{"title":"What is Yoga Psychology and Where Does It Stand in Contemporary Psychology?","authors":"A. Paranjpe","doi":"10.1177/09713336211038809","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09713336211038809","url":null,"abstract":"While Yoga has spread across the world, its image as a system of calisthenics has played up the physical aspect of Patañjali’s eightfold strategy, while pushing its core as a system of psychology out of sight. The purpose of this article is to briefly explain what makes Patañjali’s Yoga a system of theory and application of psychological principles, and to suggest where this system stands in relation to the major trends of contemporary psychology. After presenting a brief overview of the concepts and techniques of Yoga psychology, comments are made to indicate where Yoga psychology stands in relation to Skinner’s radical behaviourism, the mainstream of contemporary psychology, cognitive psychology, Freudian psychoanalysis and transpersonal psychology.","PeriodicalId":54177,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Developing Societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48711598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cultural Similarities and Variations in the Conceptions of Happiness and Unhappiness: A Comparison Between Italy and Honduras","authors":"Igor Sotgiu, Licia Tirloni, Julissa Thomas Zapata","doi":"10.1177/09713336211038822","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09713336211038822","url":null,"abstract":"The present study investigates the conceptions of happiness and unhappiness among university students from Italy and Honduras. A total of 193 Italians and 172 Hondurans took part in a questionnaire study. Respondents were asked to write down the things that made them happy (happiness sources) and those that made them unhappy (unhappiness sources). The content analysis of participants’ answers showed that there was a substantial agreement between Italians and Hondurans over the type of happiness and unhappiness sources they reported. However, the participants’ cultural background significantly influenced the perceived salience of a high number of these sources. Notably, we found several discrepancies between the participants’ cultural orientation and the semantic content of the happiness and unhappiness sources they assigned greater importance to. We also found gender differences in the perceived salience of happiness and unhappiness sources; however, these differences only referred to a small number of sources. The results were interpreted considering theory and research on individualism–collectivism.","PeriodicalId":54177,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Developing Societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43728294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Striving for Synthesis in General Psychology: Lessons from India","authors":"J. Valsiner","doi":"10.1177/09713336211038813","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09713336211038813","url":null,"abstract":"The importance of the life-long contributions of Professor Sinha is in his search for new perspectives in psychology that would respect Indian cultural history. In that spirit, I will outline themes that are prominent in Indian cultural traditions from which universal science of human psychology could learn. All human beings relate to water and fertility, creating meaningful rituals of handling this valuable commodity. Likewise, it is deeply human to generate borders and social conditions for their crossings, and to participate collective rituals of symbolic processions. Psychology in the Occident has looked towards India as if it were an esoteric collection of local practices that would fit the empirical interests of cross-cultural psychology. I would claim that the psychological riches of India are of primary importance for general psychology.","PeriodicalId":54177,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Developing Societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41271706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Altering Intention to Mudik during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Salient Cue and Simple Reminder Nudge","authors":"D. Prasetyo, Lury Sofyan","doi":"10.1177/0971333621990459","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0971333621990459","url":null,"abstract":"Mudik is a unique exodus in Indonesia where people travel to hometown during Eid festive season. It posed a challenge for the government to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Several reports have identified that people still stick with their plan to Mudik amidst the latest Mudik ban. Thus, a scientific nudge campaign is pivotal to influence Mudik behaviour. The present study designed and tested five visual campaigns to identify key elements which can reduce Mudik intention. A pre-post field experiment used six between-subject groups designed on Qualtrics collected 767 responses measuring intention to Mudik. We asked participants respective Mudik ban institution in anticipating the latest nation-wide Mudik ban. Mother visual and a lethal virus for elderly reminder are of which sufficient reducing Mudik intention. The treatment effect holds in certain people conditions. The study yielded an initially worked nudge campaign to support government Mudik ban policy.","PeriodicalId":54177,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Developing Societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/0971333621990459","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43208838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Calligraphy, Psychology and the Confucian Literati Personality","authors":"H. Kao, Min Xu, T. Kao","doi":"10.1177/0971333621990449","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0971333621990449","url":null,"abstract":"Our research in the past 40 years has identified beneficial effects of Chinese calligraphy handwriting (CCH) practice on visual attention, cognitive activation, physiological slowdown, emotional relaxation and behavioural change. We hypothesised that these outcomes may constitute a compressive set of foundations which could impact several traits of Chinese personality within the context of Confucian culture and values. Here, we give a brief overview of the background of CCH and its effect in the cognitive, physiological and bio-emotional domains. We then provide empirical evidence showing strong association of CCH and personality traits and discuss the results in the contexts of calligraphy practice and Confucian literati personality, Confucianism and Chinese personalities as well as calligraphy writing and tool-using psychological theory.","PeriodicalId":54177,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Developing Societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/0971333621990449","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44262463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Self-Cultivation as the Basis of Person Making: A Confucian Perspective Illustrated by a Case Study of Zeng Guofan","authors":"Li Yongli, Liu Yiping","doi":"10.1177/0971333621990448","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0971333621990448","url":null,"abstract":"As a model of self-cultivation in accordance with the Confucian theory of Xinxing-Gongfu (心性-功夫论), Zeng Guofan (1811–1872), a well-renowned Confucian scholar and successful minister of the Qing Dynasty (1636–1912) in