One such factor might be imagination operating in most religious and spiritual efforts. The possible contribution of imagination to religious belief and experiences has been discussed. The need for research in this emerging domain is highlighted.
The Siri cult revolves around an oral tradition from Tulunadu in Dakshina Kannada (South Canara), India, featuring a story that unfolds over 15,683 lines. It tells the myth of Siri, a remarkable woman, and her lineage. During the famous Siri Jatre (which means festival), women are possessed by the spirits of Siri and her descendants, such as Abbaga and Daraga. This article explores the ritual space of the Siri cult as a transformative arena for women, where the boundaries between myth and reality blur, allowing for collective healing and psychic reintegration. The ritual performances, particularly during the Siri festival, facilitate a trance-like state in which women embody Siri and her struggles, experiencing emotional release. Through communal participation and embodied identification with Siri, women reclaim their repressed emotions, anxieties, and desires, forging new alternative narratives of motherhood, femininity, and divine womanhood. Importantly, Siri's divine presence offers women a symbolic anchor-a figure who legitimises their grief and challenges male-dominated ideals for women to be obedient, nurturing, and submissive. Taking a psychoanalytical lens, this article examines the ritual space of the Siri cult through the framework of object relations theory to explore the psychic processes. The rituals allow women to externalise their inner conflicts and repressed desires, processing their grief and trauma through symbolic enactment. By situating the Siri cult within a psychoanalytical framework, the study reveals how the myth of Siri functions as a transformative object, allowing women to bridge their individual suffering with communal strength, ultimately achieving a sense of psychic integration and empowerment.
Recent decades have seen an increasing awareness of the need for emic explorations where psychological models and epistemologies originate from worldviews of indigenous worlds and inform mainstream psychology. The aim of the present study was to address this lacuna in moral psychology by examining the concept of suffering in the Hindu, Indian moral worldview. In a qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 urban adults (M = 43.53 years) of Vadodara, India. The sample represented the high socio-economic class and was divided evenly between men and women. Participants responded to three major open-ended questions about ideas of suffering and related probes: (a) All people suffer at some point in life. Why do you think there is suffering? (b) Does suffering serve any purpose? Does it have any meaning? and (c) Can suffering be eliminated? In-person interviews were tape recorded, transcribed verbatim and used for thematic analysis. Select verbatim responses representing various themes were used to explain how adults spoke about suffering. Thematic analysis revealed four major themes: (a) forms of suffering, (b) the karmic nature of suffering, and (c) alleviating suffering through self-refinement. Findings contrast notably with the corpus of current literature on suffering, dominated by WEIRD cultures and often restricted to biomedical conditions. Importantly, the study highlights the centrality of one's swadharma, interpreting moral actions in a karmic framework and cultivating equanimity (samatvam) through self-refinement as a means of alleviating suffering. The study contributes to the conceptualisation of psychological well-being in contemporary times from the Hindu, Indian perspective.
Spiritual retreats, when integrated into daily life, present a unique context for examining how sustained religious practices shape individual beliefs, behaviours, and perceptions of well-being and purpose. This study explores the linkages between beliefs, practices, and well-being among Hindu devotees known as Kalpvasis, who participate in a spiritual retreat during the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. A sequential mixed-method design was used, beginning with a qualitative phase followed by a quantitative phase. In Study 1, semi-structured interviews were used to understand the experiential perspectives of Kalpvasis and to explore their beliefs, practices, and rituals, as well as their implications for well-being. Semi-structured interviews with 82 Kalpvasis were analysed using thematic network analysis, revealing that religious beliefs (faith, service, personal growth, Purushartha) and values (spiritual, moral) were significant sources of well-being. Participants reported that Hindu cultural customs, rituals, and the Kalpvas experiences significantly enhanced their physical, mental, and spiritual health, while promoting social harmony. Building on these qualitative findings, Study 2 used standardised measures to examine the relationships among spiritual and religious beliefs, religious practices, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction among 194 Kalpvasis. Findings indicated that spiritual beliefs and practices strongly predicted well-being and life satisfaction, while religious beliefs positively influenced ritual engagement but were negatively associated with life satisfaction. Religious practices partially mediated the relationship between beliefs and well-being. These findings highlight the complex interplay between internal belief systems and external behaviours, offering insights into how spirituality and religiosity shape individual and collective well-being during large-scale spiritual gatherings.
During the last two decades, the ageing literature has emphasised the need for positive features of the ageing experience, and the need to reframe late-life perspectives. This becomes a more salient issue with demographic changes in ageing seen worldwide. Since 1965, the flow of immigrants to the United States from India has been steadily rising, including Hindus from India. Every culture consecrates periods of life or developmental milestones with rituals, traditions, or festivities. From the Vedic period, celebrations have been stipulated by the Hindu scriptures for different periods of late adulthood. Specifically, this project focused on the Sastiabdhapurti celebration that marks the completion of the sixtieth birthday. Through face-to-face interviews conducted with 12 Vedic scholars/Hindu priests in the USA, the contemporary practices of Hindu immigrants in the United States were examined in this study. The goal of this project was to increase awareness and understanding of culturally diverse ageing experiences. How we view ageing and late life has implications for how we treat the elderly in our society, and how we regard our own personal ageing.
