Beschrijving

The Indian Psyche by Sudhir Kakar is a comprehensive exploration of the psychological and cultural forces that shape the Indian mind. This volume brings together three of Kakar’s most significant books—The Inner World, Shamans, Mystics and Doctors, and Tales of Love, Sex, and Danger—into a single work, along with an autobiographical essay in which he reflects on his own development as a psychoanalyst and thinker.

The book examines how India’s diverse cultural, religious, and philosophical traditions influence personality formation, emotional life, and concepts of self. Kakar delves into the role of mythology, spirituality, and rituals in everyday life, arguing that Western psychological categories often fall short in capturing the nuances of Indian experience. He discusses figures such as shamans and mystics alongside doctors and ordinary individuals, illustrating how Indians negotiate meaning, illness, love, and danger within a multifaceted symbolic landscape.

Interweaving clinical insight with cultural commentary, The Indian Psyche offers both a richly textured portrait of Indian subjectivity and a challenge to universalist assumptions in psychology. The work appeals to students of psychoanalysis, cultural psychology, and anyone interested in the interplay between mind and culture.