Tracking life span of

personalities through
human development
theories
A2 - Psychology of Development and
Learning
Bhagat Singh
Reason I chose Bhagat Singh
Childhood
Family History
• Bhagat Singh’s grandfather Sardar Arjun Singh was a man
of strong feelings for social reforms as well as freedom of
India.
• Bhagat Singh's father Sardar Kishan Singh was also a
freedom fighter who worked with Gadar Revolutionary
Party and went to jail many times. He even tried to
improvise jail’s condition.
• Along with participating in freedom struggle, he also
worked for natural disaster relief work.
Family History
• Bhagat Singh’s elder uncle Sardar Ajit Singh was also an
active freedom fighter.
• Well known for his ‘Paghdi Sambhal Jatta’ movement that forced
colonial rulers to withdraw unjust tax rules imposed on farmers.
• Openly criticized the colonial government
• Launched the Bharat Mata book agency
• At the age of 26 he had to leave India and for 37 years he worked
for freedom of India in various countries outside India.
Family History
• Even Bhagat Singh’s younger uncle Sardar Swaran Singh
was an active part of freedom struggle
• Working for orphans and for drought and earth quake relief
• Publication of freedom literature
• He was kept in isolation for disobeying jail authorities while
suffering from tuberculosis
 Birth
• Born on September 27, 1907

• His father’s name was Sardar Kishan

Singh and mother’s name was
Vidyawati.

• At the time of the thread ceremony

of his two grandsons Jagat Singh and
Bhagat Singh, Arjun Singh said, “I
dedicate them to the freedom
struggle of the nation.”
Childhood
• Bhagat Singh was influenced by his father and uncles.
• His father used to tell him stories about Sikh gurus.
• When he was child, his one uncle died in jail and one
uncle left country for organizing India’s freedom struggle
from abroad.
Childhood
• Once, Bhagat Singh saw his aunt weeping. He wiped
away her tears and promised her to drive away the
British and bring back his uncle, i.e. Ajit Uncle.
• At age 9 he heard about the efforts of the Gadar Party in
which 8000 emigrates returned from America, Canada
and South East Asia to liberate India, particularly its 19
year old leader Martyr Kartar Singh Sarabha who became
a source of great inspiration.
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological
Model
• Bhagat Singh’s family
had a revolutionary
background and he had
seen the sacrifices of
his uncles.
Ecosystem • Bhagat Singh was
influenced by his father
and uncles.
• He linked his family’s
tragedies with
oppressive foreign rule.
Erikson’s Theory of
Psychosocial Development
• When Bhagat Singh was
4 years old, his father
saw him sowing
something in fields. His
Stage 3 - father grew curious and
asked him what he was
Initiative vs. Guilt doing. He replied “Father
(4 – 6 years) I am sowing guns so that
I can drive away the
Britishers.” His father felt
proud of his son and
hugged him.
Vygotsky’s socio – cultural
theory
• Bhagat Singh used to
Basic assumption: hear about revolutionary
stories and activities
Adults convey to every day as everyone in
children through his family participated in
conversation how the freedom fight.
their culture • They used to talk about
revolutionary stories and
interprets and activities every day and
responds to the by listening to them he
world. was inspired to become
a part of the freedom
struggle.
Schooling

