Deprivation: Its Social Roots and Psychological Consequences

Socio-cultural and economic disadvantage has emerged as a focal theme of study in recent years. Psycho-social deprivation and its consequences have scarcely been systematically studied in the Indian social context where widespread poverty and socio-cultural inequalities play a decisive role in the growth of human personality. The present book brings together a collection of 14 papers by eminent psychologists, sociologists and political scientists read at an interdisciplinary symposium on ?Psycho-Social Deprivation held at the U.G.C. Centre of Special Assistance on Psychological Study of Social Change and National Development, and Department of Psychology, Allahabad University. The papers included in the book deal with conceptual and methodological issues involved in the study of deprivation and psycho-social consequences of cultural and economic disadvantage in several relevant areas of human functioning. The effects of deprivation in diverse contexts, viz., nutritional deficiency, language deficits, development of congnitive skills, school achievement, motivational and personality changes have been analysed. Finally, and attempt is made to suggest intervention strategies to cope with the problems of socio-economic disadvantage. The book, therefore, should be of immense value for social psychologists, child development and educational psychologists apart from the social scientists who are engaged in studying wider problems of socio-economic inequalities in our country.