The Bulk and the Front of Psychology in India

Abstract

Indian psychology has been rapidly expanding. The number of psychologists, institutions offering courses in psychology, research publications, and journals are increasing. However, the bulk of research remains replicative and imitative. There is a slow and gradual increase in problem-oriented and culture sensitive research carried out by a small minority of front runners who are constrained by the lack of intellectual and professional support, infrastruc tural deficiencies, and inadequate financial and human resources. Together they create obstacles which leave many psychologists with hardly any energy for sustained research of high standard. The paper traces the roots of these proximate impediments to three major predisposing factors: pervasive poverty, excessive political interference and government control, and social values and practices in India. The new policy of the government together with the awareness of Indian psychologists of the societal demands and their roles, it is hoped, are likely to create a condition conducive for the rapid growth of "appropriate" psychology in India.