Book Review: Psychology in Modern India

Name of the book: Psychology in Modern

India: Historical, Methodological, and Future Perspectives

Publisher: Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd

Year of publication: 2021

To the Editor,

The book Psychology in Modern India ¹ captures the true essence of the growth of Indian psychology in a precise and thorough manner. The title itself seems to be well thought through, as the book takes the reader along a journey to the different parts of the nation, highlighting all the revolutionary milestones and achievements. The material and information provided in the book are clearly presented with a well-organized division of sections under relevant headings. The abstracts and concluding comments provide ease of understanding to the reader.

The first section of the book focuses on the historical trajectory of Indian psychology. This era marked the beginning of experimental and applied psychology with the contribution of stalwart professor G.S. Bose. The growth of the overall field in various regions of the country also reflected the utility among other disciplines such as defense services and railways. The personalized and in-depth account of the eminent teachers and their contributions truly inspires the reader. The chapter on psychoanalysis, which has been referred to as the “personal project” of Professor Bose, highlights the attempt to indigenize the concept from the West. The author has also emphasized the need to adapt to culturally appropriate psychology.

The second section on disciplinary perspectives articulates the historical account of the journey of establishing the field of psychology in teaching and research practices. Authors have reiterated the need to understand “Indian psychology” rather than “psychology in India.”

The third section of the volume highlights the role of psychometric assessment, beginning with the initial years of politically independent India to the development of specific tests for academic endeavors. This section provides the reader with the needed insights into promoting the concept of indigenization from without (transporting psychological concepts to the present cultural requirements) and inspires aspirants to pursue indigenous research in the various subfields of social and organizational psychology. One chapter provides a 360-degree world view of the field of clinical psychology in India. The authors have painted the ground reality by highlighting the achievements and challenges in a realistic yet comprehensive manner. The authors emphasize an essential need to increase the availability of skilled professionals and overcome the limitations of the regulatory body in promoting the field of clinical psychology. In the final section of the book, the authors critically analyze the cultural embeddedness of the discipline of psychology. It has been extensively emphasized that the true identity of Indian psychology must be retained.

At the outset, an enormous task has been accomplished by the editors and contributors of the book by bringing to the fraternity of psychology this valuable and rich resource. Looking back to our earlier student life, attaining all this knowledge under one roof would have been a luxury. Truly, this compilation of accounts by eminent authors will serve as a rich educational tool for all aspirant psychologists, researchers, mental health professionals, and paraprofessionals. The stalwart figures highlighted in the history of the field in India often remain unnoticed and forgotten. It has been enlightening to know about these revolutionaries who paved the way to bring psychology to where it is today. However, in the beginning, a large chunk of text is dedicated to the historical trajectory and the repetitive criticism of the colonial influence on the discipline. Also, as a reader, it seems that a large section of the discourse favored a specific geographical region. The detailed descriptions of projects undertaken and their current functioning seem to deviate from the book’s purpose. It must be noted that the rich pool of information in the text lays the needed groundwork and provides a future perspective to conduct indigenous research. Overall, this book is a reader’s delight, well-structured, and comprehensive with effective conclusions and takeaways. An essential future direction could be for this book to be included in the educational curriculum for the academic endeavors in our country.