Shagufa Kapadia | The M.S.University Of Baroda-Vadodara (original) (raw)
Papers by Shagufa Kapadia
Going global: How psychologists can meet a world of need.
Psychology: Volume 2
This chapter offers a theoretical and empirical perspective on socialization and parenting in the... more This chapter offers a theoretical and empirical perspective on socialization and parenting in the Indian cultural context. It critically examines the role of gender role expectations, micro ecology of family, and maternal employment in child development. The mediating effects of availability of resources, inconsistency in experiences of care, and availability of other nurturing caregivers and participation of fathers are also examined. It is observed that the parent–adolescent relationship is becoming more democratic, with parents participating actively in adolescents’ lives. Overall, research on socialization reflects positive trends such as the steady growth of culturally sensitive perspectives and attempts to engage with social change influences. However, the focus on middle-class contexts has precluded understanding of cultural diversity. It is concluded that further studies on the interplay of tradition and modernity, shifting power balance in parent–child relationship, and par...
The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, 2013
The paper is based on a study that is a sequel to a previous project on "Parenting Goals and... more The paper is based on a study that is a sequel to a previous project on "Parenting Goals and Expectations in the Context of Globalization and Acculturation: Perspectives from India and Canada" carried out in May-June 2006 (Kapadia 2009). This research brought to the fore parents' perceptions and expectations in relation to their adolescent children. In order to derive a holistic picture of adjustment challenges in Indian immigrant families in Canada, integrating the experiences and viewpoints of children is de rigueur. Therefore, a research on the viewpoints of the adolescents was conducted in May-June 2010. The research questions were: To what extent do adolescents from Indian immigrant families demonstrate Indian cultural precepts? How are the views of parents and adolescents aligned with reference to significant life domains? The participants included 21 (11 girls and 10 boys) second generation Indian- Canadian adolescents (18-21 years) born and raised in Canada. Personal interviews were conducted to elicit their perspectives on adaptation in Canada, acquaintance with the Indian culture, personal goals and aspirations, and relationship with parents. Qualitative analysis was used to elicit the salient patterns in the narratives obtained from the adolescents. The adolescents' views are compared with the views of the mothers in the previous study in terms of correspondence and discrepancies. Conclusions about socialization for cultural continuity are drawn with a comment on adolescent-parent relationships in the context of immigration and acculturation.
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001
Although family structures and forms vary across cultures, marriage and its integral process of s... more Although family structures and forms vary across cultures, marriage and its integral process of selection of a partner are universal phenomena. The modes and criteria for partner selection evolve from the rules or normative frameworks and related social psychological orientations prevalent in different cultural contexts. A recent trend in the scientific study of partner selection is to merge disciplinary perspectives and approaches in order to reach a comprehensive understanding of the different phases and elements of the process. An example is the integration of the evolutionary and social psychological or cultural perspectives. This article focuses upon the cultural context as providing shared schemas of meaning and knowledge systems that serve as a framework for individual and group experiences of marriage partner selection. In response to the global scenario of industrialization and urbanization, individuals are operating to reinterpret and reconstruct the cultural schemas. Importantly, adaptations are revealed in the social psychological world views, specifically the individualist and collectivist orientations characterizing the different cultures. The article includes a case profile of the Indian context which is in the midst of the flux of social change and depicts a melange of traditional-collectivist and modern-individualist social psychological perspectives of partner selection.
Online Readings in Psychology and Culture
The social cultural norms that guide parental practices regarding emotion socialization are deter... more The social cultural norms that guide parental practices regarding emotion socialization are determined by cultural meanings ascribed to emotion, emotion expression, regulation, and larger socialization goals. The majority of the empirical research on emotion socialization has been carried out in the US and in Western European countries. The current article aims at understanding emotion socialization in the Indian context interweaving broader views on parenting and socialization, socialization goals, and ancient and modern emotion concepts that shape emotion socialization in India. The heterogeneity of the Indian culture as well as modernization processes that influence these practices suggest heterogeneity of emotion socialization across contexts (e.g., rural-urban; multiple caregiver models).
Going global: How psychologists can meet a world of need.
Going global: How psychologists can meet a world of need.
Present research examines HIV counseling practices in Targeted Interventions (TIs) in Gujarat, In... more Present research examines HIV counseling practices in Targeted Interventions (TIs) in Gujarat, India. The TIs are funded by the Department of AIDS Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,Government of India. These interventions are specifically designed to prevent HIV among most-at-risk populations, namely, men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex worker (FSW) and injecting drug users (IDU).
