Pages: 25

The introductory chapter starts with an overview of the Indian civilisational context and its unique psychological frameworks that centre on self and consciousness, with mind as a subset; this emphasises the decolonising movement in social sciences, broadly and in psychology, in particular. The chapter details the history of psychology as a discipline in pre-independent and independent India. The chapter discusses the early history of psychology as a discipline, various schools of psychology and the approaches used in psychology to understand phenomena in the Euro-American context. Research methods in psychology as a science; the strengths as well as limitations of these research methods, particularly their cultural relevance and ethical aspects, are discussed. Finally, the chapter concludes with an exploration of the various career options available for students choosing psychology as their major or specialisation subject, in India and globally.

Pages: 29

This chapter focuses on the basis of the question: Who am I through the biological determinants of who you are as a person? The chapter discusses the genetic bases of inheritance, identifying key concepts of Mendelian genetics and human reproduction. The chapter details the endocrine and nervous systems and the structure and function of the brain as well as advanced understandings of processes – epigenetics, plasticity and neurogenesis. These processes are bidirectionally linked to cultural and social context. The chapter then describes and discusses the approaches, concepts and theoretical perspectives about the role culture and social contexts play, including but not limited to socialisation, acculturation and enculturation, languages and the role of nutrition. The chapter analyses the unique interplay between culture and biology in being a person and how it impacts through the lifespan, within a sociocultural context and across cultures.

Pages: 23

This chapter, in line with the Indian civilisational context, starts with a demystified understanding of consciousness, as experienced in and through the body. It introduces various states of consciousness, the phasic rhythms that affect the experience and the linkages between attention awareness and consciousness. The chapter discusses the various definitions of consciousness, states of consciousness of waking, dreaming and deep sleep and its neurocognitive correlates, in juxtaposition with Indian perspectives on consciousness. Finally, the chapter defines and describes altered states of consciousness both in terms of meditative practices and in terms of drugs and substances.

Pages: 16

This chapter, in continuation of understanding embodied processes, introduces the concepts of sensation and perception in contemporary psychology. It describes the early psychological concepts and the principles of signal detection and processing – bottom-up, top-down, direct perception. There are five senses; psychology has been more focused on visual and auditory perception. With this brief discussion, the chapter then examines the process of visual perception and identifies the principles of perception. Do we really see reality as it is? – This question is discussed in juxtaposition with the Indian perspectives on visual perception, and perception as such. Finally, the chapter examines the process of auditory perception.

Pages: 24

This chapter discusses the systemic processes of attention, learning and memory. There has been a century-old focus on learning in Euro-American psychology; acknowledging the same, the chapter first defines and describes the concept and principles of learning and locates its applications. Learning does not happen in isolation and is intimately connected to the memory and attention systems; the chapter introduces the concept and principles of memory, the types and models of memory and neural correlates of memory and forgetting. Interlinking these processes are the attention systems; the chapter, then, examines the concept of attention, functions of attention and theories of attention and reviews its applications. Finally, these interlinked learning memory and attention systems are discussed and contextualised in the specific reference to students in higher education setting.

Pages: 18

We all experience and articulate the ‘self’. This chapter introduces the theoretical understanding of self and self-awareness in contemporary psychology and in Indian psychology. Self through the lifespan is discussed along with the development of self-concept. The self is not isolated, and the development of a theory of mind is discussed along with relational self and a social self. The chapter then defines and describes thinking, concept formation and knowledge representation that are embedded in a social and cultural world through the lifespan. The specific aspects of goal-oriented thinking and problem-solving are discussed with their applications in the life context of a young person/student reader. The chapter then contextualises, defines and describes meta-cognitive knowledge and skills that can be applied to become self-sufficient life-long learners.

Pages: 19

This chapter defines and describes problem-solving and creativity as foundational aspects of self. It compares problem-solving and creativity in terms of their conceptualisation, process and outcomes. The chapter describes creative thinking, the creative process and its relationship to intrinsic motivation, self-awareness and group functioning. Logical processes, reasoning and the role of non-logical processes in our decision-making and creativity are described. Finally, the chapter describes the role of language and describes a theoretical understanding of language and communication as interwoven in the process of thinking.

Pages: 23

This chapter, in continuing with the discussion on self-awareness, creativity and problem-solving, introduces and describes the concepts, principles and theories in motivation as embedded in the social cultural context. It discusses the contextual embeddedness of drives such as hunger motivation and sleep. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is described and contextualised, with a discussion on the Indian motivational framework of Dharma, Artha, Kāma and Mokṣa. The chapter describes and explains concepts, principles and theories in emotion, with a specific focus on the Indian theory of Rasa. Finally, the chapter analyses the cultural construction of emotion and its applications in the social and cultural context, particularly in positive emotions and well-being.

