Urmi Nanda Biswas - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Urmi Nanda Biswas
Journal of International Migration and Integration
Addictive Behaviors Reports, Jun 1, 2021
Research shows that internet addiction continues to grow globally, with wider access to the inter... more Research shows that internet addiction continues to grow globally, with wider access to the internet and changing use of smartphones. The compulsive internet use scale (CIUS) which has been found to be consistently associated with pathological internet use, is widely considered a measure for prolonged and problematic internet use. CIUS had been translated and adapted in several countries with reports of good reliability. However, to our knowledge this is the first study that examined the psychometric properties of the CIUS scale in three countries who share similar collectivistic attitudes and are a part of growing economies. This link was shared widely amongst young adults (aged 18-25 years), and a total of 837 participants completed the questionnaires. They completed the CIUS scale alongside a measure for escapism and self-esteem. These additional self-reports were added to assess the construct validity of the CIUS. The results from this study confirms the single factor structure of the CIUS as the best fit for this scale, this single factor solution was found for all the three countries. Similarly, high scores of internal reliability were observed for samples in India, Philippines and Turkey. We further found the CIUS to positively correlate with scores of escapism in the Turkish sample only. Taken together these results suggest that the CIUS is an effective measure regardless of country of residence, whilst highlighting the underlying differences in escapism that may need further attention.
... employees to the workplace is multidimensional (Becker & Billings, 1993, 1992; Balaji, 19... more ... employees to the workplace is multidimensional (Becker & Billings, 1993, 1992; Balaji, 1986). ... The validity coefficient was found to be .68. (c) Organisational Commitment: An eleven-item organisa tional commitment questionnaire was adapted from Balaji's (1986) ...
Indian Journal of Social Work, 2015
The research attempts to demonstrate the effectiveness of cognitive interview (CI) techniques use... more The research attempts to demonstrate the effectiveness of cognitive interview (CI) techniques used while finalising the survey instrument for establishing the conceptual equivalence of ethical valu ...
Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 2016
Stereotypes are overgeneralized beliefs about people based on their being a member of any of the ... more Stereotypes are overgeneralized beliefs about people based on their being a member of any of the social groups and/or categories. These stereotypical beliefs may be held for leaders in general, men and women in general, and for male and female leaders, more specifically. When stereotypical attributions are made keeping gender of the target in mind, they come to be known as gender stereotypes, which typically reflect the social roles performed by men and women in a given context. When stereotypes are automated for male and female leaders, this is denoted by the term 'leader gender stereotypes' in the gender literature (Basu, 2008, p.61). The managerial stereotypes that are thus, construed incorporate the communal and agentic traits. Men are typically stereotyped as possessing the agentic traits of independence, being assertive and the like; and women are more often stereotyped as having the communal traits of warm, nurturing and the like (Eagly, 1987; Eagly, Wood, & Diekman, 2000). Furthermore, in leadership research, the essence of leadership roles lies in agentic tendencies as opposed to communal tendencies, thereby making it pestilent for women to step into leadership and earn a fair evaluation. Gender stereotypes can further be understood in the light of what men and women are like (descriptive gender stereotypes), and how men and women should behave (prescriptive gender stereotypes). More specifically, for females in non-traditional occupations, the functioning of descriptive and prescriptive gender stereotypes, results in biased evaluations (Heilman, 2002; Rudman & Glick, 2002), challenging their capacities as leaders.For centuries, the division of labor established and reinforced the present day gender roles. These dichotomous gender roles further generated the prevailing gender stereotypes of women as engaging in communal behaviors akin to warmth and submissiveness, and men as engaging in agentic behaviors akin to dominant and aggressive (Eagly,1987). Eagly and Karau (2002) proposed the role congruity theory, which states that female leaders specifically run across a 'no-win' situation at the workplace. They become victims of prejudice in two such instances; one when a female leader emerges in a male-dominated workplace leading to incongruence between prescribed leader role and gender roles; and another, when a female leader exhibits agentic tendencies, thereby causing incongruence between leader role and prescribed gender role. Prentice and Carranza (2002) stated that "Gender stereotypes are highly prescriptive" (p.269). Perceptions of competence in female leaders depends to a larger extent on how they should behave, and not