Psychology and Sociology are both considered arts subjects but I find in them much more challenge than any of the physical sciences. For one, nothing is definite in these subjects…

Frustrated with long-drawn-out academia in the physical sciences – physics, chemistry and maths in IIT JEE and electrical engineering during graduation – I thought why not experiment with the behavioural sciences when I started preparing for the civil service exams, and it has been a really fruitful experiment. For the first time, studies have been a romance; romance between me and myself; between me and the society that moulds me.

Psychology and Sociology are both considered arts subjects but I find in them much more challenge than any of the physical sciences. For one, nothing is definite in these subjects.

Take for example sociology. Some great thinkers like Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber have given theories on how society operates, and how the sub-structures and super-structures operate. The effort behind these theories is to give an empirical justification for all that has passed in history and make predictions for what may happen in future. Though none of the theories have been fully proved correct, most of them have been validated on a case-to-case basis.

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The beauty in sociology is the non-linearity that exists in society and the course of history. It is said that “History repeats itself”. Sociologists basically try to predict the future based on the past. Alas! History doesn’t always repeat itself. There is too much of non-linearity in societies; structural differences exist in the ways various societies progress.

The good thing is that sociology forces one to think about one’s self and surroundings, take cognizance of all that one had taken for granted and appreciate the role of society in one’s life. Indeed, Emile Durkheim would tell you that “social facts” are THE determining force on how you behave. You are like a robot whose remote is in the hands of society! He further can convince you that religion is society and the Gods you pray to are but manifestations of society.

Though we don’t subscribe to such extreme views, what is amazing is the hold society has on man! Why do you dress? For yourself or for society? Why do you strive for success? What is your definition of success? Is it your definition or that of the society at large? Social fact, though not the only controlling force on behaviour, is a major one.

This brings us to the second factor that controls human behaviour, the ‘psychological facts’ also known as the inner self of man. Before reading psychology, I usually did not understand – or rather never cared to understand – why I do what I do. Also, my understanding of my motives and my ideas were surprisingly flawed!

A study of psychology helped me understand and interpret my actions, my thought process and my emotions. It is not like understanding the trajectory of a projectile or understanding how to ride a bicycle. It is more about introspecting on my own behaviour, trying to find out latent meanings to manifestations.

Believe me, the psyche of a person – his unconscious self – is so dangerously horrible that it is good we have an unconscious to hide these thoughts and feelings and protect us from ourselves! According to the celebrated psychoanalytic Sigmund Freud, we are innately drawn towards hedonism. Hence every human is pleasure seeking. However, society can’t exist if every human is pleasure seeking. What if sex seeking humans start making love incessantly? Diseases will spread and population will explode. What if destruction seeking humans (all humans have an innate tendency towards death and destruction) keep killing each other? Such things don’t happen because of society. Now you must have a faint idea about why Durkheim considered society an external remote that controls and constrains human behaviour!

Society prohibits our innate tendencies from venting out.
These innate tendencies, as a result, become repressed in the unconscious part of our psyche.
Interaction between socially learnt values and innate tendencies lead to human behaviour.
Confusion between social values and innate drives (you will be horrified if ever you know what goes on in your mind!) leads to maladaptive behaviour.

My interactions with sociology and psychology have been nothing short of romance.