Social Change and Personal Crisis: A View from an Indian Practice.

The cross-cultural validity of many models of personality development has been challenged because of their emphasis on Western ideals of individuation, setting goals for oneself, and aggressively pursuing those goals. The model of Hindu society presented in this paper is different. Case studies of two individuals who sought psychological help are used to illustrate the relationship of the individual in Hindu society to the corporate system that determines his goals and shares his destiny. It uses the concept of the individual as operating not alone, but within a social field. This does not mean a total submergence of the person's individuality; rather, it means that obligations to the family and caste come before individual desires and that harmony in relationships must be maintained. When dissonance occurs, restorative measures are available in this system. However, individuals do not always find them personally available or know how to use them even when they are available. In the two cases discussed, these conditions were not met and the individuals used maladaptive strategies instead. (IS)