Mind and Society

Ostracism in the Workplace: A toxic approach for employee Mental Health

Nishant Kumar — 2025-02-21

Many employees’ enthusiasm, humor, personalities, and other intellectual qualities are impacted by workplace ostracism, which was recently overlooked in the vast body of organizational psychology literature. First, this study investigated the relationship between workplace ostracism and mental health. Second, it examined the effect of workplace ostracism on an employee's organizational commitment to his organization. Health harm and potential antecedents and consequences also focus on hidden and troubled features of victims. A deep analysis of the review revealed that personal construct, individual differences, and cultural variations had a negative significant impact on the well-being of the employees. Females, disabled, aged persons, black skin people, third gender, or all other people were found mainly as victims from previous research. Because most human behaviour is shadowy, most research concentrates exclusively on employee or organization scenarios. Counselling, intervention, prevention, policy, rule, and law are issues that need to be prescribed by previous studies in practical ways.

A Narrative Literature Review on The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy

Debdulal Dutta Roy — 2025-02-22

The field of psychotherapy is continuously evolving, with new therapeutic approaches being developed and existing ones refined to address a wide array of psychological issues. Therefore one systematic and comprehensive overview is needed. This narrative literature review systematically compiles and comprehensively overviews various psychotherapies, including psychoanalysis, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), humanistic-existential therapy, art therapy, music therapy, story-drama therapy, and Rabindrik psychotherapy. Conducted through a comprehensive search of databases like Science Direct, APA Psyc Net, Pub Med, Google Scholar, and other sources, as well as relevant conferences, the review focused on English-language peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and 2024. Excluding non-English articles and those published before 2014, data extraction involved a systematic review of study characteristics and outcomes, with thematic analysis synthesizing common patterns and findings across selected studies. Findings indicate psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy sustain efficacy in treating mood and anxiety disorders, despite challenges such as small sample sizes and methodological constraints. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) shows broad efficacy, though questions persist regarding the long-term impact and technological barriers. Culturally specific modalities like Rabindra Sangeet and Rabindrik values enhance emotional self-awareness, yet generalizability remains limited. Further research on existential, humanistic, art, drama, and music therapies is crucial to refine applications and validate efficacy across diverse clinical settings. The review underscores varied therapeutic efficacy across contexts, with promising results from psychoanalysis and CBT but ongoing challenges in maintaining long-term effectiveness and methodological rigor. Culturally specific therapies and modalities like group art, drama, narrative, and music therapy demonstrate beneficial outcomes, necessitating standardized methodologies and larger-scale investigations to validate effectiveness across clinical settings. The project is funded by Rabindrik Psychotherapy Research Institute Trust, Kolkata

Classical Indian Dance Genres for Better Mental Health: Revisiting Empirical Evidences

Jay Singh — 2025-02-22

This narrative review is an attempt to understand the psychological advantages pertinent to Indian classical dance genres, including eight major classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Manipuri, Kathakkali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Sattriya, and Mohiniyattam. Highlighting their prospective therapeutic applications in the field of mental health is the main aim of this article. Indian classical dance forms represent a comprehensive practice that harmonizes the mind, body, and spirit, facilitating emotional expression and fostering cultural connections. Classical dance styles like Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Manipuri focus on telling stories through body language and facial expressions. This can help with stress relief, emotional regulation, and practicing mindfulness. Furthermore, Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) incorporates components such as abhinaya and mudras to address various psychological conditions, including anxiety, depression, and autism spectrum disorders. Empirical research findings highlight the efficacy of Indian dance in bolstering self-esteem, mitigating stress levels, and elevating both emotional and cognitive well-being. This review emphasizes the incorporation of Indian classical dance within therapeutic frameworks, advocating for its wider implementation to enhance mental health interventions.

The Role of the Insurance Ombudsman in Enhancing Consumer Protection in India

Nidhi Paraksh — 2025-02-22

The Insurance Ombudsman, established by the Government of India, aims to streamline and organize the process of addressing grievances from insurance policyholders, facilitating out-of-court settlements. Its primary objective is to resolve issues arising during the settlement of insurance claims. By providing a fair and impartial system, the Ombudsman ensures that policyholders' grievances are addressed efficiently and justly. This paper examines the crucial role of the Insurance Ombudsman in India in strengthening consumer protection within the insurance sector. By assessing the historical development, operational procedures, and significant impacts using secondary sources, this study underscores the Ombudsman’s contributions to transparency, accountability, and fairness. Case studies and literature reviews demonstrate the Ombudsman’s effectiveness in empowering consumers and efficiently resolving disputes. The paper also discusses recommendations for enhancing this institution, including increasing transparency, improving accountability, ensuring fairness, empowering consumers, resolving disputes efficiently, and boosting consumer trust and satisfaction in the insurance industry.