This chapter recapitulates and discusses the central themes in the social construction of adolesc... more This chapter recapitulates and discusses the central themes in the social construction of adolescence the stage, the adolescent self, and the parent–adolescent relationship in the urban Indian middle class context. It then reflects on the issue of cultural continuity and change in the context of globalization and discusses the direction of social change. The conceptual framework is revisited, detailing the emerging interplay of cultural and contextual factors that mediate the sociocultural construction of adolescence in the urban Indian middle class. The final section discusses the implications for adolescent development.
Psychology and Developing Societies, 2019
The article highlights gender-specific elements in the notions of duty ( kartavya) in the Indian ... more The article highlights gender-specific elements in the notions of duty ( kartavya) in the Indian familial context. Using a hypothetical dilemma about gender roles and employment, in depth interviews were conducted with 120 respondents comprising young adults and their parents from the Maharashtrian community of Vadodara city, Gujarat, India. A majority of respondents, men as well as women, could recognize the unfairness (towards women) in the scenario but did not accord it enough importance because doing so could result in negative consequences (like family disharmony or social isolation) for the self as well as the family. Classifying the justifications under the Big Three Ethics of Autonomy, Community and Divinity (Jensen, 1996, Coding manual: Ethics of autonomy, community and divinity, Unpublished Manuscript) showed maximum use of the ethic of community, closely followed by autonomy. There was negligible use of the ethic of divinity. Indicating cultural continuity amidst social c...
Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, 2018
India is experiencing a modernisation process characterised by rapid urbanisation and the emergen... more India is experiencing a modernisation process characterised by rapid urbanisation and the emergence of a new middle class. This process is expected to lead to a change in lifestyles and dietary patterns, and notably higher consumption of animal based foods. The present article focuses on this changing dietary trend in the city of Vadodara in Gujarat (India). A stratified sample of 432 women and men was selected, representing Brahmin, non-Brahmin and Jain communities from high, medium and low socioeconomic strata. The results revealed that, in the transition process, the supposed protein shift from plant-to animal based foods takes specific forms in this cultural context because of more complex drivers that shape food consumption than the socioeconomic position in the society. It highlights that beyond the supra-determination of castes and socioeconomic classes, major drivers of this consumption are the norms and values attached to foods and their interrelations with eating practices according to spatiotemporal and social dimensions. This Indian case reveals that dietary change is not unidirectional towards the Western model but each culture has a unique form of transition.
This article focuses on the gendered experiences of involuntary childlessness and the societal pe... more This article focuses on the gendered experiences of involuntary childlessness and the societal perceptions of the state of being childless. It is based on research aimed at understanding the experience of involuntary childlessness among women and men in the urban middle class of a cosmopolitan city (Vadodara) in India. The study in-volved a gendered analysis of individuals ’ experiences, with specific reference to ideas about parenthood, the importance of children, and the psychosocial implications on self and marital relationships within the context of family and society. The results revealed substantial gender differences. The euphoria surrounding the event of parent-hood, the importance of a child in fostering cohesiveness among family members, and strengthening the marital bond were also examined. The implications of childlessness on self and on marital relations were manifested as feelings of loss, especially during the initial years. Based on the findings, interrelationships a...
Counseling is an essential strategy for preventing sexually transmitted infections, including hum... more Counseling is an essential strategy for preventing sexually transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, research on counseling practices in targeted HIV prevention interventions is limited. We conducted a grounded theory study to develop a theoretical model explaining HIV counseling practices within Targeted Interventions (TI) in Gujarat. Using constructivist grounded theory methodology, we conducted in-depth interviews of 14 counselors and observed counseling sessions of five counselors. Data were analyzed using a constant-comparative method, performing four levels of coding: open, axial, focused, and theoretical. Our theoretical model illustrates key culture-specific features in HIV counseling and how counselors facilitate the counseling process in the local cultural context and programatic environment. Present study reveals the values and practices reflective of the Indian culture that inform the counseling process and yield behavior change in c...
