Psychology & Developing Societies recent issues

Conceptualisation of Health and Illness: A Study of Social Representations among Bondos of Orissa

Dixit, S., Mishra, M., Sharma, A.K. — 2008-05-01

The present article attempts to understand the relationship between culture and health through an empirical investigation of health and illness conceptualisation among the members of Bondo tribe of Orissa in India. The investigation of socio-cultural definitions and meanings of health and illness was done using the social representations framework. The dynamic nature of health and illness conceptualisation was investigated among the three groups of Bondos: The upper, isolated group; middle, partially assimilated group; and lower assimilated group. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observations and focus group discussions. Qualitative content analysis of responses was done in order to extract the meaning of categories employed by the three groups of Bondos. The content of these categories reflected the content of the social representations of health and illness among the Bondos. The categories employed by the Bondos for sense-making of health and illness states revealed the meanings of health and illness, beliefs regarding causes of illness, healing practices and treatment pattern and the difference in meanings and definitions of health and illness among the three groups of Bondos.

Karma-Yoga, the Indian Work Ideal, and its Relationship with Empathy

Mulla, Z. R., Krishnan, V. R. — 2008-05-01

Karma-Yoga, the technique of performing action such that the soul of the actor is not bound by the results of the action, constitutes the Indian work ideal. The relationship of Karma-Yoga with the dimensions of empathy was explored through a study done on 108 students in a postgraduate programme of business management. Karma-Yoga was found to be related to some dimensions of empathy. The results highlighted the differential impact of dimensions of empathy. Empathic concern was found to be related to Karma-Yoga only for those individuals who were low on personal distress. For individuals high on personal distress, empathic concern was not related to Karma-Yoga. Findings indicate that Karma-Yoga is very similar to altruism motivation in the Indian context. Individuals who are high on empathic concern and low on personal distress are more likely to take actions for the benefit of others rather than for their own benefit.

A Study of Job Burnout among University Teachers

Azeem, S. M., Nazir, N. A. — 2008-05-01

This study investigated the levels of job burnout among 300 university teachers including Lecturers, Readers and Professors. Using Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator's Survey, the results indicated that lecturers have high level of emotional exhaustion and are found to be significantly different on emotional exhaustion from professors and readers. Readers show less emotional exhaustion as compared to lecturers but high emotional exhaustion as compared to professors. Readers are not found to be significantly different from professors. The three groups are not found to be significantly different on depersonalisation and personal accomplishment.

Non-formal Education in a Tribal Setting: Strategies for Qualitative Changes in Children

Konantambigi, R. M., Meghani, S., Modi, A. — 2008-05-01

In the present study, an intervention in non-formal education was initiated to mobilise tribal people to fight for the right to the life of dignity and to have better opportunity for their children's educational needs. The intervention was initiated in four tribal villages of Betul district, Madhya Pradesh, with one village as control. The intervention was planned with participative, humanistic and constructivist approaches to change and learning. The Korku children, young adolescents and local youth, as instructors, brought about cognisant changes. Children who hid and cried on being spoken to by people outside their village and who lacked confidence, after a Bal Mela, two hours of interaction for seven months in two years and three camps, were able to speak to everyone freely, including the police. There was a change in their self-confidence and perception about self, and significant gain in general knowledge. Positive change in self-esteem that come about with clearing their formal grades of VIII, X and XII was also seen. The young instructors were especially vocal about the leading roles they could play in the Sanghathana that the villages in the region were able to join/establish and contribute to. Literacy and numeracy learning were not retained and schooling seemed to instil these skills better. The findings are placed in the premise of education for the disadvantaged and learning that is contextual and learner-centred.

Counselling in China: Past, Present and Future

Higgins, L. T., Davey, G., Gao, X., Zheng, R., Ni, Z., Lang, L. — 2008-05-01

This article reviews the development of psychological counselling in China. It consists of three parts: counselling in ancient China, counselling in China today, and counselling in the future. Counselling ideas can be traced back to ancient China, 2,500 years ago, but Western counselling theories have only recently been introduced into China. Counselling has become more and more popular in China, developing rapidly from schools to hospitals, communities, armies and companies. Although Western approaches are popular, some Chinese psychologists are developing indigenous counselling approaches. Government support for the control of professional counselling training programmes is needed. Despite counselling in China lagging behind the West at present, it is likely that in the future it will help people cope with the stresses and strains of living in such a rapidly modernising and changing society.