Validity of Same Sex Marriage in India: An Analysis

Vandana Singh — 2025-02-22

Marriage, initially defined as a union between a man and a woman, is gradually being replaced by partnerships of any gender in most industrialized countries. Marriages between two people of the same gender are referred to as same-sex marriages. Same-sex marriage remains a contentious issue in India, despite global advancements in LGBTQ+ rights. Despite continuous efforts to acknowledge and legalize them, same-sex marriages are nonetheless illegal in India. This subject is significant since it pertains to LGBTQ+ people's basic human rights as well as the acceptance and defense of their partnerships. In addition to giving LGBTQ+ couples legal status and protection, legalizing same-sex marriage would increase social acceptance and lessen prejudice against the community. It is a critical problem for LGBTQ+ rights activists and advocates around the world, and its significance extends beyond the legal sphere to encompass broader social and cultural attitudes of the LGBTQ+ community. In this context, two urgent questions arise. Is it possible for personal laws to legalise same-sex marriage? Should the rights of spouses resulting from same-sex marriages be governed by a completely separate law? This paper examines the validity of same-sex marriage in India, analyzing legal, social, and human rights perspectives.

Acute and Brief Air Pollution Exposure Impairs Personal and Social Well-being and Quality of Life: Empirical Evidence from India

Ashutosh Pandey — 2025-02-22

Air pollution is well-documented to negatively impact mental health, but its effects on positive mental health indicators, including quality of life (QOL) and personal and social well-being (PSWB), remain underexplored. This study examined the relationships between acute (24-hour) and brief (7- and 14-day) exposure to air pollution and QOL and PSWB, considering both individual pollutants and aggregate indices like Air Quality Index (AQI) and empirically derived indices (e.g., Emission-Based Pollutants, EBP). Participants (N = 322) completed self-reported measures of QOL and PSWB during winter or monsoon seasons. Air pollution data from nearby Central Pollution Control Board stations were analysed for three exposure durations. Findings revealed that acute exposure to most pollutants, AQI, and EBP significantly reduced QOL in the social relationship domain, while photochemical and oxidative pollutants were associated with physical, psychological, and environmental domains. For brief exposures, associations were pollutant-specific, with NO₂ and CO impacting social relationships both at 7 and 14 days, and O₃ only at 14 days. PSWB showed more consistent negative correlations with air pollutants and aggregate indices across all exposure durations, with personal well-being particularly vulnerable. The findings highlight the acute and brief impacts of air pollution on positive mental health, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.

The Influence of Self-Efficacy on Adjustment Problems: A Comparative Correlational Study Between NCC and Non-NCC College Students

Shikha Verma — 2025-02-22

This study explores the relationship between self-efficacy and adjustment problems among students who participate in the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and those who do not. A representative sample of 86 NCC students and 76 non-NCC students participated in the study. The study used the Hindi version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale and the Brief Adjustment Scale-6 (BASE-6). The findings suggest that NCC students had a higher level of self-efficacy and fewer adjustment problems than non-NCC students. There was a significant group difference in self-efficacy and adjustment problems among them. This study found no significant correlation between self-efficacy and adjustment problems among NCC students and non-NCC students, but anxiety- and depression-related adjustment problems were significantly negatively correlated with self-efficacy in NCC students. Regression analysis indicates that self-efficacy has accounted for 5.2% and 6.5% of the variability in anxiety and depression. The findings are discussed in the light of values inculcated by NCC program among students.