Primary Education Secondary Education

Completed his primary He went to Lahore and

education in Banga. joined private school
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological
Model
• Once in school, teacher
asked the students about
their ambitions. Some
said doctor, lawyer,
teacher, etc.
• When it was Bhagat
The Mesosystem Singh’s turn to reply he
said that his ambition
was to fight for freedom
of his country.
Adolescence
The Spark of Revolution
Spark of Revolution
• During Jallianwala Baugh Massacre, Bhagat Singh was
only 12 years old.
• Bhagat Singh’s mind was deeply disturbed. He went to
the site of massacre.
• He collected a bottle of mud wet with the blood of the
innocent Indians killed, and returned home.
Spark of Revolution
• He was disturbed by the thought that the people who
had assembled were unarmed and how can the police
open fire on unarmed people.
• The feeling of British must be driven out of India became
stronger and at the age of 13, Bhagat Singh took the
decision of joining freedom struggle and got the
permission from his father instantly.
Vroom’s Theory of Expectancy
• Bhagat Singh wanted
to become a part of
freedom fight.
• Jallianwala Baugh
Massacre was
Instrumentality instrumental for him
to make the decision
of joining freedom
struggle.
Non – corporation movement
Non – corporation movement
• Bhagat Singh was 14 years old
• Bhagat Singh left his school and took part in this
movement.
• Every week he would collect foreign clothes, heap them
up and burn them.
• In 1922, non – corporation movement was withdrawn by
Gandhiji as he was upset about the mob attack on police
station in Chauri Chaura.
Non – corporation movement
• When Gandhiji withdrawal of Non – corporation
movement, Bhagat Singh was deeply disappointed by
Gandhiji.
• His faith in non violence weakened and he came to the
conclusion that armed revolution was the only practical
way of winning freedom.
Formal Operation Stage
• Bhagat Singh was able
to do hypothetical
thinking and he
understood that with
non – violence we will
Hypothetical not give immediate
results.
thinking
• Hence he understood
that for the revolution
to happen there is
need of ammunitions
and weapons as well.
College Life
• Joined National College of Lahore which was started by
Lala Lajpat Rai.
• He studied about revolution of France, Russia, Ireland
and Italy.
• He was deeply influenced by Marxist Revolution
• He even participated in patriotic plays like Rana Pratap,
Samrat Chandragupta and Bharat Durdasha.
• He met Sukhdev Thappar and Bhagwati Charan Vohra in
that college.
Erikson’s Theory of
Psychosocial Development
• Bhagat Sing
developed his own
Stage 5 – Identity personality and
identity in college by
vs. Role socializing with a lot
Confusion of people and taking
part in extra –
curricular activity.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• When Bhagat Singh

was interacting with
others and was
Stage 4 – Self
forming his own
esteem identity, his self
esteem was very
high.
Hindustan Republican
Association
• Bhagat Singh was 16 years old when he left his home
town and went to Kanpur.
• There he met editor of newspaper named ‘Pratap’ i.e.
Ganesh Shankar Vidhyarthi who was also a revolutionary.
• Through Vidhyarthi, Bhagat Singh met Chandrashekhar
Azad.
• Before becoming member of Hindustan Republican
Association, he had to give a test to show his emotional
stability and loyalty towards his fellow mates and
country.
• This way, he joined Hindustan Republican Association.
Erikson’s Theory of
Psychosocial Development

• Bhagat Sing
developed identity as
Stage 5 – Identity an individual once he
vs. Role started working with
Confusion great leaders like
Chandrashekhar
Azad.
Adulthood
Hindustan Socialist Republican
Association
• Bhagat Singh was very much inspired by Marxist theory
of socialism.
• In 1928, he proposed the idea of renaming Hindustan
Republican Association to Hindustan Socialist Republican
Association.
• The reason behind this was that Bhagat Singh believed in
socialism in which there was democracy i.e. all the
people were considered equal and there was no
capitalism.
• He proposed that HSRA will carry out missions which
helps to acquire the socialist aspect along with
revolutionary aspect.
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral
Development
• Bhagat Singh was able to
Level 3 – Post see that the current laws
of the society were not
Conventional helping in current
Morality situation.
• He had the view that
Stage 5: Social even after independence
Contract there will be capitalism.
• Hence, he decided to
Orientation take initiative of
changing this system and
bringing socialism.
Saunders Assassination
Saunders Assassination
• Revenge for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai which occurred
during Simon Commission.
• On December 17, 1928, the revolutionaries Bhagat Singh
and Shivaram Rajguru shot and killed assistant
superintendent of police John Saunders.
• There was a case of mistaken identity and instead of John
Scott, Saunders was killed.
Saunders Assassination
• After Saunders assassination, there were pamphlets
which were distributed which said “With death of J.P.
Saunders, the assassination of Lala Lajpat Rai is being
taken.”
• Bhagat Singh was feeling guilty for killing wrong person.
• After death of Saunders, Bhagat Singh shaved his beard
and hair in order to save himself from police and went to
Kolkata along with Durga Vohra (Durga Bhabhi), her son
and Rajguru.
Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