How Good People are at Estimating their Own Performance? A Study of the Relationship between Hand Preference and Motor Performance

Misra, I., Suar, D., Mandal, M. K. — 2008-05-01

This article examines the relationship between the awareness of hand preference and hand and foot performance among right-, left- and mixed-handers (n = 224). The hand preference was assessed using a handedness inventory. Hand and foot performances were measured using rapid index finger or toe tapping. A significant interaction between hand preference and the tapping rate indicated that in left-handers, left tapping was faster than right tapping and in right-handers, right tapping was faster than left tapping regardless of effector, finger or toe. The mixed-handers, however, did not show differences between left and right tapping performance. Correlations between performances were highest between hands or between feet. Also, hand performance was more strongly positively associated to foot performance in the mixed- and left-handers than right-handers. Similar inter-limb performance in mixed-handers tends to implicate inconsistent or undeveloped cerebral lateralisation. The results indicate that self-awareness of the pattern of hand use significantly relates to hand and foot performance.

Book Review

2008-05-01

Do Lessons People Learn Determine Disaster Cognition and Preparedness?

Mishra, S., Suar, D. — 2008-02-21

The study examines whether disaster experience and education through risk perception initiate flood and heat wave preparedness. Data were collected from 300 people, each of flood-prone and heat wave affected areas in Orissa. Results reveal that people having disaster experience and education are more prepared for flood and heat wave. More the people have prior disaster experience and education, more they perceive the risk of flood and heat wave. While increase in perceived risk of the disaster initiates flood preparedness, it does not further heat wave preparedness. Risk perception is only found to be a mediator between disaster experience, disaster-related education and flood preparedness.

Development of Child Abuse Scale: Reliability and Validity Analyses

Malik, F. D., Shah, A. A. — 2008-02-21

The aim of the study was to develop a reliable self report measure to identify maltreatment among children—across a broad range of parental abusive and neglecting behaviours towards children— that could be used to evaluate different levels and types of abuse and neglect, that is, physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect and sexual abuse among children of the age ranging from 8–12 years with specific reference to Pakistani cultural context. This indigenous measure comprised 34 items indicative of parental abusive and neglecting behaviours towards children, and was further organised into four categories of abuse and neglect: physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional care/neglect (low score on which was indicative of emotional neglect). A sample of 200 children (100 boys and 100 girls) taken from six different cities of Punjab indicated the measure to have a highly significant internal consistency measured by coefficient alpha for the total scale and its four sub-scales. Construct validity was determined with the help of Principal Component Factor Analysis that resulted in four-factor solution. Finally, the self report measure termed as Child Abuse Scale (CAS) comprised 34 items pertaining to four major categories of abuse and neglect, and these were labelled accordingly. The reasons for the exclusion of fifth category of sexual abuse have been discussed with special reference to Pakistani cultural and social set up.

Role of Coping Strategies and Social Support in Perceived Illness Consequences and Controllability among Diabetic Women

Awasthi, P., Mishra, R.C. — 2008-02-21

Interest in the processes by which people cope with stress has grown dramatically over the past decade. In the present study the role of coping strategies and social support in perceived illness consequences and illness controllability beliefs among diabetic women (n = 100) were studied. It was found that approach coping strategies reduced the severity of perceived illness consequences, whereas avoidance coping strategies increased the severity of perceived illness consequences. The approach strategies of coping were positively correlated to self and doctors’ control. The patients characterised by high level of social support felt less severe consequences of illness. These findings are discussed in the context of the current analyses of lay theories and also folk models of illness find due representation.

Moderating Influence of Emotional Intelligence on the Link Between Academic Self-efficacy and Achievement of University Students

Adeyemo, D.A. — 2008-02-21

The study examined the moderating influence of emotional intelligence on the link between academic self-efficacy and achievement among university students. The participants in the study were 300 undergraduate students at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. Their age ranged between 16.5 years and 30 years with mean age of 19.4 years. Two valid and reliable instruments were used to assess emotional intelligence and academic self-efficacy while participants’ first semester result was used as a measure of academic achievement. Descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and hierarchical regression analysis were used to analyse the data. The result demonstrated that emotional intelligence and academic self-efficacy significantly correlated with academic achievement. The moderating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and achievement was also established. On the basis of the findings, it is suggested that emotional intelligence should be integrated into undergraduate curriculum. The study further advocated for the promulgation of educational policy on emotional intelligence and academic self-efficacy.

