SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY IN INDIA:

EVOLUTION AND EMERGING TRENDS

Ajit K.Dalal | Girishwar Misra

Study on understanding how people relate to each other and conduct their social life.
Quests of these studies was to develop social institutions which uphold social norms
and individual aspirations, where people can live with peace and harmony.
Apart from common quest there are differences in world view of western and non-
western from methods of inquiry to ontology of human existence. Indian thinkers
concentrated on ideal state, western scholars focused on observed reality of interaction
of man. But this study could be implied to understand social issues faced by India.
Paper has examined dilemmas of Indian psychologists and prove that societal
development and social psychological developments impinges on to each other.
What is Social in Social Psychology?
Deals with human interaction with other humans and society with different methodology
and views of scientists namely Staat, Graumann, Allport, Latane and Darle and some
regionally different ideas of French Moscovici and Durkheim (European being different
from American social psychology). While India gaining sociological trends from
European model and psychological from American model
The Indian Heritage
All scholarly pursuits had no distinction between psychology, philosophy and religion in
analyzing social behavior.
At core is DHARMA (600BC)(proper action, moral duty), it influenced ways of thinking,
perceiving and categorizing experiences. Consisting of desh, kala, shrama, guna it’s a
process to maintain a harmonious relationship with society.
Ramayana and Mahabharata gave view of social life (man, society and divine) through
the ages. Indian tradition believed that individual function of one blends with individual
function of others and result in collective balance of living combined organism, which
is the ultimate goal of life. It also focuses on interdependence and interrelatedness of
man and society which is complex and hierarchical. Self-development lies in realizing
this unreal existence and performing dharma without a sense of attachment.
During colonial rule westernization brought with it customs, norms, science and
technology. It some Indians think of their own culture to be inferior than west’s while
others like Raja Rammohan Roy, Tagore, Vivekanand, Gokhale wanted to make use
of it by making relevant changes in Indian sociology, whereas 3 rd section like Tilak and
Gandhi wanted moral spiritual renewal with equity and harmony.
Social psychology in the west
Work of Plato(the Republic) and Aristotle in Greece formed basis for study of social
behavior with Greek analytic approach, which afterwards conflicted with Christianity in
17th century.
August Comte(French Philosopher) carved out new science of social psychology,
coined term la morale, book “system of positive polity”, though his interest remained
in sociology. He believed that the existence of a language, culture, social system, is
prior to the lives of individuals. Seminal work of Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill,
Herbert Spencer prepared ground for development. Books of Ross(Sociologist),
McDougall (psychologist) heralded scientific approach to social psychology.
Post war period(1950-60s) were the boom years of social psychology. Research on
group morale, persuasive communication and prejudice under influence of Gestalt
school and Attribution theory(1960), attitude and attitude changes came up. But during
1960-70s crisis of confidence raised questions on ethical research procedures,
methodological weaknesses and ideological biases.
Sociologically and psychologically oriented, are two distinct social psychologies, with its
own perspectives, disciplinary base, differing academic heritage, methodology and
orientations and have limited points of contacts in between.
Alternative constructions of social problems and research methodology to render social
psychology gave rise to alternative social psychologies mainly consisting of Discursive,
Ethogenics, Narrative, Symbolic Interactionism, Ethnomethodology, Cultural and
Activity.
Social psychology in India
Post-colonial literature was derived from scriptures which mirrored Indian society till
the beginning of 20th century. But during colonial rule Indian tradition were in no
parallel with western society leading to revolt of 1857 and building up of sociological
and anthropological studies by turn of 20 th century.
But 1st social psychology department established in Calcutta University, headed by
N.N.Sengupta (who worked at Harvard in experimental psychology)
1928-50
1. N.N.Sengupta and sociologist Radhakamal Mukherjee published book on social
psychology in 1928.
2. Analysis of primary and secondary data was influenced by European sociologists,
while social psychologist followed American tradition, these different approaches
widened gap between sociology and psychology.
3. Barlett studied reconstructive memory of events as its transmitted from one,
Jamuna prasad on rumours of earthquake, Sinha on cognitive dissonance. During that
time more focus was on logical analyses of social phenomena and less experimental
work.
4. After independence PM Nehru adopted western science, which affected
psychology. During partition Gardner Murphy (UNESCO team) along with Indian
psychologist worked on understanding social psychological results of communal
hatred.
1960-70
1. In early 1960s McClelland’s n-Arch theory convinced many psychologist that India’s
underdevelopment was due to low achievement of its people, leading to
entrepreneurial training institute. But it was questioned by Sinha(1968) as under
scarce resources, high n-Arch didn’t facilitate altruistic behavior.
2. ICSSR established in 1969. And in later years work on prejudice, stereotypes and
social attitudes was done by Adinarayan, Rath and Sircar.
3. Experimental work progressed in Knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP) with over 240
studies in late 1960s, due to focus on public awareness programs.
4. There was noticeable change in publications in the field from 16 then 19 to 30
percent of total publications, at the end of 1975.

1970-90
1. In late 1970s there was disillusionment with the applicability of western theories,
that they didn’t provide solutions to complex problems of change and development
in India. Sinha called for development of an indigenous psychology with its own
paradigm.
2. 3 surveys conducted by ICSSR from 1972-88, conveyed that 70% research were
on clinical, social, personality and organizational, 13-14% used experimental
method and 41% college sophomores.

The crisis of identity

Psychologists need to understand aspects of Indian social reality through western
concepts in systematic manner than mechanical way. Our social psychology is
gradually evolving an identity of its own, like work of Asish Nandy’s and Sudhir Kakar’s
including historical accounts, myths, narratives, everyday experiences, and J.B.P.
Sinha and Misra. But still we have no textbook on social psychology from an Indian
perspective.
Possibilities and Prospects
Data and theories are based on educated urban middle class, ignoring marginalized
people. Lack of information on their behavior patterns, intrinsic qualities, aspects of
social life make social psychology deprived of niche source of knowledge.
There is need for sensitivity to multiple perspectives to enhance the range of social
psychological discourse.
Culture and social psychology being mutually related can facilitate solutions to local
problems, and appreciate cultural aspects of social reality.
We need a critical and emancipatory spirit in psychology which pursue social justice,
self determination, participation of people to resolve community problems, along with
cultural variations. This view has been missing in Social psychological research
Some dilemmas in practising Social Psychology
Making social psychology interdisciplinary led to separation of teaching departments,
research problems, methods of investigation, journals and professional bodies and thus
created barriers in communication.
Indigenizing social psychology(concerned with tradition and culture) in contemporary
mode might lead to irrelevance, but at the same time it has to be indigenous for
relevance, which creates dilemma for psychology which is yet to develop.
Social psychology is mainly theoretical, thus a question of applicability rises.
Development of “Applied social psychology”, and best to blend academic and social
concerns in the research process, could be the way out . And Theory and Data driven
research should be equally favored, as none of them operates in isolation.

The social psychological research in Indiadescribing reality with the help of available (western)
conceptual