This is an attempt to understand the dynamics of
academic success and its impact on life satisfaction .From the very beginning
stage our children are taught to compromise their natural instinct in order to
meet the challenges of nursery admissions. The brilliant texture of inner self
of a child is geared to fit into a social paradigm which rigidly controlled and
regulated by institutional and strict social parameters of achieving perfection.
This illusion of future success is so rigidly constructed around social and
cultural foundations that outside agencies overpower the inside of a child.
Personal desires emotions and interest of a child is held secondary and primary
importance is assigned to achieve these outward standards.
The irony of this ongoing process demotivates the
child using their own standpoints of innovativeness and become passive
recipients’ of others motives may be parents, teachers or the significant
others.
Satisfaction and motivation to achieve is perceived
as need based which is an aspect of
life satisfaction not the complete aspect of the satisfaction process.
The satisfaction of physical self is considered
more dynamic than hidden and
active mental self. Our modern view of navigating real life events
predominantly works on mechanical principle of engineering success ignoring the
fundamental nature/ prakriti of aperson. The dominance of physical science has
accustomed us to an attitude of measuring satisfaction in quantitative terms.
-The power of idea being is becoming replaced by idea force which fixes conditions
for success and delving to search satisfaction.
Three qualities of human nature as perceived in
Bhagvad Gita are Tamas- as natures power of nescience ‘Rajas-as her power of
active seeking ignorance enlightened by desire and impulsion, Sattwa- as her
power of possessing and harmonizing knowledge.
Whatever action is mechanical predominantly by Tamas
but action of life within is governed by Rajas that leads to further action and
desire and finally actions of intelligence, reason and rational will are
initiated through Sattwa an effort of assimilation and harmony of conflicting
happenings and experiences.
The attainment of life satisfaction depends more on
assimilation, equilibrium which provides more happiness; ease and unity that is
the goal of positive psychology.
Values
should guide the enhancement of human well-being (Prilleltensyky 1997)
Academic success based on marks or grades contract
the possibilities of people to expand their horizons of growth and our
pedagogical techniques do not appreciation of diversity of skills instead
reinforces the ideology of rote learning .Memory is hyped as a glory and
granted property of one’s merit which should be treated as simply data of some
ongoing social action. Teachers once appointed do not bother to continually
improve their learning and focus more on syllabi completion job not on
meaningfully engaging their students in creative activities .Root of arrogance
lies in inflated pride .Modern class-rooms with all latest gadgets like
computers and laser discs provide infrastructural inputs but lack of face to
face involvement between teacher and the taught fails to generate mutual
interaction. It is no wonder that students not involved in the class room
engage themselves in frequent messaging during class time. The concept of GURU
advanced in ancient Indian wisdom had marked absence of assertiveness. A good
teacher speaks less and when a task is done students say we did it ourselves .NO single teacher knows
all the answers but a good teacher tend to show empathy the capacity for
participating in another’s feelings and ideas.
Life satisfaction is not a onetime objective or an all or none event
instead it is a gradual process. TV, internet, mobile phones have colonized our
creative leisure time and we hardly get time to share our feelings with friends
and parents. In order to understand the life satisfaction we must explore the
emotional land escape and also try to know the ontological concerns-the study
of fundamental characters of reality. Describing academic success in terms of
simple cause and effect relationship creates inferiority complexes in the minds
of young children. WE have a strong generalizing attitude of classifying merit
simply on the basis of qualifying a competitive examination like it, as, pmt
ignoring the process merit of large number of examination unsuccessful people.
Psychologist Vygotsky (1978) and his followers have challenged
mechanistic and individualistic concept of human mental life. His theory is
known as Zone of proximal development-based on the idea that testing an
individual in isolation is limited and it is more important to find out how an
individual behaves in collaboration with peers and others. Even in course
of decision about careers students have to undergo a conflict of
deciding career according to parents choice and bearing the burden of blame in case of not being so successful on a
path imposed by others. Social constructionist thinkers have provided
conceptualizations of an individual that are not independent of his/her context
but embedded in society and community (Gergen 1985). These social
generalizations based career choice prescriptions are based on strong
prejudices and stereotypes that may not suitable for each distinguished child
bestowed with unique resources. It becomes culturally and socially to pursue a career
choice other than one visualized by parents and significant others. That is the
reason we find successive generations of people moving in the comfort zone
of their parental profession. But it is
a tendency that only political class is singled out for pursing parental profession.
Most surprisingly the field of creative arts like Bollywood is strongly dominated by this
trend This tendency gives rise to stereotypical progress of career choices and
inhibits the growth of entrepreneurial
and uniquely diverse career choices .cricket is like a religion in our
country but majority of the parents will
not want their children pursuing cricket
as career .Other paradoxes of gender discrimination is also a major
deterrent in the path of academics and life satisfaction relationship. That is
the reason that female students are considered to be more suitable for teaching
and other so called soft professions.
