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This paper investigates the inner psychological development of personality in urban India primarily from two current psychoanalytic perspectives: symbiosis and separation-individuation, and narcissism. Basic underlying assumptions of this psychoanalytic research are that the formation and particular gestalts of psychological structures will differ considerably in different sociocultural contexts; and that child-rearing in a given society unconsciously prepares a person for its major adult social roles. Traditional Indian child-rearing and social relationships not only clearly emphasize more symbiotic modes of development and relating, but also tend to inhibit separation and individuation. There is an extraordinarily close tie of the developing child to the mothering person(s), based on tremendous gratification in the first few years of life. The self becomes profoundly identified with the 'we' of the family, enormous sensitivity and consideration are developed for the feelings of others, and ego boundaries are less sharply delineated.
The tremendous maternal involvement with the infant develops a central core of heightened narcissistic well-being, which is discussed as it relates to a variety of aspects of Indian personality. The narcissistic crackdown on the child from ages 3 to 5 lasting well into adolescence is also discussed. Aggression tends to be strongly contained or very indirectly expressed within the extended family, and often unconsciously split off outside the family; while sexuality tends to be kept more within the family.