STATUS OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY IN INDIA Social psychology in India was

introduced as an academic emd research discipline in 1928 as compared tosociology and

social anthropology being introduced earlier during 1900-1920. The study of various

groups in India was based on caste, religion, tribal, and rural communities and their

rituals, customs, and traditions. In sociology and anthropology, these were explored

from the beginning by using field-based methods of surveys and observations. These

disciplines in India have not been completely influenced and replicated in the manner

sociology and social anthropology had developed in Britain and USA (Srinivas &

Panini, 1973).

But this was not the case in the field of social psychology. As reported in the survey

by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), the early phase of research

in social psychology in India was the replication of themes, processes, and methods

developed by western social psychologists (Mitra, 1972). Most of the research findings

related to various aspects of social behavior were not integrated to develop new

psychological models and theories (Pandey, 1988; Rath, 1972). Subsequent psychology

research surveys by the ICSSR have emphasized on incorporating and evaluating

indigenous concepts and theories developed and applicable in Indian socio-cultural

contexts (Misra, 2009). The adaptation of western psychology in a different cultural setup

is known as indigenization (Sinha, 1998). However, in the process of indigenization,

various socio-cultural concepts are examined using traditional Indian philosophical

thoughts. This is referred to as Indian social psychology. Indian cross-cultural studies

have only examined the cultural similarities and differences using western themes and

methods of social psychology replicated on Indian samples. There was no attempt to

study Indian concepts of social behavior in other cultures and develop extensive and

integrated models for imderstanding these concepts globally (Misra & Gergen, 1993).

Various concepts and processes of social behavior specific to Indian culture are being

explained from the perspectives of traditional Indian philosophies and religiorrs, such as
Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, in order to develop Indian social psychology

(Dalai & Misra, 2010).