on how they prove themselves as successful, in men's domain (Heilman, Wallen, Fuchs, & Tamkins, 2004; Rudman & Glick, 2004). On a similar note, Gill (2004) concluded that prescriptive stereotypes would result in greater gender bias as compared to descriptive stereotypes. In addition, there is an increased tendency of negative evaluations toward female leaders displaying masculine roles, and heightened positive evaluations for male leaders displaying masculine roles. Studies in the past have also revealed how a good manager is still described in predominantly masculine terms (Gupta, Turban, Wasti, & Sikdar, 2009; Powell, Butterfield, & Parent, 2002).Female leaders have been continually perceived as more effective in the care-taking behaviors, and their male counterparts are perceived as more effective in action-taking behaviors (Prime, Carte, & Welbourne, 2009) further aggravating the stereotype against women leaders. Yoder (2001) explains in his work, "Leadership itself is gendered and is enacted within a gendered context" (p. 815). Bass (2000) provides further evidence that male leaders win more favorable evaluations as compared to their female counterparts, owing to the observer's biases and stereotypic expectations. Interestingly, Denmark (1993) and Garcia-Retamero and Lopez-Zafra (2006) point out that stereotype against female leaders are more typically held by females. …
Mental Health, Religion & Culture
IAGG-ER 2019, Gothenburg, 23-25 May, 2019., 2019
Towards Excellence
Train accidents are a major cause of concern. Among the several factors which hamper safe train o... more Train accidents are a major cause of concern. Among the several factors which hamper safe train operations, the psychosocial factor is one such risk factor that can affect both physical and mental health and organizational outcomes such as work performance and effectiveness thereby contributing to accidents. The contribution of psychosocial factors has been explored in the field of health but not much has been done in the field of train driving. The study aims to identify the psychosocial factors which hinder safe train operations by developing a scale, especially for Indian Railway train drivers. The scale was developed based on findings of the pilot study, and a review of relevant literature. Train Drivers presently working in the Indian railways formed the sample of the study. Data was collected were subjected to content analysis, descriptive statistics, factor analysis, reliability, validity and correlation analysis. The scale developed consists of 31 items, measures five psycho...
Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi eBooks, 2020
Understanding Attractive Work in a Globalized World, 2017
This chapter provides an overall perspective of the expressions of the organizational values of C... more This chapter provides an overall perspective of the expressions of the organizational values of CSR and EO across different sectors in Sweden and India. It examines whether the expressions of these values are shared between managers in the same organization. The chapter also maps the sample organizations selected from different sectors in the two countries in terms of CSR and EO. The findings are described and interpreted to understand the effect of national culture, sectoral culture and their interaction on the expressions of CSR and EO in the studied organizations. On the basis of higher statistical analysis, we then discuss how important CSR and EO are for perceptions regarding the attractiveness of work and the organization’s effectiveness. In addition, we compare the moderating effect of national and sectoral culture on the relationship between expressions of organizational values and the perceived attractiveness and effectiveness of the organization.
Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi eBooks, 2020
Psychological Studies, 2022
Equanimity has been a highly valued spiritual goal in Buddhism, in the scriptures of the Bhagavad... more Equanimity has been a highly valued spiritual goal in Buddhism, in the scriptures of the Bhagavad Gita and in Yoga traditions. Equanimity is a state of even-mindedness towards all experiences, regardless of their affective valence. The cultivation of equanimity may transform our perceptual-cognitive–emotional systems to widen our perspective on experience, increase distress tolerance and reduce habitual reactivity. The psychological literature has mainly focussed on mindfulness as the cultivation method of equanimity. However, there are various other indigenous pathways and methods for the cultivation of equanimity which this study aims to explore in detail. Thirty experts from various contemplative traditions such as yoga, meditation, Buddhism, and Indian Psychology were interviewed. Analysis of the interviews suggests various methods for the cultivation of equanimity such as practices facilitating awareness and openness towards experience, generative practices, various pathways of yoga and indirect pathways such as socio-emotional ethical learning, art and others. These techniques are elaborated separately for children and adults. Implications for practice: The implications of the cultivation of equanimity are discussed in context of holistic well-being, leadership practices and for the development of therapeutic models and techniques.