Manger en ville. Regards socio-anthropologiques d’Afrique, d’Amérique latine et d’Asie
Much writing, both scientific as well as popular, has highlighted the rather trying time that par... more Much writing, both scientific as well as popular, has highlighted the rather trying time that parents endure in dealing with their adolescent children. The burgeoning contextual changes are only expected to exacerbate this phenomenon. Concerns along these lines are expressed in contemporary Indian society, especially with regard to dissipating traditional cultural values and the challenge of reconciling traditional beliefs and practices with new realities. This chapter probes into the phenomena of parenting and parent–adolescent relationship from the perspectives of both adolescents and parents. The following questions are addressed: What kind of parenting is preferred in the present milieu of flux of social change? How is the changing context affecting the traditional hierarchical authority structure of parent–adolescent relationship? What are the defining features of the parent–adolescent relationship? The chapter begins with an overview of parents’ and adolescents’ descriptions o...
Adolescence in Urban India
Adolescence is a sociocultural construction shaped by the complex interaction between cultural wo... more Adolescence is a sociocultural construction shaped by the complex interaction between cultural worldview and contextual influences at the macro level and the family context at the micro level. How is adolescence, the stage, and adolescent, the person, constructed in the urban Indian middle class context? This chapter addresses these two aspects. The first section illustrates adolescents’ and parents’ descriptions of the stage of adolescence and highlights the salient features and socialization goals. Gender as a mediating factor is underlined. The next section depicts adolescent, the person, in terms of attributes, dreams, wishes, insecurities, and anxieties, to reveal the multidimensional self-construal of the adolescent, embodying the individual, relational, and encompassing selves, with glimpses of the related-autonomous self .
Choice of contraceptive methods is a key element of family planning that benefits both women and ... more Choice of contraceptive methods is a key element of family planning that benefits both women and providers. Offering a client choice can help increase contraceptive prevalence rates; so this study was conducted to explore users’ perspectives on Injectable Contraceptives (IC). This qualitative study employed semi structured in-depth interview technique. Sixty women, who had experience of using IC either at the time of study or in the past, were selected from the obstetrics and gynecologist specialist who prescribed IC to their clients from Baroda. Data entry was done using group codes and numbers. The most common likes of IC were that of convenience of having to take injection only once in three month, being tension free for three months, safe, effective, no problems as in case of Copper-T or condoms. The most common dislikes reported were swelling of the abdomen, excessive bleeding, amenorrhea and mental torture due to continuous bleeding or absence of periods. Study gives impressio...
Going global: How psychologists can meet a world of need.
Psychology: Volume 2
This chapter offers a theoretical and empirical perspective on socialization and parenting in the... more This chapter offers a theoretical and empirical perspective on socialization and parenting in the Indian cultural context. It critically examines the role of gender role expectations, micro ecology of family, and maternal employment in child development. The mediating effects of availability of resources, inconsistency in experiences of care, and availability of other nurturing caregivers and participation of fathers are also examined. It is observed that the parent–adolescent relationship is becoming more democratic, with parents participating actively in adolescents’ lives. Overall, research on socialization reflects positive trends such as the steady growth of culturally sensitive perspectives and attempts to engage with social change influences. However, the focus on middle-class contexts has precluded understanding of cultural diversity. It is concluded that further studies on the interplay of tradition and modernity, shifting power balance in parent–child relationship, and par...
The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, 2013
The paper is based on a study that is a sequel to a previous project on "Parenting Goals and... more The paper is based on a study that is a sequel to a previous project on "Parenting Goals and Expectations in the Context of Globalization and Acculturation: Perspectives from India and Canada" carried out in May-June 2006 (Kapadia 2009). This research brought to the fore parents' perceptions and expectations in relation to their adolescent children. In order to derive a holistic picture of adjustment challenges in Indian immigrant families in Canada, integrating the experiences and viewpoints of children is de rigueur. Therefore, a research on the viewpoints of the adolescents was conducted in May-June 2010. The research questions were: To what extent do adolescents from Indian immigrant families demonstrate Indian cultural precepts? How are the views of parents and adolescents aligned with reference to significant life domains? The participants included 21 (11 girls and 10 boys) second generation Indian- Canadian adolescents (18-21 years) born and raised in Canada. Personal interviews were conducted to elicit their perspectives on adaptation in Canada, acquaintance with the Indian culture, personal goals and aspirations, and relationship with parents. Qualitative analysis was used to elicit the salient patterns in the narratives obtained from the adolescents. The adolescents' views are compared with the views of the mothers in the previous study in terms of correspondence and discrepancies. Conclusions about socialization for cultural continuity are drawn with a comment on adolescent-parent relationships in the context of immigration and acculturation.
