Important Topics in Psychology for UPSC MAINS Optional Paper 2
Paper II Section A
Psychological
Measurement of Indl Difference
- Psychological Tests – Types, Uses & Limitations.
- Ethical Issues (Short Note)
- Examine the methods of reliability & validity of psychological tests.
- Construction of Psychological tests
- Nature of Individual Difference (Short Note)
- Present Status of Psychological Testing in India (Short Note)
2
Well Being & Mental
Disorders
- Stress – it consequences & Stess Management
- Psychopathic Personality
- Schizophrenia
- Mental Disorders (Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, Schizphernia
- Happiness Disposition
- Concept of Positive Health & Factors affecting it
- Concept of Mental Health & Factors affectiing it
- Indian Techniques of Stess Management (Short Note)
3
Therapeutic
Approaches…..
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Behaviour Therapy
- Client Centred Therapy (Humanistic Approach)
- Congnitive Therapy
- Indigenous Therapy (Yoga, Meditation, Reiki).
- Biofeedback (Short Note).
- Prevention & Rehabilitation of the Mentally ill
- Concept of Mental Health & Factors affectiing it
- Caplan’s Threefold Model of Prevention (short note)
4
Work Psychology &
Organizational Maslow’s Theory & its application to industry
Behaviour…
- Maslow’s Theory & its application to industry
- Behaviour Herzberg theory of work motivation (Short Note)
- Techniques of personnel selection (Short Note)
- Participatory Management System.
- Work Motivation (Definition & Concept).
- Leadership & its form (Short Note).
- Indian Industry illustrations for each of the cases above
- Advertising & Marketing – Role of Psychology in it (Short Note)
- Equity Theory, Porter & Lawler, Vroom
- Ergonomics
- Transformational Leadership
- Consumer Psychology
- Power & Politics in Organization
- Use of Psychological tests in the industry
- Human Resource Development to achieve personal & organiz.
- goals.
Application of
Psychology to Education Field..
- Teaching Learning Process
- Learning Styles & its Uses in teaching-learning process (Full Length)
- Retarded Child (Short Note).
- Training of Gifted Children
- Learning Disabled & their training
6
Community
Psychology.
- Community Psychologist & his role esp in social change.
- Social Change & resistance to change & how to tackle it.
- Group – its characterisitics, group behaviour, cohesion.
- Use of Small Groups in Social Action
- Indian Society: Its resistance to change & remedy for it.
7
Rehabilitation
Psychology
- Drug Addiction – Causes & remedy
- Juvenile Delinquency
- Rehabilitation of Terrorists
- Rehabilitation of Physically, Mentally & Socially challenged persons
- Rehabilitation of Old Persons (Full Length)
- Rehabilitation of HIV/AIDS Victims
- Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence
Paper II Section B….
8
Application of
psycholgoy to
disadvantaged groups…
- Concepts of disadvantaged, deprivation and social deprivation.
- Remedies for the problems mentioned above.
- Examples from India of each categories (Eg. Tribals etc).
- Educating & Motivating the disadvantaged towards development
- Prolonged & relative deprivation (Short Note).
9
Psychological &
problem of social
integration…
- Concept of social integration & how to achieve it.
- Prejeudice – its origin, effect & methods to reduce it.
- Examples in indian context of prejudice & social integration (Very
- Important)
- Conflicts (Caste, Class, Religion & Language conflicts) & how to
- tackle them…
10
Application of
Psychology in IT &
Mass Media
- Psychological effect of IT
- Role of Psychologist in IT & Mass Media
- Role Played by TV in spreading awareness & bringing social
- change
- Distance learning through IT & Mass Media & its benefits (Short
- Note)
- Multi-level marketing (Short Note)
- E-commerce (Short Note)
11
Psychology &
Economic
Development…
- McClelland’s achievement motivation theory
- Entrepreneur – characteristics, entrepreneur syndrome.
- Women Entrepreneurs (Egs from Indian Context)
- Missing Portion (Women Entrepreneur & Achievement Motivation)
- Consumer Rights & Consumer Courts – Psychological Perspective
- (short note)
12
Application of
psychology to Env. &
related fields
- Environment Degradation (noise, pollution and crowding)
- How to motivate people to adopt small family norm.
- Population Explosion – Causes & Psychological Consequences
13 Other applications of
psychology
- Role of psychology in the recruitment & training of defence
- personnel.
- Human Engineering in Defence (Short Note)
- Psychological Interventions in improving perrformance of athletes
- Psychology of Terrorism – How to deal
14 Psychology of Gender
- Glass Ceiling Effect
- Issues of Discrimination
- Women & Indian Society
- Self Fulfillinig Prophesy
- Management of Diversity
