In Search of the Cultural Coordinates in Psychology
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Abstract
Psychology for a considerable period was dominated by the western model. A model that was steeped in the core values of the western world. As these core values were different from those prevalent in other cultures including the Asian subcontinent the lack of fit between the Asian reality and the western perspective led to a call for culture specific psychology. A psychology which was in sync with ,the context in which behaviour was located and being investigated. The realization that behaviour cannot be understood in isolation of the cultural context in which it was embedded enabled psychologist to explore the cultural coordinates of behaviour. The call for indigenous psychology led to the proliferation of research in culture specific issues, but the piecemeal way in which these issues were handled have not significantly contributed to the growth of the discipline. The gap between research and real-life problems needs to be abridged and the colonial hangover has to be critically evaluated. We need to evolve our own template and prototype for studying the cultural constructs. This paper attempts to identify the culture specificity of psychological research along with the domains in which Indian psychology can contribute to the global knowledge pool in furthering the understanding of behaviour
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References
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