Preparing Psychology for the future: Contribution of Indian thought system

Psychology in India is still dominated by the western notions of modern scientific psychology as reflected in the paper by Prof. Durgananda Sinha in 1965. This calls for a real and hard look at the challenges in integrating the Indian thought perspective in the field of psychology to make it more holistic, robust and meaningful. Psychological knowledge in the Indian thought system has a philosophical root in contrast with the western positivist model. Hence, we need to redefine the scientificness of science and aim at methodological pluralism to study psychological concepts and principles embedded in Indian thought system. The goals of psychology need to be relooked so as to emphasize studying the human being as a whole and in relation to the societal context. The focus on the applied aspects as the core of psychological knowledge in Indian tradition requires a comprehensive change in the way psychology is taught at educational institutions, and the way research is conducted. Discarding the colonial mindset to dig deep into the rich psychological science in our ancient Indian texts with an aim to apply it in contemporary times will pave the way for the use of innovative methodologies to study these which will build a meaningful and universal psychology given the complex dynamics of a future world.