China, is a prime exemplar of ‘self-cultivation as the basis of person-making’ (修身为本). Considerable historical data proves he consciously strove to perfect himself in a systemic way. By examining his Diaries, Family Letters, and Reading Records, this study identifies that he had three interrelated practices of self-cultivation: (a) The establishment of the moral self. With the proposition that ‘if you are not a sage, you are a beast’, Zeng advocated improving one’s character through self-reflection, self-blame, self-discipline and self-encouragement. (b) Individual moral practice and the learning of moral knowledge. Zeng believed that one could strengthen one’s moral cultivation by keeping a diary, meditating, reading Confucian classics, extracting and reciting famous quotes from former sages, writing essays and practicing calligraphy. (c) The construction of family and cultural community. Zeng’s experience provides illustration that cultural communities can be constructed through the process of a father delivering life experiences to his children, friends and colleagues, and that self-criticism can be used in the service of self-enhancement in Confucian psychology.","PeriodicalId":54177,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Developing Societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/0971333621990448","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44034170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How Does a Historical System of Meaning Weigh on the Present? Social Representations of Confucianism and Their Role in Young Chinese Lives in the People’s Republic of China","authors":"Tian Xie, Jue Zhou, James H. Liu, Can-can Liao","doi":"10.1177/0971333621990452","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0971333621990452","url":null,"abstract":"The present study focuses on a new type of social representation: the historical system of meaning embodied by the philosophy and lifeways of Confucianism. Eighteen young and educated Chinese were interviewed face-to-face. Thematic analyses of their transcripts showed that Confucianism representations contained two subthemes, figures (Confucius and Mencius) and thoughts (e.g., propriety and benevolence, etc.). These representations were transmitted by formal education from school and informal education from family, and the influence of Confucianism was often implicit, as evidenced by two subthemes: self-cultivation and social norms. The analyses also showed that almost everything mentioned about Confucianism was more than 2,000 years old and more recent developments were ignored. These results provide insight into how a historically central system of meaning is represented today, when it has lost its institutional bases. It is argued that the social representation of Confucianism is fragmented rather than hegemonic and lacks the systematic coherence that characterises a historical charter. Contributions to social representations theory and implications for how Confucianism could function in the modern world are discussed.","PeriodicalId":54177,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Developing Societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/0971333621990452","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41481434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Introduction to Confucian Psychology: Background, Content, and an Agenda for the Future","authors":"James H. Liu","doi":"10.1177/0971333621990447","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0971333621990447","url":null,"abstract":"Psychology has a pervasive but shallow engagement with Confucian philosophy, mainly referencing its popular form as a part of Chinese tradition. This special issue takes a more systematic view of Confucianism as comprehensive philosophy. Drawing from New Confucianism, it is argued that the signal contribution of Confucianism to psychology as human (rather than natural) science is an ontology of the moral mind (heaven and humanity in union). This holistic ontology makes the cultivation of benevolence (仁) a lifelong mission for Confucianists. Practices of self-cultivation are exemplified by a case study of Zeng Guofan, a Qing Dynasty official and scholar, who combined academics, calligraphy, meditation, diary writing and self-reflection to refine his character, nurture and educate his family, and be of service to society. Second, Confucianism’s traditional lack of interest in epistemology is addressed through the complementary (dialectical) principle of ‘one principle, many manifestations’, where methods of Western science can be incorporated into the investigation of practices such as brush calligraphy that are shown to have beneficial effects on mental and physical health. Confucianism can also be treated as an object of scientific inquiry: We find that even among highly educated Chinese people, understanding of Confucianism today is mostly fragmented and abstract. Confucian Psychology can be summarised as a psychology of aspirations for bettering the condition of humanity through character development and greater awareness of the situation to realise the endowment of moral mind. Finally, there are deep connections between Confucian and Indian psychology—both involve height psychology, a psychology of aspirations and for spiritual transformation.","PeriodicalId":54177,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Developing Societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/0971333621990447","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48975399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Call for Paper: Psychology and Developing Societies Announces a Special Issue on Behaviour in Scarce Resource Environments March 2022, Volume 34, No. 1","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/0971333621990460","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0971333621990460","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54177,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Developing Societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/0971333621990460","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48752546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Building Cultural Bridges Between China and India*","authors":"D. Bhawuk","doi":"10.1177/0971333621990457","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0971333621990457","url":null,"abstract":"Employing one of the established theories from cross-cultural psychology and sociology, first it is shown that both China and India are collectivist cultures. Then the Chinese and Indian worldviews are compared to highlight fundamental similarities between the two cultures. Finally, it is shown how self-cultivation is emphasised in both China and India. Effort is made to show how ideas presented by Confucius and Lao Tsu are captured in the Indian culture and social behaviours. A number of issues are raised for the development of indigenous knowledge from multiple perspectives using various paradigms and methodology. It is hoped that the special issue and this article will stimulate researchers to bridge Chinese and Indian psychologies which may pave the path towards peaceful prosperity.","PeriodicalId":54177,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Developing Societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/0971333621990457","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45950226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}