Subjective well-being can be simply defined as the individual's current evaluation of her hap... more Subjective well-being can be simply defined as the individual's current evaluation of her happiness. Such an evaluation is often expressed in affective terms; when asked about subjective wellbeing, participants will often say, "I feel good". Subjective well being could be objective or subjective. The objective well being is measured through certain observable facts such as economic, social and environmental statistic on the other hand subjective measures of well being captures people's feeling or real experience in a direct way assessing well being in an ordinal measure. Me Gillivray and Clarke (2006) state that "Subjective well being involve a multidimensional evaluation of life, including cognitive judgments of life satisfaction and objective evaluation of emotion and moods. Some economists use the phrase "Subjective well being" as syndrome of happiness but in psychology, happiness is a narrow concept of subjective well being. Despite the different...
This chapter reports how managers in the IT sector in India and Sweden understand the organizatio... more This chapter reports how managers in the IT sector in India and Sweden understand the organizational values of CSR and EO and their importance for workplace attractiveness. A general description of the sector in the two countries is provided on the basis of their respective national statistics. We then present integrated information based on qualitative data collected through cognitive interviews with managers regarding the conceptualization of the values in their national perspectives; data collected through organizational interviews with HR managers regarding the demographic composition of their organizations and a quantitative survey of first-line managers in 15 sample organizations. The chapter discusses how IT organizations formalize, implement and communicate these values based on the perceptions of existing managers regarding the different components of these organizational values. Managers’ ratings of attractiveness (organizational commitment and intention to leave) and perc...
More than two and half decades into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we have witnessed significant treatmen... more More than two and half decades into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we have witnessed significant treatment advances, yet the influences of self and society continue to have a considerable impact on quality of life among the HIV infected. To the extent that new medications don’t represent a cure, but a step forward in transforming HIV/AIDS from a deadly disease to a manageable chronic illness. Recent reports of a study estimates that HIV treatment will work for a quarter of a century (HIV Weekly, November, 2006). After HIV treatment was made available in late 1990s, it was thought that the life expectancy of somebody newly infected with HIV was between eight and thirteen years. But thanks to the pharmaceutical polytherapies-called generally Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART), developed in 1996 has caused a sea-change in the way people with HIV could be cared for medically. Because of these potent combinations, people with HIV are now living much longer and healthier lives. Many do...
Psychology and Developing Societies, 2020
Ageing population is becoming a major concern because of its economic, political and social impac... more Ageing population is becoming a major concern because of its economic, political and social impact. Trusted eldercare service is an important issue for a matured nation. The paper addresses the preconditions of healthy ageing and sustainable value integrated eldercare in a developing and a developed society. In India, professional eldercare is about a decade old and is still emerging to get a foothold in the health care system. The aim is to explore understanding and values of home-based eldercare (HBEC) in India from a multiple stakeholder’s perspective and to understand the value related challenges and issues in developments with HBEC in Sweden which has a century old experience of professional and public organised eldercare. The study included 210 in-depth interviews, 105 each from India and Sweden. The in-depth interviews of various stakeholders including older individuals, their relatives, caregivers, managers and doctors. Interviews and focused group discussions were carried o...
Journal of Refugee Studies, 2012
Life Skills education plays a major role in enabling individuals to translate knowledge attitudes... more Life Skills education plays a major role in enabling individuals to translate knowledge attitudes and values into actual abilities in reference to what to do and how to do it. Adolescent. Life skills is a new subject in the KENYAN CURRICULUM, it is also non examinable class eight and from four where national examinations are taken in its inconspicuous in relation to the examinable subjects .Its implementation especially at the primary school level has equally had few studies done in KENYA. Efforts have been made to effort its implementation by the mental health ,professional etiquette cooking class changes that influence its implementation still abound. Life Skills curriculum mainly in depends on teachers competence and attitude. This research therefore recommends that TEACHERS and head teachers be retrained on LSE regularly in order to improve ‗ LIFE SKILLS EDUCATION' , TEACHERS need to prepare schemes of word for life skills, follow the prescribed syllabus and appreciate LSE, government through the ministry of education should also allocate more resources such as relevant text books and audio visual.
