A FACTOR ANALYTIC STUDY OF ACHIEVEMENT GOALS AND MEANS: AN INDIAN VIEW*

The present paper analyzes the meaning of achievement in the Indian socio-cultural context. Based on earlier studies of the authors, measures of goals and means of achievement were administered on samples drawn from rural and urban settings in north India. The responses were subjected to principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation. The results indicated that achievement is a multidimensional cognition and its structure in the Indian context is different from the concept of achievement employed in the traditional theory of achievement motivation. They implicate that a comprehensive understanding of achievement strivings requires attention to culture-specific aspects of achievement. Cette étude analyse le sens de l'accomplissement dans le contexte socio-culturel indien. Basées sur de précédentes études des auteurs, des mesures de finalités et des sens d'accomplissement ont été administrées à des échantillons issus de milieux ruraux et urbains du nord de l'Inde. Les résultats ont montré que l'accomplissement est multidimensionnel et que sa structure dans le contexte indien est différente du concept d'accomplissement utilisé dans la théorie traditionnelle de motivation. Ils impliquent qu'une compréhension profonde des efforts d'accomplissement nécessite d'ětre attentif aux aspects de l'accomplissement liés à la culture.     

POTENTIAL VERSUS ACTUAL FAKING OF A BIODATA FORM: AN ANALYSIS ALONG SEVERAL DIMENSIONS OF ITEM TYPE

Two studies examined faking of a 25-item biodata questionnaire. The first study investigated potential and actual faking of the form using three groups: a group told to make themselves look as good as possible, a group told to complete the form honestly, and a group completing the instrument in a real selection situation. Subjects were 58 current employees and 231 job applicants. Results indicated that subjects could fake the instrument when instructed to do so. Also, some faking appeared to be occurring in practice, although results depended upon the composition of the comparison group. Only eight items appeared to be fakable, and only three of these seemed to be faked in practice. In Study 2, 26 business majors rated the biodata items on eight dimensions of item type. Results showed that the three items faked in practice were less historical, objective, discrete, verifiable, and external than other items, and were more job relevant.     

EXPLICATION AND TEST OF A COGNITIVE MODEL OF COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION: A NEW LOOK AT AN OLD CONSTRUCT

A cognitive model of the processes underlying the arousal of a state of communication apprehension is proposed. This model draws upon current work in cognitive science to specify the nature of the relevant structures and the nature of the processes that operate over those structures. An empirical test of the model indicates strong support in that the interaction of long-term memory contents and perceived evaluative ness of the situation was a significant predictor of anxiety. Additionally, the model allowed the prediction of changes in physiological arousal (heart rate) over time that closely paralleled observed heart rate.     

EPISTEMIC ASSUMPTIONS: UNDERSTANDING SELF AND THE WORLD (A NOTE ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IDENTITY STYLE,WORLD VIEW,AND CONSTRUCTIVIST ASSUMPTIONS USING AN AUSTRALIAN SAMPLE)

Berzonsky (1994) has investigated the role that personal epistemological assumptions play in the construction and revision of self-identity.He developed the Constructivist Assumption Scale (CAS) to measure the constructivist assumptions of persons, relating this to identity style as measured by the Identity Style Inventory, 3rd edition. Botella and Gallifa (1995) have outlined a constructivist model of epistemic development moving from positivism to constructivism (measured by the CAS), and preferred worldviews moving from mechanism to organicism (measured by the Organicism-Mechanism Paradigm Inventory). This study investigated the relationship between identity style, preferred worldview, and level of constructivist assumptions. Results indicate a significant positive relationship between the constructivist assumptions and people having an information-oriented, self-identity style, and significant negative relationships between the constructivist assumptions and preferred worldview for individuals with a normative oriented identity style. Age was significantly related to worldview, but not to the constructivist assumptions of the individuals. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed, including whether people have different epistemic assumptions when describing self versus those used when describing the world. An additional measure is suggested which may relate findings to Kelly's (1991) notions of aggressiveness and hostility.     

DERA SANT SARWAN DASS OF BALLAN: INVENTION OF A NEW FORM OF COMMUNITY ASSERTION EXPERIENCED AND PERCEIVED AS AN INDIVIDUAL QUEST

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, religious structures dedicated to Ravidâs have become highly visible in Punjab as well as abroad. These religious places belong to and are managed by Punjabi Chamars, who named themselves Ravidassias. This paper aims to explore the various motivations which are driving thousands of Chamars to Dera Sant Sarwan Dass of Ballan (henceforth DSSDB) – the most popular religious institution among the Ravidassias. Devotees of DSSDB are not only willing to assert their social, political and economical rights. Other logics are also at stake in their involvement in DSSDB's activities; logics which are much more internalized and which have much more to do with a private need in psychological and material supports. Both Ravidassias who are living abroad and their Punjabi counterparts are sensitive to these logics. However, it is not exactly the same kind of motivations, which lead them to become DSSDB's devotees. In this study I have chosen to focus my attention on overseas Ravidassias.