Psychology Course (222)

Secondary Level

Rationale

The study of Psychology deals with all aspects of human existence. In particular its applications to it areas of human development, consciousness, adjustment, human interaction and social process development of skills, mental and physical health and social change are well recignised. The study of psychology is significant to one’s personal growth and development and for facilitating the process social development. An understanding of attitudes, feelings, behaviors and levels of consciousness helpful in regulation our behaviors. The way we think, feel and behave with the people and wo around us influences our adjustment. A course in psychology at the Secondary level will help the learn understand themselves and their place in society and realize their potentials.

MODULE 1

PSYCHOLOGY AND YOU                                                                                                  Marks 15

Approach:

This module intends to develop an understanding of the human nature from a psychological perspective and explaining the range of behavior and mental process of human being that constitute the subject matter of psychology. The Indian perspective on human nature is also discussed. This module would help the learners to understand the diverse fields of psychology, its scope and applications.

Contents

Unit 1 – Understanding Human Nature

•        Concept of human nature and perspectives on it.

•        Conditions of human existence.

•        Domains of human functioning: personal, social cultural and spiritual:

•        The nation of wholistic person.

Unit 2 – Introduction to Psychological Process

•        Human being as a living systems:

•        Approaches towards understanding psychological process: experiential, observational and experimental.

•        Perspectives psychological process: understanding the general principles and understanding individual differences:

•        Consciousness and cognition.

Unit 3 Human Nature – Some Indian Perspectives

•        Schools of Indian though: Vedantic, jain Buddhist and Sufi;

•        The concept of mind and person

Unit 4 – Psychology in Your Life: Its Scope

•        Psychological processes in everyday life;

•        Fields of psychology;

•        Psychology in various setting;

•        Some emerging areas if psychology.

MODULE 2

YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL MAKE UP                                                                              Marks 15

Approach

This module familiarizes the learners with the concepts and processes involved in knowing the word and oneself. It helps to understand the basic ideas involved in acquiring knowledge and retaining it for further use. This module will also describe the process of perception and the way we become aware of the world and think. It also tries an understanding of the way we feel and appreciate our inner world

Contents

Unit 1 – Becoming Aware of the World

•        States of consciousness: Sleep Dream and Awareness

•        Sense organs and the processing of information

•        Brain and its functions

Unit 2 – Knowing and Understanding the World

•        How do we learn

•        Procedures of learning

•        Classical and operant type of conditioning

Unit 3 – Remembering and Forgetting

•        Nature of memory, Long Term Memory and Short Term Memory

•        Differentiation between the stages of memory

•        Forgetting

Unit 4 – Creating a World of Reality

•        Interpretation of information by the brain

•        Figure and ground organization

•        Errors of perception

•        Perceptual constancies

Unit 5 – Feeding the Inner World

•        Goal directedness, The Four Goals of life in Indian thought

•        Motivation and needs

•        Emotion and its various aspects

MODULE 3

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LIFE SPAN                                                          Marks 10

Approach

This module aims at describing the processes, characteristics and stages of human development and explaining the influence of biological factors and socio-cultural context on human development, Contents

Unit 1 – Development and Its Stages

•        Human Development: A life span perspective

•        Maturity, growth and development

•        Changing facets of development: Stages, tasks and challenges (Stages of life, the four Ashramas)

Unit 2 – Nature – Nature Issue

•        Genetic and environmental influences on human development

•        The beginning of Life

•        Effects of pre natal and post – natal environment

Unit 3 – Childhood

•        Physical and motor development

•        Cognitive development

•        Social and personality development

•        Socialization and cultural influences on development

Unit 4 – Adolescence And its Challenges

•        Challenges of adolescence

•        Developmental tasks, personality development (including child rearing)

•        Physical development during adolescence

•        Gender roles, Generation gap

Unit 5 – Adulthood and Aging

•        Developmental changes during adulthood

•        Problems of aging

•        Coping with aging

MODULE 4

SOCIETY AND YOU

Approach

This module aims at describing the influence of social institutions. It helps to understand how people behave in-group and also explaining formation of human beliefs, attitudes and values. The module will also explain the process of communication and familiarize the learners with some major social problems.

Contents

Unit 1 –Social Institutions and Human Behavior

•        Family and its functions

•        Community and its characteristics

•        Religious group and their implications for social behaviour

•        Schooling and social behaviour

Unit 2 – Human Behaviour in Group Setting

•        The formation of group and group dynamics

•        Social norms

•        Effects of group on performance and risk taking behaviour

•        Basic values of life.

•        Conformity and compliance

Unit 3 – Leadership

•        Attributes and functions of a successful leader

•        Type of leadership

Unit 4 – Communication: Basic Concepts

•        The main features of communication process

•        Types of communication

•        Effective communication

•        Non-verbal communication in Indian context

•        Propaganda and rumour: uses and abuses

•        Technology and communication

Unit 5 – Social Problems

•        Indian social problems: poverty, gender bias, illiteracy, corruption

•        Appreciation of diversity in the Indian Society

MODULE 5

YOUR WELL BEING                                                                                                           Marks 10

Approach

This module aims at developing an understanding about the concepts of happiness and well being. It describes the obstacles in the pursuit of happiness and psychological processes to overcome them. It also explains the concepts of health, hygiene and describe practices for positive mental health.

Contents

Unit 1 – What is Well-being?

•        Concepts of happiness, well being and need satisfaction

•        The concepts of homeostasis

•        Self actualization and self relisation

•          Interdependence and social well being.

Unit 2 – Hindrances in Achieving Happiness

•        Stress and related neurophysilogical changes

•        Conflicts and its type

•        Frustration: concept and measures to overcome it.

•        Coping with stress and conflicts

Unit 3 – Mental Health And Hygiene

•        Concepts of mental health and hygiene

•        Symptoms of mental ill-health

•        Maintaining practices and techniques for positive mental health

•        Time management

Unit 4 – Positive Psychology

•        Recognizing strengths of the individuals

•        Developing positive emotions: Optimism and Hope

•        Self efficacy and compassion

Unit 5 – Controlling and Disciplining the Mind

•        Meaning of control and discipline

•        Jeewan vigyan and Transcendental Meditation

•        Kritya Yoga, Health Yoga, Art of living and Vipassana

MODULE 6

ENTRY TO WORK LIFE AND ENVITONMENTAL CONCERNS                              Marks 10

Approach

This module aims at developing an appreciation of the concerns for vocational life and understanding of the challenges of the world of work. It also explains the relevance of individual differences for job requirements, notions of works culture, work value, and work motivation. The relationship between human being and environment, causes and remedies of environmental stress are also described.

Contents

Unit 1 – Preparing for the Vocational Role

•        Need for individual’s preparation for the vocational role

•        Concept for career, vocation and occupation

•        Motives for taking up a vocation

•        The present occupational structure

•        Board characteristics of various occupational sectors

•        Career choice: Problems and prospects

Unit 2 – Aptitude, interest and Job Requirements

•        Fitting round pegs into round holes

•        Concepts of work motivation and job satisfaction

•        Understanding job requirements

•        Understanding individual characteristics related to job satisfaction and job success

Unit 3 – Being Different

•        Concept of individual different

•        Personality: The Indian concepts

•        Intelligence, aptitude and interest

•        Assessing individual different

Unit 4 – Environmental Stress

•        Models of human-environment interaction

•        Environmental stress: Pollution, noise, crowding, disasters, global warming, and greenhouse effect.

•          Managing environmental stresses

•        Pro-environmental behaviours and sustainable development