Psychological Relevance of Indian Knowledge Systems: A Thematic Analysis of Orthodox and Heterodox Schools

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21869684

Kalpana Thakur (Institute of Educational Technology & Vocational Education, Panjab University, Chandigarh)

Indian philosophical traditions represent one of the world’s oldest and most systematic bodies of knowledge concerning the nature of mind, consciousness, emotion, cognition, and human well-being. The paper aims to analyze psychological relevance of the nine prominent Indian philosophical schools, namely the six orthodox (astika) schools (“Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa & Vedanta”) and the three heterodox (nastika) schools (“Buddhism, Jainism & Charvaka”). The analysis of the data conducted in this study uses the qualitative thematic analysis framework that is used to identify and analyze psychological themes that recur in these traditions, such as models of mind and consciousness, epistemology and cognitive processes, theories of emotion and motivation, models of suffering and well-being, and psychic transformation techniques. Analysis shows that Yoga and Vedanta (orthodox schools) and Buddhism (heterodox schools) present the best fit with the contemporary psychological principles, especially with regard to mindfulness, cognitive restructuring, emotion regulation and existential well-being. A comparative matrix is provided to be systematically used to evaluate each school’s psychological relevance. The results indicate that Indian knowledge systems provide valuable conceptual resources which can usefully complement and enrich the existing psychological theory and practice.