Wilhelm Dilthey (1976) divided the scientists into
natural and human sciences .Natural kinds are physical, chemical and biological
objects. Constructed concepts cannot become natural objects because they have
empirical support. Thomas Kuhn (1962) historians of science have emphasized the
difference what researchers are supposed to do and what they actually do.
Similarly getting a degree is not the sufficient enough reason to be successful
navigators of real life experiences. The major focus on methodology rather than
on subject matter has led to an epistemological attitude called methodologism.
If a methodology can prescribe what researcher can study, research is
unnecessary limited. For e.g. best Thermometer in the world is worthless for
measuring speed. Element of criticality should not exclude subjectivity from
our research (parker2003).
Hermeneutic approaches emphasize the intentional,
dialogical and active side of the person. We commit epistemological violence
while generalizing the complete ability of aperson on a single parameter of
getting a good job, good salary, good course or good institution ignoring the
alternative interpretations. Lack of analysis of alternative interpretations
often leads to negative generalizations. For e.g. feminist researchers have
identified the ideology of mainstream scientific methodology as male biased. In
her classic studies, Keller(1985) explored the association between objectivity
and masculinity and defended the thesis that scientific research was based on
masculine discourses, ideals metaphors and practices .She argued that the
emphasis on power and control ,widespread in the rhetoric of sciences history,
represented the projection of a male consciousness of science .The language of science expressed a preoccupation with dominance and
an adversarial relationship to nature .She pointed out that science divided reality into two parts
the knower and the known with an autonomous knower in control distanced and
separated from the known obviously, qualitative methods are preferred within
such a framework.
Postmodernist thinker Richel Foucault (2006)
introduced critical discourse analysis that focuses on analysis of written or
spoken language, understands language as a social practice that is infused with
biases. This method operates based on the idea that language is often embedded
in ideological oppressive and exploitative practices. Martin – Baro (1994)
approach provided that knowledge must be generated by learning from the
oppressed, research should look at psychological processes from the perspective
of the dominated educational should learn from the perspective of illiterate,
industrial should begin with the perspective of unemployed, clinical should be
guided by the perspective of marginalized.
Marx’s famous notation of the primary of praxis over
theory intellectual reflection should not ne about interpreting the world so
much as changing it.
Simply arm-chair theorizing can’t be the solution to
the problems we are faced with participatory action research where problems
demand their own theorization is necessary.
The power to determine what is normal and what is
pathological contributes to a disciplinary regime [focualt, 1980]. Definition
of normality and optimal mental health serve as ideas of behavior. There
authorized meanings of normal and abnormal constrain everyone.
Assertion of what is normal and what is abnormal is
not matter of science, but judgment based on social cultural and ethical
standards. For e. g. Hearing dead people speak and speaking to them is not
acause of alarm in Indian culture but in western culture it may be taken as
evidence of hallucination.Bereaved individuals in a country like India where
custom of mourning runs into years may be diagnosed as depressed by an
unknowing American clinician.
Zimbardo’s prison simulations have demonstrated that
“well-behaved people can be led by situational influences to torment others’’
(Berkowitz 1999).
Academic success should not be viewed that outcome
is simply the product of two independent factors-person & situation instead
more dynamic and emergent view of both persons and situation are transformed
through their interplay.
Our
academic system is more dialogue and theory based and even researches lack
strong linkages to practice. Researches in Indian context being theory –
informed research have resulted into unfounded optimism ignoring the larger
reality of problems in various walks.
Increasing consumerism, sexism, classism by a small
group of persons, corporations representing their interests dominate social
academic and economic life under the banner of free- trade and democracy.
Theorizations of faulty nature are propagated by corporate controlled media
keeping ordinary citizens uninformed about sufferings of poverty, hunger and
ill health by producing entertainment and shifting attention from real issues.
Insights and reflections are avoided and the lack of
intense fullness of engagement and relationship is also closely guarded.
Academic and life satisfaction can also be judged
with the institution of marriage that has been burdened by exaggerated visions
of romantic fulfillment and self enhancement .The unrealistic expectations
placed on marriage contribute to the tension and violence in Indian marriages
including wife-beating and child abuse. Academics should not focus on merely
guaranteeing a job it should also aim at empowerments of its citizens.
Motivation to achieve should not be only need based it should also aim at
rendering a vision and a world view.
The Grameen bank in Bangladesh is one such example
how academics can help reduce poverty. Jodo Gyan initiatives, water inspectors
appointed in schools of Rajasthan are some of the better examples of academic –
life satisfaction synthesis.
That
which knows is essence action and withdrawal from action, what ought not to be done,
fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation, that understanding, o Parha is Sattwic.
Eighteenth
chapter “30” Bhagvad Gita.
A
wholistic and all inclusive approach is required not an elitist or exclusive
approach to strengthen the effective interlinkage between academic success and
life satisfaction.
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