Journal of International Migration and Integration
Addictive Behaviors Reports, Jun 1, 2021
Research shows that internet addiction continues to grow globally, with wider access to the inter... more Research shows that internet addiction continues to grow globally, with wider access to the internet and changing use of smartphones. The compulsive internet use scale (CIUS) which has been found to be consistently associated with pathological internet use, is widely considered a measure for prolonged and problematic internet use. CIUS had been translated and adapted in several countries with reports of good reliability. However, to our knowledge this is the first study that examined the psychometric properties of the CIUS scale in three countries who share similar collectivistic attitudes and are a part of growing economies. This link was shared widely amongst young adults (aged 18-25 years), and a total of 837 participants completed the questionnaires. They completed the CIUS scale alongside a measure for escapism and self-esteem. These additional self-reports were added to assess the construct validity of the CIUS. The results from this study confirms the single factor structure of the CIUS as the best fit for this scale, this single factor solution was found for all the three countries. Similarly, high scores of internal reliability were observed for samples in India, Philippines and Turkey. We further found the CIUS to positively correlate with scores of escapism in the Turkish sample only. Taken together these results suggest that the CIUS is an effective measure regardless of country of residence, whilst highlighting the underlying differences in escapism that may need further attention.
... employees to the workplace is multidimensional (Becker & Billings, 1993, 1992; Balaji, 19... more ... employees to the workplace is multidimensional (Becker & Billings, 1993, 1992; Balaji, 1986). ... The validity coefficient was found to be .68. (c) Organisational Commitment: An eleven-item organisa tional commitment questionnaire was adapted from Balaji's (1986) ...
Indian Journal of Social Work, 2015
The research attempts to demonstrate the effectiveness of cognitive interview (CI) techniques use... more The research attempts to demonstrate the effectiveness of cognitive interview (CI) techniques used while finalising the survey instrument for establishing the conceptual equivalence of ethical valu ...
Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 2016
Stereotypes are overgeneralized beliefs about people based on their being a member of any of the ... more Stereotypes are overgeneralized beliefs about people based on their being a member of any of the social groups and/or categories. These stereotypical beliefs may be held for leaders in general, men and women in general, and for male and female leaders, more specifically. When stereotypical attributions are made keeping gender of the target in mind, they come to be known as gender stereotypes, which typically reflect the social roles performed by men and women in a given context. When stereotypes are automated for male and female leaders, this is denoted by the term 'leader gender stereotypes' in the gender literature (Basu, 2008, p.61). The managerial stereotypes that are thus, construed incorporate the communal and agentic traits. Men are typically stereotyped as possessing the agentic traits of independence, being assertive and the like; and women are more often stereotyped as having the communal traits of warm, nurturing and the like (Eagly, 1987; Eagly, Wood, & Diekman, 2000). Furthermore, in leadership research, the essence of leadership roles lies in agentic tendencies as opposed to communal tendencies, thereby making it pestilent for women to step into leadership and earn a fair evaluation. Gender stereotypes can further be understood in the light of what men and women are like (descriptive gender stereotypes), and how men and women should behave (prescriptive gender stereotypes). More specifically, for females in non-traditional occupations, the functioning of descriptive and prescriptive gender stereotypes, results in biased evaluations (Heilman, 2002; Rudman & Glick, 2002), challenging their capacities as leaders.For centuries, the division of labor established and reinforced the present day gender roles. These dichotomous gender roles further generated the prevailing gender stereotypes of women as engaging in communal behaviors akin to warmth and submissiveness, and men as engaging in agentic behaviors akin to dominant and aggressive (Eagly,1987). Eagly and Karau (2002) proposed the role congruity theory, which states that female leaders specifically run across a 'no-win' situation at the workplace. They become victims of prejudice in two such instances; one when a female leader emerges in a male-dominated workplace leading to incongruence between prescribed leader role and gender roles; and another, when a female leader exhibits agentic tendencies, thereby causing incongruence between leader role and prescribed gender role. Prentice and Carranza (2002) stated that "Gender stereotypes are highly prescriptive" (p.269). Perceptions of competence in female leaders depends to a larger extent on how they should behave, and not on how they prove themselves as successful, in