When diabetes unexpectedly enters someone's life, it starts interfering with every aspect of life, requiring them to make adjustments, adapt and carefully manage their lifestyle. The objectives of this qualitative research were (a) understanding the patients' perceptions about type 2 diabetes and (b) the process of successful adaptation. The study sample consisted of 47 individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, aged 37 to 65 years (mean = 55.44; standard deviation [SD] = 8.56). Among them, 23 (49%) were male and 24 (51%) were female. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview schedule, which tapped information regarding demographics such as age, gender, timeline, educational qualification, and socio-economic status. The semi-structured interview schedule also comprised open-ended questions related to the meaning of diabetes, cognitive and emotional reactions, and appropriate actions for adapting to diabetes. Thematic analysis was performed to analyse and summarise the data from a theoretical perspective. The findings revealed that themes of adaptation can be divided into four broad categories: layperson's understanding of diabetes, mastery, survival competence, and successful adaptation. Patients with diabetes make many attempts to control their diabetes as advised by healthcare professionals, other diabetics and close friends. The results showed that, despite the fact that diabetes ruins their entire lives, patients attempt to cope with diabetes by trying to make sense of their condition.
Emerging adulthood is considered a phase in which an individual is required to make choices that shape identity. It involves making major life decisions regarding occupation and relationships. This study focuses on understanding the identities of emerging adult men in the domains of career, relationship, and gender roles. Participants included 40 single emerging adult men, 18-29 years, from educated upper middle-class families in Vadodara city in Gujarat. In-depth interviews, including open-ended questions and hypothetical vignettes, were conducted to gather the data. The qualitative data was examined through open and axial coding, followed by identifying the common and salient themes across the identity domains. The results reveal that urban middle-class men are inclined to be gender sensitive and are resistant to stereotypical notions of masculinity. Assertion of individuality is clearly observed among the young men along with concern for family harmony.
Adolescence is a critical period during which the likelihood of experiencing self-regulation failures like aggressive outbursts is increased. Recent Indian studies on adolescents have reported an increasing incidence of aggressive acts during this time of transition, which is a threat to the adolescent, the victim and society in general. This study focuses on the social-cognitive perspective, implying that aggression is a social behaviour that is largely affected by one's beliefs about the acceptability of aggression and the degree of cognitive and effortful control they have over their emotions. Such beliefs are likely to be influenced by emotion socialisation, wherein parents and peers act as key agents. With this perspective, the current study, through a mediational model, explains the social-cognitive factors predicting aggressive behaviour in adolescents. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study carried out on a sample of 475 adolescent students from the Delhi-NCR region recruited through purposive sampling. The data were collected through self-report questionnaires from schools and colleges. The model was tested using SPSS AMOS and was found to be a good fit for the data. The findings of this study are crucial from a risk and intervention perspective. It emphasises the need to build socially and emotionally competent students who not only have the skills needed to succeed but also nurture healthy social relationships and maintain positive mental health through adaptive emotion regulation skills.
Written as a commentary on an article penned by Durganand Sinha (1965) for the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, this article of mine shows that he was a true visionary in proposing the integration of Indian psychological thought with modern psychology—the credit for which is almost non-existent in the mainstream psychological literature. Post the publication of his article, there have been certain developments in the West in the growth of the discipline of consciousness studies, which explicitly bear the mark of his contentions. As far as India is concerned, he most certainly influenced the growth of Indian psychology, which this article elucidates by going into its history. Finally, my own publications in the field of Indian psychology show an inadvertent connection with a couple of his enunciations, which allows me to argue and explicate that the legacy that he has left behind lingers on.
Though many studies have linked shared decision-making with positive patient outcomes and patient satisfaction, there is less research on the practicality and feasibility of such an approach, specifically, in India. Recent findings indicate that contextual constraints of the patients and family caregivers are fused with and inevitably shape their decision-making style. This study investigates the influence of individual (paternalistic and shared decision-making style) and contextual (financial status of the patients) factors on certain cultural aspects of decision process, namely, trust in doctors, patient’s agency, emotional distress and attribution of responsibility. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire from a sample of 306 participants. Linear mixed models were used to analyse the responses. The results indicate that a shift towards shared approaches does yield qualitatively superior outcomes in terms of increased trust in doctors and patients’ agency along with reduced emotional distress. The study also emphasises the role of cultural metaphysical beliefs in attributing responsibility for treatment decisions. Further, low financial status was found to be associated with higher trust in doctors, lower patient agency, and increased emotional distress for both patients and family caregivers. The move towards shared decision-making, considering the contextual realities of patients, could be instrumental in addressing critical issues, such as prevalence of collusion, superficial role of informed consent, and high reliance on doctors’ authority or expertise.