Pages: 32

This chapter further contextualises the concepts of individual differences. The first section, which defines the concept of intelligence, reviews whether there is a universal and single notion of intelligence; different theories of intelligence; their limitations and advances in terms of the concepts of emotional intelligence and multiple intelligence. The section discusses the relationship between intelligence and other factors of cognitive performance. The section introduces common measures of intelligence and examines the issues of their validity and reliability in the Indian context, especially in light of the social context and the stereotype threat. The next section defines and describes the concept of personality, reviews different theories of personality and discusses the overlapping relationship between the concepts of personality, identity and self-awareness. Measures of personality assessments are described and critiqued; the issues of conceptual equivalence, validity and reliability in the Indian social context are discussed.

Pages: 21

This chapter introduces the basic principles of lifespan development pivoted on epigenetics and culture through the lifespan; domains, periods of development and theories of human development through lifespan are introduced. The processes of conception till birth are described and contextualised for genetics/inheritance and epigenetic processes in human development outcomes through both early interventions and nutrition. The chapter discusses emerging reproductive choices such as surrogacy and adoption. The chapter reviews key psychological theories, such as Piaget's and Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development during infancy and childhood. Finally, the chapter introduces puberty and adolescence in terms of cognitive, affective, social, emotional, physical and personality development.

Pages: 25

This chapter continues the journey of human lifespan development. The first section examines adolescence as embedded in the social context and thereby review changes in adolescent cognition, socio-emotional development and development of identity within the framework of risks and resilience. Advances in understanding of the adolescent brain, decision-making and careers, interpersonal relationships and risky behaviour are discussed. The second section describes and discusses how early middle and late adulthood is embedded in the social context; physiological changes, lifestyle disorders, changes in cognition, socio-emotional development, theories of identity and well-being are described. Finally, the chapter reviews the physiological changes during late adulthood and the process of ageing; processes of dying and preparation for death are culturally contextualised and described.

Pages: 18

Chapter 12 introduces social psychology from a developing world lens. The debates on indigenisation and globally relevant psychology are foregrounded to discuss the socio-political and cultural contexts of the developing world social psychologies. The concepts of social self and self-presentation in the presence of others are discussed. The relational self, with the focus on attachments, interpersonal relationships, family, friendships and love relationships, is described and discussed. Social cognition, including decision-making and both pro-social/helping and aggressive behaviours, are described and discussed. Collectivity and self, as well as behaviours within groups, are discussed. Finally, the idea of being different is examined through the concepts of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination in terms of gender, sexuality, disability and intergroup relations in the Indian social context.

Pages: 15

This chapter continues to build on Chapter 12 on social psychology, by particularly focusing on the process of group formations, the benefits of affiliation, different types of groups and characteristics of groups such as roles, norms and cohesiveness. The chapter discusses group processes such as social facilitation, social loafing and conditions that affect group decision-making, including faulty group decision-making. Conformity, compliance and obedience are also discussed, particularly contextualised in the Indian context. Finally, the chapter concludes with a review of the applications of group processes in applied psychology professional training.

Pages: 36

This chapter describes mental disorders and locates the role of ecosystem, culture and socio-economic context in understanding mental illness and health. This leads to the conversation on stigma associated with mental disorders. The chapter discusses several models of abnormality, including the indigenous Indian models of yoga and āyurveda. The second section examines the criteria of assessments and diagnosis, also laying out the processes followed in India. The third section describes selected disorders in infancy and childhood, adolescence and early adulthood and among the elderly. The chapter analyses disorders across the lifespan, such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, thought disorders, dissociated and somatoform disorders, sexual disorders and alcohol and substance abuse disorders.

Pages: 24

This chapter continues with the discussion in the chapter on mental disorders by setting the eco-systems context in the trajectory of recovery and healing, emphasising the role of culture and beliefs, structures and socio-demographic factors in therapy. The chapter describes the community mental health perspective and community-led interventions in India. The second section describes and analyses the role of Indigenous Indian psychotherapies – yoga, meditation – in recovery process. Along with this, several models of psychotherapies, such as cognitive behaviour therapy, psychodynamic and interpersonal approaches and behaviour therapy, are explained and discussed. Thirdly, the second section identifies the various pharmacological interventions and biological interventions and finally contextualises the professional requirements in psychotherapy and counselling.

Pages: 26

This chapter comes full circle, defining health and well-being as abiding in self-Svastha. The chapter focuses on the continuum of illness to well-being, contextualising health as a factor of cultural construction, emphasising the role of beliefs and attitudes as well as behaviours that directly affect health and well-being. The second section describes specific cultural and context-related practices in nutrition, healthy lifestyles and connecting with epigenetics and cellular processes of ageing. The bio-psychosocial model of health is described; the role of stress, its mechanisms, coping and reliance are discussed as applied through the lifespan. This is analysed and compared with indigenous models that identify the role of spirituality in health and well-being throughout the lifespan. Finally, health promotion and prevention are discussed from a public health perspective.