Psychology

Vipassana

It is a technique to bring peace and tranquility to the human mind. One has to keep on observing the truth that manifests itself and the Low of Nature starts revealing itself. While starting this exploration of truths within you have to abstain from every type of violence, sexual misconduct, speaking lies, and taking any type of intoxicants. If you are generating such defilement it becomes impossible to go to the deeper levels of mind.

Transcendental Meditation (TM)

Maharshi Mahesh Yogi has propounded (developed) a simple system of meditation called Transcendental Meditation (TM). Meditation in general, helps in regulating thoughts and establishing a sense of peace in the mind of the particener. There are many types of meditation in India. Some people meditate using OM, some focus on Jyoti, some by worship an idol. Concentration is involved in all these meditations which make them strenuous.

Art of Living

The basic tenets of Art of Living and the Science of Living (Jeevan Vigyan) are the same: Let our body, mind and soul be in total harmony. A hundred years ago Sri Paramhansa Yogananda introduced the concept of Art of Living. The essence of his teachings is that to lead a more integrated humane and spiritual life we need discipline and control of mind. It gives certain practical methods for the uniform development of mind and soul. These include taking balanced diet, regular exercise, practice of meditation, studying religious literature and leading a pious life.

Preksha Dhyana

Dhyana or meditation is an important component of Jeevan Vigyan. It is a particular technique of controlling and disciplining the mind. Its objective is to attain change in attitudes and behaviours and develop an integrated and balanced personality.

Jeevan Vigyan

Jeevan Vigyan is a harmonious practical method to inculcate human values. It teaches us the positive values to enable us to control our mind. Human behaviour can be disciplined only if our thoughts and mind are disciplined.

Controlling and Regulating the Mind

At present we are living in the age of technology, industrialization and urbanization. The world is becoming very competitive. The Indian society has become very complex and fast moving. All these cause stress and strain resulting in many diseases like high blood pressure, insomnia, diabetes and heart attack.

Sri Aurobindo on Levels of Consciousness

Sri Aurobindo says that two systems are simultaneously active in the organization of the being and its parts: a concentric system and a vertical system. The concentric system is like a series of rings or sheaths. The outer most circle is comprised of awareness of physical body, awareness of vital (pranic) body or sheath and awareness of mental sheath. They are interconnected.

Development of Koshas

Personality development moves from annamaya kosha to the pure consciousness gradually removing all the five covers that mask it. Regular eating habits, right kind of food, all types of exercises and games, jogging, running, walking and Asanas facilitate the development of Annamaya Kosha.

Five Sheaths of Human Existence

Taittiriya Upanishad gives the concept of Panch Koshas and their development. It says that starting from Annamaya Kosha and reaching the Anandamaya Kosh, our existence has 5 layers or sheaths called Koshas.

Theory of Trigunas

This theory proposes that entire existence in nature is made up of combination of three Gunas namely Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas.  Sattwa represents light, Rajas represents dynamism and Tamas represents lethargy or inertia.

Eight-fold Path of Yoga

Patanjali has given a detailed account of the eight-fold path of Yoga. There are eight steps that you have to follow if you want to lead life with health and well being. These steps are called eight fold path of Yoga. These are referred to as the limbs of Yoga.

Patanjali on Mind: Nature, Functions and States

Yoga was compiled in a concise form by Sage Patanjali. This compilation is called Yoga Sutra. It tells us about the nature of human mind and its functions. It analyses the causes of turbulence and suggests the ways of overcoming them. It enlightens on how to reach the state of oneness with energy or Supreme Consciousness that pervades the entire universe.

Yoga for Motivation and Excellence

A poet has said:

Heights that great men reached and kept were not achieved in a single flight. They, when their companions slept strove upward in the night.

We, in our respective field, can make a resolution to ourselves that whatever we do, it will be of excellent quality. May it be teaching or typing, plumbing or fitting. Yoga can train the body and intellect for development of self to achieve excellence and competence in action.

How Yoga Shapes Attitudes, Thinking and Behaviour

Everybody feels that he or she should become a happy and successful person. Our happiness and success depends on the pattern of our attitude, thinking and behavior. Yoga assures us that our dream can be fulfilled provided we acquire certain healthy attitudes and habits of thinking and living. The ancient wisdom can be turned into some practical hints for joyous and effective living.

Applications of Yoga in Life

1. Studies

The main hurdle in preparing for studies is that we study for hours together and still retain hardly anything because our mind wanders and does not remain fixed on the task of learning the lesson.