Promoting Health and Well-being in Lives of People Living with HIV and AIDS

Biswas, U. N. — 2008-02-21

The highly effective pharmaceutical polytherapies for the treatment of HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (Acquired immune deficiency syndrome) have practically reduced HIV and AIDS to a chronic condition like any other chronic illness. People living with HIV and AIDS can now have an almost normal life expectancy; the challenge for them is to live a physically and mentally healthy life. These challenges involve avoiding and managing opportunistic infections physically on one hand and taking care of their mental health needs and promoting and sustaining psycho-social well-being on the other hand. Although a torrent of research has studied the psychosocial correlates of slower disease progression and psycho-social well-being among people living with HIV and AIDS, very few sustained approaches have been made to understand and isolate the contribution of different psycho-bio-behavioural parameters for the psycho-immuno-enhancement in people living with HIV and AIDS. Systematic search in different electronic databases as well as different relevant psychological and AIDS care journals have been done to assimilate and review the research studying the effect of different psycho-social, bio-behavioural interventions through randomised control trials on the health promotion, well-being and disease progression parameters in people living with HIV and AIDS. The article makes an attempt to synchronise and consolidate these research efforts, discussing the role of cognitive behavioural stress management, exercise, spiritual practices, hypnosis, relaxation and guided imagery, social support for the psycho-immuno-enhancement in lives of people living with HIV and AIDS, and suggests a comprehensive three-tier intervention model, consisting of intervention at individual, dyadic and community levels, for psychological and immunological improvement in lives of people living with HIV and AIDS.

Ingroup Bias, Intergroup Contact and the Attribution of Blame for Riots

Ruback, R. B., Singh, P. — 2008-02-21

Hindu and Muslim college students judged the severity of a riot and attributed blame for that riot to the Hindu community, the Muslim community and the individual offenders. Both Hindu and Muslim students showed an ingroup bias, in that when offenders were from participants’ own religious group, they blamed the offenders the most and their own community the least. However, when the offenders were from the other religious group, students (both Hindus and Muslims) blamed the other religious community. Two results were consistent with the research literature on equal status intergroup contact. First, the amount of contact Hindu students had with Muslims was negatively related to their assignment of blame to offenders. Second, Hindu participants who lived in mixed Hindu–Muslim neighbourhoods were less likely to blame the Muslim community.

Book Reviews

2008-02-21

A Journey into the Bleeding City: Following the Footprints of the Rubble of Riot and Violence of Earthquake in Gujarat, India

Kumar, M. — 2007-08-29

This article unfolds rubric-by-rubric the orgy of violence that shook the city of Ahmedabad postearthquake and riots. Informed by psychoanalytic ideas on the origins and vicissitudes of violence, hatred, evil, envy, notions of otherness, repudiation of femininity, and borrowing insights from cultural studies and trauma theory, the paper maps the recent sociopolitical turmoil in the city. Against the backdrop of the two disasters—2001earthquake and 2002 riots—the paper traces and explores the psychic composition of the recent violence in Ahmedabad with a view to deepen the discourse on communal trauma. One question that remains central to the proposed research is how does the communal dimension of trauma emerge as one of its distinctive clinical signatures? The research develops this question by exploring the memories (or forgettings) of violence in one form of narratives from both the Hindu and Muslim communities to those who were either witness or victims of it. The methodology included exploring and evolving ideas around memories of urban and sectarian violence through case studies and using recent literature and commentaries on both these events. Through an exploration of the psychodynamics of the survivor syndrome, collective memory, pathological mourning, the paper develops an understanding of the communal dimension of violence in the cultural setting of Ahmedabad. Drawing understandings from the psychoanalytic conceptions of traumatic memory, gradations of temporality and its impact on remembering and reconstructing of traumatic events, group dynamics, origins and impact of fundamentalist ideology—the article examines the radical gaps and disruptions, precursors of traumatic and violent experiences in the Indian sociopolitical terrain. The article aspires to keep up the verve to problematise and critique politically loaded categories like politics of traumatic memory as seen in PTSD, victims–survivor debate, and trauma from within-and-without (external reality). A key concern alongside is to evolve possibilities of anchoring the clinical significance of the narratives through elaboration on the processes of mourning, and thereby relocating individual losses in their own life contexts. The questions that haunt the city are: will the violence merely linger in the individual memory or be part of a collective depository? How would the city locate its victims and how would it look at the guilty?