• Bhagat Singh chose

to shave his beard
and head because he
Ego knew that this was
the practical step to
be safe.
Central Assembly Bombing
Central Legislative Assembly
Bombing
• British government wanted to place two bills i.e. Public
Safety Bill and Trade Dispute Bill before Central
Legislative Assembly which reduced the civil liberties of
citizens.
• To oppose these two bills and to “make deaf hear”,
Bhagat Singh and Battukeshwar Dutt threw bombs which
made loud noise and emitted smoke but did not harm
anyone.
Central Legislative Assembly
Bombing
• After throwing bombs they threw pamphlets and started
saying “Inquilab Zindabad”.
• They surrendered themselves as Bhagat Singh’s other
plan for this mission was to reach out to media for
conveying real objectives of their organization and that
was possible only if he goes to jail and has court trials.
Formal Operation Stage
• Bhagat Singh thought
logically that if he
wanted to put forth his
and his organization’s
Hypothetical idea in front of people
then media is the
thinking strongest option.
• For reaching out to
media, he will have to
go to prison for the
court trials to happen.
A revolution in prison
Hunger Strike
• The conditions of the prison was not good.
• The basic needs of prisoners like proper food to eat,
clean clothes to wear and proper toilets were not
provided.
• They were being discriminated against political prisoners
who were provided all the basic needs.
• For getting the basic needs fulfilled, Bhagat Singh and his
friends started with hunger strike which lasted for 116
days.
• Whenever they were taken to court, Bhagat Singh and
his friends will raise the issue of conditions of prison and
demand for fulfillment of their basic needs.
Drive Theory of Motivation

• Bhagat Singh and his

companions
Drive theory of underwent a hunger
motivation strike because in jail
their basic needs
were not fulfilled.
Court trials
• For the court trials, Bhagat Singh chose to defend
himself.
• In the court, he put forth his ideologies of socialism and
total independence.
• He would even defend himself by saying that the bombs
were made just to create a loud noise and smoke. It did
not harm anyone.
Court trials
• In their own words, “If the deaf are to hear, the sound
has to be very loud. When we dropped bomb, it was
not our intention to kill anyone. We have bombed the
British Government. The British must quit India and
make her free.”
• Due to court trials, Bhagat Singh’s ideologies were
spreading everywhere and people were supporting
them.
• People even started following Bhagat Singh’s ideology
and protested against the judgement taken for hanging
of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thappar and Shivaram Rajguru.
Kohlberg’s theory of moral
development

Level 3 – Post- • Bhagat Singh gave

conventional the principle of
socialism and
morality secularism which is
Stage 6 – applicable to
Universal everyone and
everywhere.
Principles
Death
Death
• Bhagat Singh’s and his friend’s hanging was supposed to
be at 24th March 1931.
• But they were being hanged on midnight of 23rd March
1931.
• They had urged to shoot them like revolutionaries and
not to hang them like criminals. But their this wish was
not fulfilled.
• On 23rd March 1931,these three brave revolutionaries i.e.
Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thappar and Shivaram Rajguru
were martyred and they are now immortal.
Conclusion
Reference
• The Trial of Bhagat Singh – Politics of Justice written by A.G.
Noorani
• Why I am an Atheist? written by Bhagat Singh
• 51 Great Men & Women of India written by P.L. Bhola & A.P.
Sharma
• Movies
• Legend of Bhagat Singh
• 23rd March 1931 Shaheed