The present study investigated the effects of intermarriages versus intramarriages on intragroup and intergroup relationships in terms of evaluation, perceived similarity, social distance and social contact. For this purpose, data were collected from 200 members of the Ertushi and Pinyanishi Kurdish tribes living in Hakkari, Turkey who practiced intramarriage ( n = 108) or intermarriage ( n = 92). Results show that intermarried participants assessed both tribal identities not only positively but also similar to themselves, whereas intramarried participants assessed their tribe more positively and similar to themselves than the other tribe. Also, intermarried participants were significantly different from intramarried participants in terms of contact frequency with ingroup, contact frequency and quality with outgroup and social distance towards outgroup. These findings imply that social identity acquired through marriage affects one’s perception and attitude towards members of that identity positively, as well as reducing social distance and increasing contact frequency/quality with them.
International development and humanitarian organisations are increasingly focused on transitioning from top-down models of practice to 'locally-led approaches' that recognise local epistemologies, capabilities and visions of change. Despite this focus, there remains limited practical guidance to support organisations making this transition. In this article, we aim to suggest ways in which Self-Determination Theory, a well-known theoretical framework in psychology and education, could be applied in the context of development and humanitarian organisations to facilitate transitions to locally-led partnerships and ways of working. We provide an overview of Self-Determination Theory and where it has been used in the development and humanitarian contexts. We propose its feasibility as a framework for transition to locally-led partnerships and approaches in these contexts and suggest specific strategies under a Self-Determination Theory framework that organisations could employ to support both international and local staff members in organisational transitions to locally-led practice.
This article aims to obtain a set of erotic and gory pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) for use in studies across India. Additionally, it compares the ratings of a representative Indian sample with North American norms. Using the Self-assessment Manikin, adult Indian participants rated 72 arousal-matched IAPS pictures on emotional dimensions of arousal, valence and dominance. The ratings of the Indian and North American samples for valence were similar, but arousal and dominance ratings differed significantly. According to the valence–arousal relationship, the Indian sample’s emotional reactions to the unpleasant pictures compared to the pleasant ones were stronger. The Indian sample’s affective space of valence and arousal had a more curved and deeper boomerang pattern than the North American sample. The divergences in arousal and dominance ratings are attributed to cultural differences in interpreting affective information specific to erotic and gory pictures. Although there are marked similarities between the Indian and North American ratings, careful consideration of country-specific normative ratings is recommended for erotic and gory IAPS pictures.
Durganand Sinha found that attitudes formed from a preceding experience influenced participants’ responses to the succeeding one in a laboratory experiment on memory ( Davis & Sinha, 1950 ). He also found that the people of Darjeeling who were affected by the landslide in 1950 had spread rumours to make sense of their surroundings via cognitive and emotional responses ( Sinha, 1952 ). In this article, the author pays tributes to Sinha by making a new case for the importance of attitudes-and-attraction experiments in bolstering his earlier findings. That attitude similarity effects on attraction are stronger when the correctness of the participant’s views is objectively unverifiable rather than verifiable matches with the evidence for efforts about meaning among the Darjeeling residents in the absence of information. Likewise, validation of one’s attitudes by peers and then experiencing positive affect in attraction represent the very same respective cognitive and emotional urges of the Darjeeling people during the post-landslide period. These findings jointly validate Sinha’s views on the prevalence of attitude-driven responding, fusion between responses and sequential relation between cognitive and emotional urges in everyday life.
The dramatic increase of intercultural encounters that have resulted from international migration and globalisation has presented challenges for societies, their institutions and their residents. The assumption is usually made that most culturally plural societies and their members seek to engage in positive encounters, rather than having conflictual ones. There are many factors (political, economic and historical) that can promote or limit the attainment of this goal of positive intercultural relations. Beyond these societal-level factors, another set of factors are psychological; these are based on the presence of some shared underlying psychological processes that enable mutual understanding and acceptance. For over 50 years, I have searched for some of these shared psychological principles, guided by some assertions contained in the Canadian policy of multiculturalism. These assertions are the promotion of: feelings of security in a group's and a person's place in the society; the presence of social contacts that are mutually respectful; and the existence of multiple identities and ways of living in the diverse population. This article reviews the evidence for these principles, using data from Canadian and international studies. I conclude that this psychological research has provided support for these general principles that are derived from public policy. As a result, they are ripe for possible use in many plural societies now seeking ways to manage and improve their intercultural relations. The journey has been from policy to research, and back to policy formulation and implementation.
This article examines how ideological frames, certain context factors and emotions influence choice of a retributory, retaliatory or reconciliatory reaction in intergroup conflict situations. Hindu and Muslim respondents supporting secular multiculturalism and composite culturalism gave their reactions to three norm-violating situations of varying intensities. Multinomial logistic regression was used to predict preferred reactions across situations. Reconciliation in comparison to retaliation and retribution was the most preferred reaction of both Hindus and Muslims. Ideological beliefs also predicted preferred reactions of respondents. Muslims with composite culture beliefs preferred retribution over reconciliation in two out of three situations, while Hindus having composite cultural beliefs preferred reconciliation over retaliation only in one situation. Positive out-group attitudes favoured a reconciliatory reaction in both groups. Anger and fear influenced choice of reactions of Hindus but not of Muslims. For Hindus and Muslims, resource power favoured choosing retribution over reconciliation. However, Muslims with greater retaliatory power chose retaliation. Own group identity and fraternalistic relative deprivation (FRD) played only a minor role.
