A comparison of the criteria of emotional maturity in an eastern and a western culture

Abstract

The problem of the thesis was to compare experimentally the concepts of a mature individual of groups of two cultures in order to test the hypothesis that the criteria of emotional maturity are, at least in part, culturally determined. Chapter I examines the concept of emotional maturity as it appears in the psychological literature. A brief survey of the various ways in which the term is used indicates that the term is still left vague and ill defined. A fresh approach to the term is suggested. Chapter II examines some of the earlier attempts to assess the emotional maturity or neurotic tendency of one cultural group by means of a test prepared in another cultural setting. Such comparisons generally reveal the inadequacies of the measuring instrument itself. The questionnaire used in the experiment is discussed in the third chapter together with the descriptions of the British and the Hindu groups studied. The next four chapters are devoted to the analysis of the answers of the subjects. It appears from the subgroup comparisons that there were no significant sex-differences; however, the two age groups in each culture differed significantly on some items. For the intergroup comparisons, the items of the questionnaire are divided into twelve sections and the opinions of five pairs of groups on each item are compared. Chapter VI summarizes the findings of the previous chapter in the form of composite pictures of a mature and an immature individual for each of the groups. Chapter VII analyses the criticisms of the questionnaire received from the subjects, as these criticisms form an integral part of the data. Comparisons are also made here between the extent of response given by various groups. In the last chapter an attempt is made to examine the Hindu concept of a mature man as revealed in this investigation in the light of the Hindu culture-pattern.