Inequity in Hindu–Muslim Riots: A Test of Two Biases1

During the past 50 years, substantially more Muslims than Hindus have died in riots in India. This study examined and found support for 2 possible individual‐level reasons that are consistent with this disproportionate number of deaths. First, Hindus, compared to Muslims, considered historical incidents to be more important for contemporary Hindu–Muslim relations. Second, Hindus showed an ultimate group bias in that they generally valued Hindu lives more than Muslim lives, whereas Muslims showed no difference in the valuation of Hindu and Muslim lives. Together, these results are consistent with an equity notion that Hindus consider as relevant input factors both historical incidents and perceptions that in‐group members’ lives are more valuable than are out‐group members’ lives.     

Ritual Participation,Sense of Community,and Social Well-Being: A Study of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Seva</Emphasis> in the Sikh Community

The study examined the impact of frequency of ritual participation on sense of community and social well-being of a minority community in India, the Sikhs. We looked at a unique ritualistic practice of the Sikhs, seva. Rituals are known to contribute toward social solidarity and cohesion as well as physical and mental well-being. In particular for a minority community, rituals help group members establish and maintain strong community networks and a unique group identity. A total of 156 members of the Sikh community (85 males; 71 females) participated in the study. Frequency of ritual participation was positively related with social well-being and sense of community. Furthermore, sense of community was found to mediate the effect of frequency of ritual participation on social well-being. Results are discussed in the light of the importance of studying rituals in minority groups, the frequency of participation in a ritual activity and the importance of addressing social well-being in ritual research.     

Perception and Reactions to Inequity as a Function of Social Comparison Referents and Hierarchical Levels1

Perceptions and reactions to inequity may hinge on referents of comparison and also on employees' rank in the organization. This study examined how three comparison referents—internal same-rank, external same-rank and external whole-organization—and respondents' hierarchical status in the company influence perceptions of inequity. The study also examined the relationship of perceived inequity with affect, job satisfaction, job involvement, organizational commitment, and stress. Seventy-five employees randomly selected from the three hierarchical levels of a manufacturing company (managers, supervisors, and workers) were the respondents. Results suggest that when individuals made comparisons with external same-rank and external whole-organization referents they experienced more inequity than when they made internal same-rank comparisons. Managers in comparison to supervisors and workers perceived less inequity related to pay, general rules administration, promotion, company and fringe benefits, advancement opportunities, and social power. Perception of inequity was found to be negatively related to job involvement, job satisfaction, and affect, and positively related to stress. Results implicate the role of social comparison referents in the evaluation of organizational rewards and perceptions of inequity.     

Psychological well‐being and pilgrimage: Religiosity,happiness and life satisfaction of Ardh–Kumbh Mela pilgrims (Kalpvasis) at Prayag,India

Pilgrimage is an important aspect of our life and has both religious as well as spiritual significance. The present study examined the relationship of religiosity, happiness and satisfaction with life in the case of pilgrims in a very special cultural context of the Ardh‐Kumbh Mela (held in Prayag, Allahabad, India) during the months of January and February, 2007). The study specifically examined these relationships in a sample of Kalpvasis (pilgrims who stay at the banks of the Sangam for a month in the holy city of Prayag during the Mela period). One hundred and fifty‐four Kalpvasis participated in the study. Positive association between religiosity, happiness and life satisfaction was obtained. Results showed that gender did not have a significant role on these relations in the case of pilgrims. Implications of these results are discussed.     

Effects of Machiavellianism,Other-Enhancement,and Power-Position on Affect,Power Feeling,and Evaluation of the Ingratiator

The current study examined developmental differences from the age of 5 to 18 in the creation process of own- and other-race facial composites. In addition, it considered how differences in the creation process affect similarity ratings. Participants created two composites (one own- and one other-race) from memory. The complexity of the composite creation process was recorded during Phase One. In Phase Two, a separate group of participants rated the composites for similarity to the corresponding target face. Results support the cross-race effect, developmental differences (based on composite creators) in similarity ratings, and the importance of the creation process for own- and other-race facial composites. Together, these findings suggest that as children get older the process through which they create facial composites becomes more complex and their ability to create facial composites improves. Increased complexity resulted in higher rated composites. Results are discussed from a psycho-legal perspective.     