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001
Although family structures and forms vary across cultures, marriage and its integral process of s... more Although family structures and forms vary across cultures, marriage and its integral process of selection of a partner are universal phenomena. The modes and criteria for partner selection evolve from the rules or normative frameworks and related social psychological orientations prevalent in different cultural contexts. A recent trend in the scientific study of partner selection is to merge disciplinary perspectives and approaches in order to reach a comprehensive understanding of the different phases and elements of the process. An example is the integration of the evolutionary and social psychological or cultural perspectives. This article focuses upon the cultural context as providing shared schemas of meaning and knowledge systems that serve as a framework for individual and group experiences of marriage partner selection. In response to the global scenario of industrialization and urbanization, individuals are operating to reinterpret and reconstruct the cultural schemas. Importantly, adaptations are revealed in the social psychological world views, specifically the individualist and collectivist orientations characterizing the different cultures. The article includes a case profile of the Indian context which is in the midst of the flux of social change and depicts a melange of traditional-collectivist and modern-individualist social psychological perspectives of partner selection.
Online Readings in Psychology and Culture
The social cultural norms that guide parental practices regarding emotion socialization are deter... more The social cultural norms that guide parental practices regarding emotion socialization are determined by cultural meanings ascribed to emotion, emotion expression, regulation, and larger socialization goals. The majority of the empirical research on emotion socialization has been carried out in the US and in Western European countries. The current article aims at understanding emotion socialization in the Indian context interweaving broader views on parenting and socialization, socialization goals, and ancient and modern emotion concepts that shape emotion socialization in India. The heterogeneity of the Indian culture as well as modernization processes that influence these practices suggest heterogeneity of emotion socialization across contexts (e.g., rural-urban; multiple caregiver models).
Going global: How psychologists can meet a world of need.
Going global: How psychologists can meet a world of need.
Present research examines HIV counseling practices in Targeted Interventions (TIs) in Gujarat, In... more Present research examines HIV counseling practices in Targeted Interventions (TIs) in Gujarat, India. The TIs are funded by the Department of AIDS Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,Government of India. These interventions are specifically designed to prevent HIV among most-at-risk populations, namely, men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex worker (FSW) and injecting drug users (IDU).
This chapter recapitulates and discusses the central themes in the social construction of adolesc... more This chapter recapitulates and discusses the central themes in the social construction of adolescence the stage, the adolescent self, and the parent–adolescent relationship in the urban Indian middle class context. It then reflects on the issue of cultural continuity and change in the context of globalization and discusses the direction of social change. The conceptual framework is revisited, detailing the emerging interplay of cultural and contextual factors that mediate the sociocultural construction of adolescence in the urban Indian middle class. The final section discusses the implications for adolescent development.
Psychology and Developing Societies, 2019
The article highlights gender-specific elements in the notions of duty ( kartavya) in the Indian ... more The article highlights gender-specific elements in the notions of duty ( kartavya) in the Indian familial context. Using a hypothetical dilemma about gender roles and employment, in depth interviews were conducted with 120 respondents comprising young adults and their parents from the Maharashtrian community of Vadodara city, Gujarat, India. A majority of respondents, men as well as women, could recognize the unfairness (towards women) in the scenario but did not accord it enough importance because doing so could result in negative consequences (like family disharmony or social isolation) for the self as well as the family. Classifying the justifications under the Big Three Ethics of Autonomy, Community and Divinity (Jensen, 1996, Coding manual: Ethics of autonomy, community and divinity, Unpublished Manuscript) showed maximum use of the ethic of community, closely followed by autonomy. There was negligible use of the ethic of divinity. Indicating cultural continuity amidst social c...
Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, 2018
India is experiencing a modernisation process characterised by rapid urbanisation and the emergen... more India is experiencing a modernisation process characterised by rapid urbanisation and the emergence of a new middle class. This process is expected to lead to a change in lifestyles and dietary patterns, and notably higher consumption of animal based foods. The present article focuses on this changing dietary trend in the city of Vadodara in Gujarat (India). A stratified sample of 432 women and men was selected, representing Brahmin, non-Brahmin and Jain communities from high, medium and low socioeconomic strata. The results revealed that, in the transition process, the supposed protein shift from plant-to animal based foods takes specific forms in this cultural context because of more complex drivers that shape food consumption than the socioeconomic position in the society. It highlights that beyond the supra-determination of castes and socioeconomic classes, major drivers of this consumption are the norms and values attached to foods and their interrelations with eating practices according to spatiotemporal and social dimensions. This Indian case reveals that dietary change is not unidirectional towards the Western model but each culture has a unique form of transition.
