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In 1947 the Government of India asked Unesco to make available to it a consultant who would spend six months in India organizing research teams to explore the reasons for 'social tensions'. For this task Unesco chose Professor Murphy, one of the most eminent American social psychologists. The technical reports of the research teams were submitted to the Government of India. The present volume is a non-technical report of Professor Murphy's impressions regarding social tensions as well as constructive forces working for national unity in that country.
The author first discusses the general problem of the application of psychology to the study of social tensions. He then describes the research teams, from different Indian universities, who carried out the research. The research dealt with tensions between Hindus and Moslems, tensions resulting from the caste system, tensions caused by industrialization and the refugee problem. Mrs. Murphy contributes a chapter on Indian child development.
The interview, by means of the "non-directive' 'open-ended' questionnaire, was the main method of investigation, but other well-known attitude tests have also been used. The results thus obtained are always brought into relation with the general socioeconomic picture of each region where tensions have been studied. The author discusses the value of the psycho-analytic method; he mentions only one case, however, in which this approach was adopted.
The author finds much bitterness between the groups studied. On the other hand, he finds many salutary forces tending towards integration and unity. Education, as previously found in other studies, is one of these salutary forces. In a concluding