Self-Development through Yoga

Human beings have a self. Ordinarily we use the word ‘Self’ in the sense of ego but the term ‘self’ does not mean merely the ego. According to Indian thought the ego in us is the actor, knower and experiencer. That which performs all the functions of body and mind, is generally known ‘I’ or ‘Ego’, but it is only the reflection of the absolute called Brahman or pure consciousness.

Meditation

Yoga compares the mind with a lake. When agitated and restless, the lake can not reflect the sky. Only when it is calm and undisturbed, it can mirror the sky. In the same way, a calm and poised mind can reflect the universal energy. The final aim of meditation is to gain the vision of truth, to realize the oneness with all life and to enjoy peace and bliss.

Pranayam

Yoga says that Prana is not merely breath but it is a form of cosmic energy. It is the life-giving principle which is everywhere. By breathing exercises it is possible to enhance the circulation of Prana in the body.

Main Asanas of Yoga

1. Paschimottan Asana: Stretching back and legs posture

Technique

Sit on the floor with both legs stretched straight in front of you and take a few deep breaths. Exhale and extend the hands to catch the toes, keep spine and the legs straight. Extend the spine and keep the trunk close to the extended legs, Pull the trunk forward and touch the forehead to the knees and gradually rest the elbows on the floor. After you have gained flexibility, you will be able to have grip of the soles of your feet, resting the chin on the knee.

Yoga to Keep Fit

The practice of yoga involves attending to the functioning at different levels of existence. Techniques to gain mastery over body, prana, and mind - diet, yogasanas, at body level, breathing practices and Pranayamas at Prana level and meditation at mental level have been developed. By following these practices one can remain fit, active and energetic without any medicine.

Different Types of Yoga

Yoga has several types. Some of the main types of Yoga include the following. In general all systems of Yoga are meant for facilitating harmony, peace of mind, and self-regulation.

What is Yoga

"One who is moderate in his diet, activities, exercise and duty, one whose periods of sleep and wakefulness are moderate, Yoga drives away his ailments."

Body and mind are two parts of a whole. If mind is happy, we do our work actively and energetically. If the body is healthy, the mind also remains radiant, alert and enthusiastic. The Yoga school of thought tells how to facilitate the body - mind functioning so that one may enjoy happiness, peace and fulfillment in life.

Sustainable Development

According to World Commission on Environment and Development which is also popularly known as Brundtlandt Commission, sustainable development is defined as "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

Pollution Issues

The environment has both constructive as well as destructive effects on human life. We can categorize the various types of pollution as air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution.

Environmental Stress

The environment plays a vital role in determining our well-being. We live in an environment and the quality of our life depends on the quality of the surrounding environment. Today, various types of pollution (e.g., water, air) are creating stress for the people. A large number of diseases come from the environment in which we live.

Strategies for Developing Productivity at Work

Four principal strategies exist for developing and enhancing productivity and excellence at work:

1. Employee selection and placement
2. Training and development
3. Task design
4. Performance appraisal and rewards

Productivity and Excellence at Work

When organizations meet the expectations of the people every one benefits i.e. owners, employees, customers and local communities in which they operate. Then they are considered effective. However, when they exceed the minimum standards of effectiveness they may be considered to have achieved excellence.

Interpersonal Relationships at Work

Performing a task in an organization often involves contributions by many people. It is a social activity. Virtually any kind of work requires social interaction with several individuals. The salesman interacts with his customers, the doctor with his patients, the supervisor with his subordinates and the teacher with students. Further, most workers are members of one or more work groups with whom they may interact more frequently.

Organizational Climate

Climate is the atmosphere of an organization, a relatively enduring quality of its internal environment, which is experienced by the members and influences their performance. It conveys the impression people have about the internal environment within which they work. It may also be viewed as the degree to which organizational rules are reinforced by the administrative component. It also represents the attitudes of the organizational members toward the organization itself.

Sub Systems of an Organization

Organizations usually have a number of parts or sub systems. The key sub systems are:

Organization as a System

An organization is a social unit which is created with a specific purpose. The systems approach recognizes that organizations have unique properties, capabilities and its components hold mutual relationships. A system may be either closed or open. A closed system does not have any interaction with the external environment. Modern organizations are more or less open systems.

Problems and Prospects of Career Choice

There are hundreds of career options available. How do you make a career choice when you don’t know what you want to do? Does it seem like an insurmountable task? Yes. You need to put some time and energy into making your decisions.