This article focuses on the gendered experiences of involuntary childlessness and the societal pe... more This article focuses on the gendered experiences of involuntary childlessness and the societal perceptions of the state of being childless. It is based on research aimed at understanding the experience of involuntary childlessness among women and men in the urban middle class of a cosmopolitan city (Vadodara) in India. The study in-volved a gendered analysis of individuals ’ experiences, with specific reference to ideas about parenthood, the importance of children, and the psychosocial implications on self and marital relationships within the context of family and society. The results revealed substantial gender differences. The euphoria surrounding the event of parent-hood, the importance of a child in fostering cohesiveness among family members, and strengthening the marital bond were also examined. The implications of childlessness on self and on marital relations were manifested as feelings of loss, especially during the initial years. Based on the findings, interrelationships a...
Counseling is an essential strategy for preventing sexually transmitted infections, including hum... more Counseling is an essential strategy for preventing sexually transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, research on counseling practices in targeted HIV prevention interventions is limited. We conducted a grounded theory study to develop a theoretical model explaining HIV counseling practices within Targeted Interventions (TI) in Gujarat. Using constructivist grounded theory methodology, we conducted in-depth interviews of 14 counselors and observed counseling sessions of five counselors. Data were analyzed using a constant-comparative method, performing four levels of coding: open, axial, focused, and theoretical. Our theoretical model illustrates key culture-specific features in HIV counseling and how counselors facilitate the counseling process in the local cultural context and programatic environment. Present study reveals the values and practices reflective of the Indian culture that inform the counseling process and yield behavior change in c...
Manger en ville. Regards socio-anthropologiques d’Afrique, d’Amérique latine et d’Asie
Much writing, both scientific as well as popular, has highlighted the rather trying time that par... more Much writing, both scientific as well as popular, has highlighted the rather trying time that parents endure in dealing with their adolescent children. The burgeoning contextual changes are only expected to exacerbate this phenomenon. Concerns along these lines are expressed in contemporary Indian society, especially with regard to dissipating traditional cultural values and the challenge of reconciling traditional beliefs and practices with new realities. This chapter probes into the phenomena of parenting and parent–adolescent relationship from the perspectives of both adolescents and parents. The following questions are addressed: What kind of parenting is preferred in the present milieu of flux of social change? How is the changing context affecting the traditional hierarchical authority structure of parent–adolescent relationship? What are the defining features of the parent–adolescent relationship? The chapter begins with an overview of parents’ and adolescents’ descriptions o...
Adolescence in Urban India
Adolescence is a sociocultural construction shaped by the complex interaction between cultural wo... more Adolescence is a sociocultural construction shaped by the complex interaction between cultural worldview and contextual influences at the macro level and the family context at the micro level. How is adolescence, the stage, and adolescent, the person, constructed in the urban Indian middle class context? This chapter addresses these two aspects. The first section illustrates adolescents’ and parents’ descriptions of the stage of adolescence and highlights the salient features and socialization goals. Gender as a mediating factor is underlined. The next section depicts adolescent, the person, in terms of attributes, dreams, wishes, insecurities, and anxieties, to reveal the multidimensional self-construal of the adolescent, embodying the individual, relational, and encompassing selves, with glimpses of the related-autonomous self .
Choice of contraceptive methods is a key element of family planning that benefits both women and ... more Choice of contraceptive methods is a key element of family planning that benefits both women and providers. Offering a client choice can help increase contraceptive prevalence rates; so this study was conducted to explore users’ perspectives on Injectable Contraceptives (IC). This qualitative study employed semi structured in-depth interview technique. Sixty women, who had experience of using IC either at the time of study or in the past, were selected from the obstetrics and gynecologist specialist who prescribed IC to their clients from Baroda. Data entry was done using group codes and numbers. The most common likes of IC were that of convenience of having to take injection only once in three month, being tension free for three months, safe, effective, no problems as in case of Copper-T or condoms. The most common dislikes reported were swelling of the abdomen, excessive bleeding, amenorrhea and mental torture due to continuous bleeding or absence of periods. Study gives impressio...