Theoretical Psychology

1 Introduction.- Some Converging Trends.- Implications of the Development of Western Psychology as a “ Science”.- The Nature of Science and the Sociology of Knowledge.- The Cultural Relativity of Psychological Theories: A Perspective from Anthropology and Culture-and-Personality Studies.- Certain Criticisms and Limitations of the Sociology of Knowledge.- Notes.- 2 Search for Common Ground.- Assumptions regarding the Lawfulness of the Universe.- Assumptions about the Nature of Reality: Ontological Presuppositions.- Man’s Relation to Nature.- Assumptions about Human Nature.- The Assumption of Egoism and the Value of Individualism.- Assumptions about the Human Condition.- The Ideal Human Condition.- Notes.- 3 Consciousness: Some Western Views.- William James and his Concept of the “Stream of Consciousness”.- Structuralism: The Introspectionist Approach.- The Psychology without Consciousness: The Behaviorist Approach.- Psychology of the Unconscious: The Freudian Approach.- The Psychophysiological Approach: The Relationship between Mind and Brain.- The Phenomenological and Existential Approaches.- Notes.- 4 Consciousness: Two Indian Views.- The Yoga of Patañjali.- Basic Concepts of Yoga.- The Practical Aspects of Yoga: The Eight “Limbs”.- The Various Levels of Sam?dhi.- What Happens after Attaining Sam?dhi States?.- The Validation of the Knowledge of Sam?dhi States.- The Non-Dualist Ved?nta of ?ankara.- Basic Concepts of Advaita (Non-Dualist) Ved?nta.- Upanisadic Account of the Fourth State of Consciousness.- What Happens after the Experience of the Fourth State of Consciousness?.- The Means of Attaining Superior States of Being.- The Validation of the Knowledge of the Fourth State of Consciousness.- Notes.- 5 Self and Identity.- Personality, Self, Identity.- Erik Erikson’s Theory of Identity Formation.- What Accounts for the Unity, Continuity and Sameness in Man?.- Body as the Basis of Selfsameness.- The Unity and Sameness of Social Selves.- Some Cognitive Aspects of the Self: Self-image and Self-Definition.- The Unity and Continuity of the Stream of Consciousness: Self as Knower.- Self as Substance.- Humean Associatonism: Unity versus Diversity.- Kant’s Idea of the Transcendental Ego.- William James’s View of Personal Identity.- Some Directions since William James.- The Advaita Ved?ntic View of the Self.- Yoga on the Nature of the Self.- Notes.- 6 Overview and Prospect.- On Consciousness.- The Concept of Consciousness and Views of Reality.- On Exploring the Domain of Consciousness.- On Dealing with Consciousness: Techniques and their Uses.- On the Nature of the Self.- The Self as Fact versus Construct.- The Self as Structure versus Process.- The Self as Subject versus Object.- The Self as Single versus Multiple.- Self-Actualization and Self-Realization: Alternative Models for the Transformation of Personality.- On Cross-Cultural Exchange in Psychology: Problems and Prospects.- Notes.- References.- Author Index.