General Requirements for a Vocation

It is necessary to understand the world of work. The world of work comprises unlimited number of occupations. For example, if you want to be a teacher then you should be clear that teaching profession in itself comprises of so many types, having different qualifications for different levels.

Concept of Career, Vocation and Occupation

Throughout history career has been known by a number of different names such as vocation and occupation, but the word "career" is more modern and inclusive than the term vocation. Career is also broader than occupation.

Special Training

Currently education in India is spreading at a fast rate. The increase in the number of educated persons has already upset the employment position in the country and the number of failures in higher education is on the rise year after year. Keeping this in mind the need for special training is felt, because we still need competent persons, in every field of work.

Preparation for the Vocational Role

The present day world is highly competitive. Day-by-day we witness new opportunities emerging in the market. To compare with competition and opportunities the need for preparation of vocational choice as well as vocational role is felt at an early age.

Analyzing and Communication Job Requirements

It is important to make job decisions consistent with one’s abilities, aptitudes and interests. These concepts are also related to choices of study in different grades or different stages of education, co-curricular activities, hobbies, learning some special skills and so on.

Mental Age and IQ

Mental ability is developmental in nature. It increases with age. Therefore, psychologists have developed age related scales. Each scale comprises a series  of questions which are normally answered correctly by a majority of children of that age.

Ability

Ability, commonly known as intelligence, represents one of the most important sources of individual differences. Ability is the innate capacity to act and helps in the solution of a problem. Environment can develop abilities but cannot produce them within the person.

Interest

Interest may be defined as a tendency to choose one activity in preference to another, or to seek out an activity or object. It implies preferences or likes and dislikes for specific activity or a group of specific activities such as lawyer, physician, engineer, musician, artist, etc.

Aptitude

We often hear people remark that a particular child has a talent or gift for music, art or painting. This is what is implied by aptitude. An aptitude, therefore, is a special potential in a certain field of performance.

Strategies for Time Management

We have only twenty-four hours in a day to perform all the activities. We generally fail to organize activities according to the time available. This creates a lot of pressure, tension and frustration. This happens because we do not allot a fixed time for any activities. This habit often results in doing inappropriate activity at an inappropriate time.

Behaviours Which Sustain Good Health

In modern life, scientific and technological advances have created many facilities for comfort. However, if we develop dependency on them, our lifestyle becomes very sedentary and fragile. In order to overcome the risks involved in such a life we should observe certain precautions and engage in behaviours which promote and sustain good health.

Signs of Poor Mental Health

As human beings we are required to maintain sound mental health. However, we develop certain behaviours and habits which can lead to a poor state of mental health. Such behaviours range from mild irritation to severe forms of anxiety and depression.

Mental Health and Hygiene

Health is often used to refer to a state of physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being of the individual. Thus, mental health is one of the components of the broad concept of health. It is concerned with an optimum level of emotional and behavioural adjustment of the individual. It is a state of maintaining harmony or balance between the needs, desires, aspirations and attitudes of the individual with respect to the prevailing conditions in the external environment.

Process of Coping with Stress

The individual while coping with stressors generally follows two mechanisms namely - Task-oriented coping and defense-oriented or emotion-focused coping.

Psychotherapeutic Process

In order to deal with any kind of mental disorders there is a certain psychotherapeutic process used to help the individual. The person who designs psychotherapeutic program is a trained individual and is known as clinical psychologist or psychotherapist. The person who requires treatment is known as client.

Types of Mental Disorders

While coping with the demands of stressors, the individual generally follows problem-focused or emotion-focused coping strategies. In problem-focused coping the individual uses his or her intellectual resources to deal with stressful situation and often reach an effective solution. In the case of emotion-focused coping the individual displays emotional behaviour in dealing with the stressful situation e.g. crying.

Types of Conflicts and Frustrations

An individual becomes stressed when he or she faces obstacles in reaching the goals. This often creates conflict and frustration in the individual. A conflict becomes more stressful because of the intensity of frustration it involves. The individual generally lands in conflict when he or she faces a mutually incompatible situation.

Stress as a Source of Disturbed Mental Health

In today’s world, stress is a very common human experience characterized by a host of physiological and psychological responses. The traditional definition of stress focuses more on the physiological response of the body. Hans Selye coined the term 'stress' defined it as a non-specific response of the body to any demand on it.