For some time now, I have been thinking about whether I should go to India and become a part of the educational system there. Although my current research work is more inclined towards psychological science than psychology, I was still keen to participate in major conferences and academic programs there to understand the educational scenario of India. In this connection, I participated in the ‘National Academy of Psychology’ (NAOP) conference, which was earlier just a hobby for me, but this time my purpose was to understand in depth who are active in this field and what they are thinking.
State and direction of psychology
After looking at the state of psychology in India, it became clear that this field is currently going through a phase of crisis. Twenty years ago, when Allahabad University was playing a leading role in this field and some passionate academics were working there, then perhaps this field was in its golden period. But now the situation has changed a lot. It seems that the older generation has failed to develop leadership skills in its next generation. As a result, today’s generation considers success to be following in their parents’ footsteps rather than forging their own path.
This tendency is somehow a part of India’s traditional family mindset—where good children are those who live out their parents’ dreams, not their own. This mindset prevents academic freedom and innovation, especially in a subject that is directly related to human thought, behaviour and society.
Conflict between Western and Indian Psychology
The way psychology is taught and understood in India is still largely traditional. The older generation is still trying to introduce Indian philosophy into psychology, but they maintain a distance from the scientific method of modern psychology. They are reluctant to adopt Newtonian psychology—which emphasizes measurement, inference and scientific basis.
While the use of Indian philosophy in the Indian context may be meaningful to some extent, this approach cannot be applied in every situation. The problem becomes more serious when these people refuse to use modern psychological tools. Today’s global psychology world is based on a variety of research methods—such as neuroscience, data analytics, and behavioral economics, while Indian academic psychology is still limited to questionnaire-based studies.
The absence of Indian psychology on the global stage
Sadly, Indian psychology has not been able to make its mark anywhere on the global stage. A few enthusiasts are certainly making efforts in health psychology, but they are also exceptions. Indian researchers are neither able to bring their specialties to the world nor are they able to connect themselves with the mainstream of modern psychology.
Even today, students are curious, but teachers who can guide are rare. Until this system has the courage to adopt new thinking, India’s psychology system will remain entangled in domestic conventions and old ideas.
It is necessary to make psychology social and relative
Psychology cannot be limited to only individual study. In today’s era, it should be understood in a social, relative and cultural perspective. In Western psychology too, the idea is rapidly emerging that the behavior of every person is related to his social, cultural and economic environment.
Indian society, with its diversity—in languages, customs, and outlook on life—can be the richest study ground for psychology in the world. But this is only possible if we maintain the honesty and openness to look within ourselves.
NAOP Conference Experience: A Platform of Homogeneous Thoughts
Many things surprised me at this NAOP conference. First of all, very few people attended it and the presence of foreign speakers was negligible. Those who were invited were also repeating almost the same ideas that are already prevalent in the system. This clearly shows that this platform is no longer open to new ideas.
NAOP has become much more homogeneous than before. This prevents learning from diversity and the novelty that comes from mixing different ideologies. Another distracting thing was the repeated praise of the speakers on the stage—praise they have heard many times in their lifetime. It is nothing but a waste of time and energy.
Visiting Hyderabad: Things That Bring Optimism
After finishing the conference, I met various inspiring people—startup founders, engineers and anyone working on innovation—in Hyderabad. All of them were doing exceptional work in the areas they worked in. But their organizations had a common problem—the lack of developing new generation leaders. The organizations are running, but the lack of a new generation of thoughtful, critical-thinking leaders is emerging as a big challenge.
What is the way forward?
Is there a solution to all this? Can Indian psychology reinvent itself? This question still resonates in my mind. Perhaps when the old powers and their influences fall, new life will come into this field.
India is a wonderful country, whose society and culture provide extraordinary opportunities for the study of psychology. All that is needed is to bring flexibility in our thinking, break the old structures and adopt innovation. Only then can we give Indian psychology the place it truly deserves at the global level.
Conclusion:
The world of psychology in India is bound by inertia and tradition on one hand, and on the other hand there is a ground full of young thinking and social diversity. If a bridge can be built between the two—which can connect old thinking with modern tools and global ideas—then this field can become relevant again. But for that, courage, hunger for change and most importantly—independent thinking is needed.
