Culture, Family Structure, and Psyche in Hindu India: The “Fit” and the “Inconsistencies”

Abstract

While Kakar rightly describes important psychological tendencies among upper-caste Hindu men, contradictory tendencies among these men might be a source of change. The dominant psychological orientation among Hindu women differs from the male orientation, which Kakar describes, causing tensions in Indian society that may be a second source of change. While Kakar is right to note that family structure and psychological orientation tend to reproduce each other, cultural ideals and material interests also play an important role in reproducing distinctive Indian patterns of life.