Transition in Marriage Partner Selection Process: Are Matrimonial Advertisements an Indication?

Shukla, S., Kapadia, S. — 2007-08-29

The present study was designed to examine matrimonial advertisements as a strategy for marriage partner selection in Hindu Gujarati upper middle class families, with a focus on the relative roles of the individual and the family in the entire process. It also provided insight into the difficulties, compromises, or adjustments experienced by married individuals in the process. Further, the study classified the emerging selection criteria and reasons for prioritising the same in terms of the reflection of individualistic or interrelated psychological orientations, in the context of the partner selection process. The results indicate that matrimonial advertisements are gaining prominence in the realm of marriage partner selection process, which is mainly used for seeking wider options and exercising personal choices. It is difficult to clearly demarcate the relative roles of the individual and the family in partner selection, as they are deeply interwoven in the process dynamics. There is a significant increase in the participation of individuals specifically in terms of articulation of personal preferences. The inputs of the family reflect an attitude of open-mindedness and a willingness to give "space" to individuals to select a partner of their own choice, thereby indicating an "individualist" orientation in a culture that is essentially defined as "collectivist".

Social Behaviour in Academic Open Spaces: A Case Study from the University of Jordan

Ghazalah, S. A. — 2007-08-29

Academic open spaces are important in universities. They guide students through their movement and shape the environment by their design and quality. Since the academic year 2002–2003, the University of Jordan's administration has started to double the accepted number of students pursing degrees at all levels, graduate and undergraduate, in all departments and faculties. The total number for the academic year 2004–2005 totalled just a little over 34,000 students. Therefore, the present scenario on the University of Jordan campus, in terms of its capacity, is one of saturation. As a result, there is increasing pressure on the University's public utilities and facilities. The open public space is among those utilities that have reached a saturation peak. This study examined the effect of spatial environment upon the behaviour of students at the University of Jordan, with respect to open spaces. To this end, the study concentrated on the design quality of the Science Square and the Main Square, the human behaviour in these two squares, the landmarks within these two squares, and way finding in them. A questionnaire to evaluate the open space of the University of Jordan through an understanding of students’ behavioural mapping was administered for a month in each square. A number of recommendations were made to improve the spatial environment and to accommodate more students and users.

The Actual and Ideal Self-concept in Disabled Children, Adolescents and Adults

Ittyerah, M., Kumar, N. — 2007-08-29

The actual and ideal self-concepts of handicapped children, adolescents and adults were studied with the help of questionnaires to compare their responses to body image, skills/abilities, life experience, and social interaction. Results indicated that children had a more positive self-concept than adults and adolescents. Men had a more positive self-concept than females. Further, social interaction and abilities were rated more positively than body image and life experience. Correlations between the actual and ideal selves revealed a positive relation between the actual self and the desired ideal self for all the groups and there were no gender differences. Narrative analysis of the groups revealed that adults held a more positive view of life as compared to adolescents or children. The positive views of the self were a consequence of factors that are largely internal to the respondent, such as the use of mature ways of thinking and maintaining one's self-respect. The negative views of the self were rooted in external factors over which the individual had little or no control such as poverty and negative attitudes of others. Although the female disabled group had a lower selfconcept than males, there was a positive relationship between their actual and ideal selves indicating acceptance of their congenital defects as a challenge to integrate into the mainstream.

Changing Trends of Cultural Values in Advertising: An Exploratory Study

Gupta, A. S., De, S. — 2007-08-29

Four hundred advertisements published in Bengali periodicals in four different time periods, 1947–48, 1977–72, 1991–92 and 2004–05, were content analysed to determine whether advertising appeals concerning cultural values had changed during these years. Jewellery, cosmetics, garments and banking were the four categories of products/services used in the study. In view of the repetitive appearance of advertisements in the periodicals and the multiplicity of products and available periodicals, a multistage sampling was adopted. Content analysis was done manually by three coders following the procedure laid down by Krippendroff (1980). Findings suggest that advertising trends relating to traditional values and focus on the collective (a cultural tradition), had changed over the years. Traditional values were replaced by trends of modernisation and westernisation and priority to the individual over the collective. The reasons and implications of these findings have been discussed.