Exploring the Interplay Between Self-Esteem, Self- Handicapping and Procrastination Among College Students

Ritu Singh — 2025-02-22

This study explores the relationships between self-handicapping, procrastination, and self-esteem among college students. A sample of 400 students (200 male, 200 female) from colleges in Varanasi, aged 18-25 years, participated in this study. The research utilized a correlational design, incorporating the Self-Handicapping Scale (SHS), the General Procrastination Scale (GP), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) to measure the relevant constructs. The results revealed significant negative correlations between self-esteem and both self-handicapping (r = -0.309, p < 0.01) and procrastination (r = -0.111, p < 0.05). However, no significant correlation was found between self-handicapping and procrastination (r = -0.066). Further regression analyses indicated that self-handicapping significantly predicted self-esteem, explaining 9.5% of the variance (β = -0.309, p < 0.001), while procrastination explained only 1.2% of the variance in self-esteem (β = -0.111, p = 0.026). Overall, this research contributes to understanding how avoidance behaviour affects self-esteem and underscores the need for targeted interventions to promote resilience and self-worth in young adults.

Hope as a Predictor of Coping among College Students

Gunjan — 2025-02-22

The main objectives of this study are to investigate the relationship between hope and coping and to investigate whether hope acts as a predictor of coping among undergraduate and postgraduate students. 180 undergraduate and postgraduate students from various districts of Haryana (India) were recruited for this study. Self-report measures including ‘The Adult State Hope Scale’ and ‘Ways of Coping scale’ were used to collect the data from the sample. The obtained data was statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and regression analysis on SPSS. The outcomes of the study depicted that hope is significantly and positively correlated with certain dimensions of coping including problem-focused, seeking social support, focusing on the positive, tension reduction, keep to self as well as overall coping. Also, hope emerges as a significant predictor of overall coping including problem-focused, seeking social support, focusing on the positive, tension reduction, and keep to self. Hope is an essential factor that can lead to problem-solving coping rather than emotional- focused coping. People who have a hopeful outlook in life are more likely to view obstacles and challenges as temporary and solvable, which further promotes their potential to face the challenges with a sense of control.

A Study of Mindfulness and Connectedness to Nature as Predictors of Environmentally Responsible Consumption

Jasleen Kour — 2025-02-22

Environment responsibility has become the need of today’s economic order. With the increasing awarenessof conspicuous mindless consumption among Indian public, especially the youth, this study tries to investigate the relationship of environmentally responsible consumption(ERC) with mindfulness and connectedness to nature (CNN) (N=132). We found CNN to be a significant predictor of ERCthrough structural equation modelling run in AMOS 21.The exploratory factor analysis was carried out using principal component method and varimax rotation followed by confirmatory factor analysis. Hypothesis testing showed positive correlation among the three variables and the explained variance in ERC contributed through mindfulness and CNN. The study makes clear that improving the welfare of the earth and achieving happiness are not mutually exclusive goals and that action may be taken to improve the well-being of the entire planet.

Impact of Resilience and Organization Type on the Job Satisfaction of School Teachers

Preeti Tamta — 2025-02-22

This study investigates the impact of organization type and resilience on job satisfaction. In the present study, a2x2 factorial design was used, with two types of organization (government and private) X resilience level (high and low). The Brief Resilience Scale was used to assessthe resilience levels, while the Job Satisfaction Scale was used to teacher’s job satisfaction. The findings revealed significant effects of both organization type and resilience on job satisfaction. Specifically, government employees demonstrated higher levels of job satisfaction across various dimensions compared to their counterparts in private organizations. Furthermore, employees with high resilience exhibited significantly greater job satisfaction than those with low resilience. These results underscore the critical role of resilience in enhancing job satisfaction, indicating that individuals with higher resilience are better equipped to experience satisfaction in their roles.

Social Media Marketing and Customer Loyalty

Ashok Verma — 2025-02-22

Social media marketing has become a key player in the modern business landscape as it provides companies with a powerful way to connect directly with customers and foster brand loyalty. The aim of this research is to understand the relationship between the use of social media platforms and customer loyalty. Specifically, it studies how various elements of social media marketing – such as engaging content, advertising, and customer engagement – help build strong and long-term relationships with consumers. The influence of social media positively impacts customer experience, making consumers use the product or services of that brand repeatedly. In addition, responding directly to consumer reactions, opinions, and feedback on social media helps increase customer satisfaction, thereby strengthening customer loyalty. This research attempts to understand the mindset of customers who are active on social media through interviews, surveys, and data analysis. The study concluded that brands that are consistently active on social media and communicate personally with consumers are more likely to increase customer loyalty. Additionally, it is recommended that companies should strategically use social media marketing to engage with customers, to further strengthen their brand loyalty.