men's domain (Heilman, Wallen, Fuchs, & Tamkins, 2004; Rudman & Glick, 2004). On a similar note, Gill (2004) concluded that prescriptive stereotypes would result in greater gender bias as compared to descriptive stereotypes. In addition, there is an increased tendency of negative evaluations toward female leaders displaying masculine roles, and heightened positive evaluations for male leaders displaying masculine roles. Studies in the past have also revealed how a good manager is still described in predominantly masculine terms (Gupta, Turban, Wasti, & Sikdar, 2009; Powell, Butterfield, & Parent, 2002).Female leaders have been continually perceived as more effective in the care-taking behaviors, and their male counterparts are perceived as more effective in action-taking behaviors (Prime, Carte, & Welbourne, 2009) further aggravating the stereotype against women leaders. Yoder (2001) explains in his work, "Leadership itself is gendered and is enacted within a gendered context" (p. 815). Bass (2000) provides further evidence that male leaders win more favorable evaluations as compared to their female counterparts, owing to the observer's biases and stereotypic expectations. Interestingly, Denmark (1993) and Garcia-Retamero and Lopez-Zafra (2006) point out that stereotype against female leaders are more typically held by females. …
Mental Health, Religion & Culture
IAGG-ER 2019, Gothenburg, 23-25 May, 2019., 2019
Towards Excellence
Train accidents are a major cause of concern. Among the several factors which hamper safe train o... more Train accidents are a major cause of concern. Among the several factors which hamper safe train operations, the psychosocial factor is one such risk factor that can affect both physical and mental health and organizational outcomes such as work performance and effectiveness thereby contributing to accidents. The contribution of psychosocial factors has been explored in the field of health but not much has been done in the field of train driving. The study aims to identify the psychosocial factors which hinder safe train operations by developing a scale, especially for Indian Railway train drivers. The scale was developed based on findings of the pilot study, and a review of relevant literature. Train Drivers presently working in the Indian railways formed the sample of the study. Data was collected were subjected to content analysis, descriptive statistics, factor analysis, reliability, validity and correlation analysis. The scale developed consists of 31 items, measures five psycho...
Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi eBooks, 2020
Understanding Attractive Work in a Globalized World, 2017
This chapter provides an overall perspective of the expressions of the organizational values of C... more This chapter provides an overall perspective of the expressions of the organizational values of CSR and EO across different sectors in Sweden and India. It examines whether the expressions of these values are shared between managers in the same organization. The chapter also maps the sample organizations selected from different sectors in the two countries in terms of CSR and EO. The findings are described and interpreted to understand the effect of national culture, sectoral culture and their interaction on the expressions of CSR and EO in the studied organizations. On the basis of higher statistical analysis, we then discuss how important CSR and EO are for perceptions regarding the attractiveness of work and the organization’s effectiveness. In addition, we compare the moderating effect of national and sectoral culture on the relationship between expressions of organizational values and the perceived attractiveness and effectiveness of the organization.
Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi eBooks, 2020
Psychological Studies, 2022
Equanimity has been a highly valued spiritual goal in Buddhism, in the scriptures of the Bhagavad... more Equanimity has been a highly valued spiritual goal in Buddhism, in the scriptures of the Bhagavad Gita and in Yoga traditions. Equanimity is a state of even-mindedness towards all experiences, regardless of their affective valence. The cultivation of equanimity may transform our perceptual-cognitive–emotional systems to widen our perspective on experience, increase distress tolerance and reduce habitual reactivity. The psychological literature has mainly focussed on mindfulness as the cultivation method of equanimity. However, there are various other indigenous pathways and methods for the cultivation of equanimity which this study aims to explore in detail. Thirty experts from various contemplative traditions such as yoga, meditation, Buddhism, and Indian Psychology were interviewed. Analysis of the interviews suggests various methods for the cultivation of equanimity such as practices facilitating awareness and openness towards experience, generative practices, various pathways of yoga and indirect pathways such as socio-emotional ethical learning, art and others. These techniques are elaborated separately for children and adults. Implications for practice: The implications of the cultivation of equanimity are discussed in context of holistic well-being, leadership practices and for the development of therapeutic models and techniques.