Book Reviews

2007-08-29

Gender and Group versus Individual Target as Moderators of the Models of Crossed Categorisation Effects

Singh, R., Goh, H. Y. — 2006-11-22

It was hypothesised that men perceive women at the interpersonal level, but women perceive men at the intergroup level, and that the gender of the participants moderates the models of evaluating people categorised by race and gender. In Study 1 (N = 261) men and women differed along the hypothesised dimensions of comparison, competition, and social interaction in the perception of gender group. Men and women (Ns = 28) in Study 2 reported their attraction toward work groups formed by two persons, each categorised by race and gender, and preferences for one over another member of those groups as a colleague. As hypothesised, responses of women conformed to the model of category dominance by race, and those of men followed the additive model in group attraction and the hierarchical ordering model in member preference. Men were more attracted toward outgroup women than ingroup men. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Prosocial Reasoning and Behaviour among Indian Children: A Naturalistic Study

Chadha, N., Misra, G. — 2006-11-22

This study explored the nature and development of patterns of prosocial reasoning and behaviour of Indian children (N = 167), between 5 and 14 years of age, from low and high SES, in naturalistic contexts. Prosocial reasoning of children in real life contexts was characterised primarily by authority/punishment orientation, concern for needs of others, pragmatism, mutual gain orientation, and orientation to honouring request made. Orientation to physical needs of others and to honouring request made, increased with age. Some gender and SES differences in prosocial reasoning were noted. Prosocial behaviour, however, was not significantly influenced by age, SES, or gender. Apart from a low negative correlation with authority/punishment orientation, prosocial responding was found to be unrelated to the use of any reasoning category. In most cases of non-prosocial behaviour, children could nevertheless take the perspective of the potential recipient or perceive the need for prosocial behaviour. The observations and findings have been discussed from methodological and sociocultural perspectives.

Television Viewing of Higher Secondary Students: Does It Affect Their Academic Achievement and Mathematical Reasoning?

Shejwal, B.R., Purayidathil, J. — 2006-11-22

The impact of TV viewing on academic achievement and mathematical reasoning was examined in a group of 654 higher secondary students (368 boys, 286 girls) from Maharashtra, India. Both among boys and girls, TV viewing had significant negative correlations with academic achievement. TV viewing and mathematical reasoning were negatively correlated among boys only. Heavy viewers of television were poor, compared to light viewers, in their academic achievement and mathematical reasoning. Significant gender differences were noted both in academic achievement and mathematical reasoning. TV viewing explained 13% of the variance in the academic achievement of the students.

Understanding of Psychiatry & Psychiatrists in England and China

Higgins, L. T. — 2006-11-22

This descriptive study aimed to test the findings of Williams, Cheyne, and Macdonald (2001) on the accuracy of people's knowledge of psychiatry and psychiatrists and extends the findings to another culture, namely, the People's Republic of China. The questions asked by Williams et al. were repeated with people on the streets in England and China and also with groups of students who had been educated in mental health issues. The results showed that there were some shared misperceptions about psychiatry in both countries. For example, a lack of awareness about psychiatrists’ medical qualifications. There were also some cultural differences, which reflected the different social systems involved. Education was found to increase awareness of problems treated and treatments used, to improve the image of psychiatrists, and to emphasise the role of the criminal justice system in dealing with the mentally ill.

Autonomy as a Psychological Need: Perceptions of Pakistani Mothers

Stewart, S. M., Zaman, R. M., Dar, R. — 2006-11-22

In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 mothers of adolescents in Pakistan to explore the meaning of "autonomy" in this collective, highly gender-differentiated culture. Middle class mothers did not spontaneously mention autonomy as a basic human need; positive relationships were, however, readily emphasised. Nevertheless, on specific questioning, all mothers indicated that autonomy was a basic need for both sexes. Autonomy was seen as potentially threatening to important goals for both sexes. Female kin were frequently described as an important source of restriction on women's autonomy. In raising daughters, mothers discouraged autonomy, emphasising the central importance of marriage and the attendant requirement of adjustment to in-laws. Increasing autonomy was seen as part of the life cycle as women attained seniority within their married families. Autonomy was seen as an environmentally determined and life-staged related opportunity rather than a right. The study sheds light on a universally important psychological need and its manifestations in an understudied modernising collective group.

Book Review

2006-11-22

Index to Vols 17 and 18

2006-11-22