Culture and the quest for universal principles in moral reasoning

The importance of including cultural perspectives in the study of human cognition has become apparent in recent decades, and the domain of moral reasoning is no exception. The present review focuses on moral cognition, beginning with Kohlberg's model of moral development which relies heavily on people's justifications for their judgments and then shifting to more recent theories that rely on rapid, intuitive judgments and see justifications as more or less irrelevant to moral cognition. Despite this dramatic shift, analyses of culture and moral decision-making have largely been framed as a quest for and test of universal principles of moral judgment. In this review, we discuss challenges that remain in trying to understand crosscultural variability in moral values and the processes that underlie moral cognition. We suggest that the universalist framework may lead to an underestimation of the role of culture in moral reasoning. Although the field has made great strides in incorporating more and more cultural perspectives in order to understand moral cognition, theories of moral reasoning still do not allow for substantial variation in how people might conceptualize the domain of the moral. The processes that underlie moral cognition may not be a human universal in any simple sense, because moral systems may play different roles in different cultures. We end our review with a discussion of work that remains to be done to understand cultural variation in the moral domain.     

Religious beliefs,patient–doctor interaction and resilience as predictors for treatment decisions and health outcomes of heart patients

Treatment decision-making in chronic illness poses long-lasting effects on the health status of patients. In Western individualistic cultures, they are independently taken by the individual in collaboration with doctors contrary to the collectivistic Indian context, where it’s decided by families with little or no involvement of patients. Religious beliefs, patient–doctor interaction, and resilience measures of 100 CAD patients were used to assess their religious beliefs, patient–doctor interaction, and resilience (predictors). Hierarchical Regression Analysis was conducted to test for the significance of the proposed model. Religious beliefs, patient–doctor interaction, and resilience collectively predicted the significant change in decision-making styles, somatic symptoms, anxiety, social dysfunctions, depression, and general health total of the participants. While the treatment decision-making is heavily contingent upon the social factors namely – religious beliefs, patient–doctor interaction, and resilience, there may yet be some underlying psychological factors that have not been explored in the present study.     

Capital,Psychological Resources and High Achievement: a Biographical Analysis of the Accomplishment of High Achievers

This work examines the role of capital and psychological resources in the achievements of high achievers. It investigates the integrative role of psychological resources and capital in the achievement process. In the study, we chose four Indian high achievers: two first-generation achievers and two non-first-generation achievers - JRD Tata, Dhirubhai Ambani, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and Srinivasa Ramanujan. The written biographies were analysed. The biographical analysis shows that while capital plays a major role in the success of non-first-generation achievers, psychological resources are more important in first-generation achievers. The results indicate that psychological resources are important in channelizing capital for achievement. It was also found useful for the generation and maintenance of various forms of capital. Though hard work and inborn talent cannot be ignored, the role of capital and psychological resources must not be underestimated in the process of attaining high achievement.     

Perceived justice of available opportunities and self-esteem,collective esteem and social exclusion: A study of three religious groups in India

Groups have their own social realities which determine their perceptions of justice having impact on their well- being and consequent integration with the mainstream society. The objective of the present study was to understand variations in perceived justice in terms of opportunities existing in five different domains, i.e. social prestige, economic, educational, employment and political by the Hindu Majority (N = 100) and Muslim (N = 100) and Christian (N = 76) minorities in India. In addition, the study also aimed to understand the relationship of perceived justice with self-esteem, collective esteem and social exclusion. Male and female participants (N = 276) of the study were either of high or low caste, and were of employed or unemployed status from a north Indian city. The results indicate that justice perception is determined by religion and caste not by gender and employment status. The majority Hindus perceived significantly higher perceptions of justice than Christians and Muslims minorities on all four domains except education. For education the minority Muslim group had lower justice perceptions than Hindus and Christians who did not differ significantly. The three groups differed significantly in their ratings of social exclusion with maximum exclusion perceived by Christians and minimum by Hindus. Results have implications for development initiatives.     

Illness Beliefs and Coping Strategies of Diabetic Women

The present study examines the relationship between illness beliefs and coping strategies in diabetic women patients. Measures of illness beliefs and coping strategies were administered to 100 diabetic women. Patients, who believed more strongly in psychosocial, supernatural, and environmental causes of illness, adopted avoidance coping strategies, whereas those who believed less strongly in these causes adhered to approach coping strategies. Patients, who held a strong belief in disease control by themselves and doctors, used approach coping strategies, whereas those who believed in supernatural control of illness used avoidance coping strategies. Approach coping was linked to less severe consequences of illness, less pain, and greater hope for positive outcomes of illness.