Subjective well-being can be simply defined as the individual's current evaluation of her hap... more Subjective well-being can be simply defined as the individual's current evaluation of her happiness. Such an evaluation is often expressed in affective terms; when asked about subjective wellbeing, participants will often say, "I feel good". Subjective well being could be objective or subjective. The objective well being is measured through certain observable facts such as economic, social and environmental statistic on the other hand subjective measures of well being captures people's feeling or real experience in a direct way assessing well being in an ordinal measure. Me Gillivray and Clarke (2006) state that "Subjective well being involve a multidimensional evaluation of life, including cognitive judgments of life satisfaction and objective evaluation of emotion and moods. Some economists use the phrase "Subjective well being" as syndrome of happiness but in psychology, happiness is a narrow concept of subjective well being. Despite the different...
This chapter reports how managers in the IT sector in India and Sweden understand the organizatio... more This chapter reports how managers in the IT sector in India and Sweden understand the organizational values of CSR and EO and their importance for workplace attractiveness. A general description of the sector in the two countries is provided on the basis of their respective national statistics. We then present integrated information based on qualitative data collected through cognitive interviews with managers regarding the conceptualization of the values in their national perspectives; data collected through organizational interviews with HR managers regarding the demographic composition of their organizations and a quantitative survey of first-line managers in 15 sample organizations. The chapter discusses how IT organizations formalize, implement and communicate these values based on the perceptions of existing managers regarding the different components of these organizational values. Managers’ ratings of attractiveness (organizational commitment and intention to leave) and perc...
More than two and half decades into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we have witnessed significant treatmen... more More than two and half decades into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we have witnessed significant treatment advances, yet the influences of self and society continue to have a considerable impact on quality of life among the HIV infected. To the extent that new medications don’t represent a cure, but a step forward in transforming HIV/AIDS from a deadly disease to a manageable chronic illness. Recent reports of a study estimates that HIV treatment will work for a quarter of a century (HIV Weekly, November, 2006). After HIV treatment was made available in late 1990s, it was thought that the life expectancy of somebody newly infected with HIV was between eight and thirteen years. But thanks to the pharmaceutical polytherapies-called generally Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART), developed in 1996 has caused a sea-change in the way people with HIV could be cared for medically. Because of these potent combinations, people with HIV are now living much longer and healthier lives. Many do...
Psychology and Developing Societies, 2020
Ageing population is becoming a major concern because of its economic, political and social impac... more Ageing population is becoming a major concern because of its economic, political and social impact. Trusted eldercare service is an important issue for a matured nation. The paper addresses the preconditions of healthy ageing and sustainable value integrated eldercare in a developing and a developed society. In India, professional eldercare is about a decade old and is still emerging to get a foothold in the health care system. The aim is to explore understanding and values of home-based eldercare (HBEC) in India from a multiple stakeholder’s perspective and to understand the value related challenges and issues in developments with HBEC in Sweden which has a century old experience of professional and public organised eldercare. The study included 210 in-depth interviews, 105 each from India and Sweden. The in-depth interviews of various stakeholders including older individuals, their relatives, caregivers, managers and doctors. Interviews and focused group discussions were carried o...
Journal of Refugee Studies, 2012
Life Skills education plays a major role in enabling individuals to translate knowledge attitudes... more Life Skills education plays a major role in enabling individuals to translate knowledge attitudes and values into actual abilities in reference to what to do and how to do it. Adolescent. Life skills is a new subject in the KENYAN CURRICULUM, it is also non examinable class eight and from four where national examinations are taken in its inconspicuous in relation to the examinable subjects .Its implementation especially at the primary school level has equally had few studies done in KENYA. Efforts have been made to effort its implementation by the mental health ,professional etiquette cooking class changes that influence its implementation still abound. Life Skills curriculum mainly in depends on teachers competence and attitude. This research therefore recommends that TEACHERS and head teachers be retrained on LSE regularly in order to improve ‗ LIFE SKILLS EDUCATION' , TEACHERS need to prepare schemes of word for life skills, follow the prescribed syllabus and appreciate LSE, government through the ministry of education should also allocate more resources such as relevant text books and audio visual.