Narendra Nath Sen Gupta (23 December 1889 – 13 June 1944) was a

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

-educated

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the pre ...

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

, and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...

, who is generally recognized as the founder of

modern psychology Psychology is defined as "the scientific study of behavior and mental processes". Philosophical interest in the human mind and behavior dates back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Persia, Greece, China, and India. Psychology as a field of ...

in India along with

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosop ...

Gunamudian David Boaz Gunamudian David Boaz (31 March 1908 – 8 July 1965) was the first Indian psychologist. He received his PhD from Oxford University, The University of Oxford in 1935, and graduated from Scott Christian College. The department of Psychology ...

.Tufts, Jr., W. ''Harvard College Class of 1913, Secretary's second report, June 1917''. Norwood, MA: Plimpton Press.Asthana, H. S. (2008). Modern psychology in India: Reminiscences and reflections. ''

Psychological Studies ''Psychological Studies'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. It is the official journal of the Indian National Academy of Psychology. The editor-in-chief is Purnima Singh (IIT Delhi).

'', ''53''(1), 1-6. In 1916 he established the First independent department of

psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

in India–the Department of

Experimental Psychology Experimental psychology refers to work done by those who apply experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ human participants and animal subjects to study a great many topics, in ...

, at the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every yea ...

, the second being in University of Madras by Dr.

.Dalal, A. K. (2002). Psychology in India: A historical introduction. In G. Misra & A. K. Mohanty (Eds.), ''Perspectives on Indigenous Psychology'' (79-108). New Delhi, India: Concept Publishing Company. Sen Gupta also played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Section of Psychology and Educational Science division of the

Indian Science Congress Association Indian Science Congress Association(ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it meets annually in the first week of January. It has a ...

in 1923, an occurrence that emphasized the scientific nature of psychological research, and bestowed upon psychology the status of a

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

in India. Sen Gupta was also the founder of the ''Indian Psychological Association'', and the founding editor of the first official psychology journal in India, the ''Indian Journal of Psychology''.Indian National Science Academy. (2009). ''Compendium of INSA Fellows''. Retrieved from http://insaindia.org/pdf/S-Fin.pdf In 1929, Sen Gupta and Radhakamal Mukerjee published ''Introduction to Social Psychology'', one of the first texts covering the topic of

social psychology Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the ...

published in India.

Early life

Sen Gupta was born in Faridpur, India, in 1889, to Turini Charan and Muktakeshi Sen Gupta. He attended Bengal National College, an

educational institution An educational institution is a place where people of different ages gain an education, including preschools, childcare, primary-elementary schools, secondary-high schools, and universities. They provide a large variety of learning environments a ...

that was founded as a means of challenging British hegemony in India by putting education exclusively under national control (i.e., achieving self-reliance through education). Sen Gupta appeared to have been interested in the practical application of science from a young age. His rigorous and systematic

exercise Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic ...

routines not only contributed to his physical strength and definition but they were also renowned in his village.Sen Gupta, K. C. & Ghosh, B. C. (1930). "Muscle controls and barbell exercise." Calcutta, India: Lakshmibilas Press Limited. (Reference check needed - Keshub Chandra Sen-Gupta?)

At Harvard

Sen Gupta attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

from 1910 to 1913, during which he received his atrium baccalaureus (i.e., bachelor of arts degree). He was a recipient of the Richard Manning Hodges scholarship and a member of the

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

honor society.Author Unknown, (1913, 18 March). India Harvard student makes Phi Beta Kappa. ''Christian Science Monitor, V''(95), p. 1. After completing his undergraduate degree, he enrolled in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard, and received his atrium magister (i.e., master of arts degree) in 1914. Sen Gupta had the opportunity to study under Hugo Münsterberg at Harvard, and continued his training in psychology with Robert Yerkes and Edwin Holt. Sen Gupta received his doctorate in philosophy from Harvard University in 1915, after successfully defending his dissertation, "Anti-Intellectualism: A Study in Contemporary Epistemology."

At the University of Calcutta

Sen Gupta returned to India in August 1915, and was appointed lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Calcutta in January 1916.Tufts, Jr., W. (Ed.) (1920). ''Harvard College Class of 1913, Secretary’s third report, June 1920''. Norwood, MA: Plimpton Press. During that same year, he was asked to become chairman of a newly established Department of Experimental Psychology at the university. Sen Gupta's responsibilities as chairman included the development of a psychology program, teaching psychology and

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

, and laboratory research in psychology. In August 1916, Sen Gupta married Kamala Sen.

Psychological research

Laboratory research at the University of Calcutta primarily focused on the areas of

depth perception Depth perception is the ability to perceive distance to objects in the world using the visual system and visual perception. It is a major factor in perceiving the world in three dimensions. Depth perception happens primarily due to stereopsis ...

psychophysics Psychophysics quantitatively investigates the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they produce. Psychophysics has been described as "the scientific study of the relation between stimulus and sensation" or, ...

, and

attention Attention is the behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information, whether considered subjective or objective, while ignoring other perceivable information. William James (1890) wrote that "Att ...

. As a leading proponent of the scientific nature of psychological research, Sen Gupta was instrumental in the inclusion of psychology as a distinct division of the Indian Science Congress in 1923, and was elected president of the division in 1925. Sen Gupta also played an integral role in the founding of the Indian Psychological Association in 1924, and became the founding editor of the ''Indian Journal of Psychology'' in 1925. Despite Sen Gupta's focus on the promotion of experimental psychology, his literary contributions to psychological knowledge include a significant number of non-empirical papers regarding the social, ethnic, experimental, education, criminal, and religious aspects of psychology. This apparent disparity appears to have been common among early Indian psychologists who compartmentalized their work in experimental psychology, which was modeled after Western psychological tradition, from other scholarly and personally satisfying pursuits.

At the University of Lucknow

In 1928, Sen Gupta left Calcutta to assume an administrative position at the

University of Lucknow The University of Lucknow (informally known as Lucknow University, and LU) is a public state university based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Founded in 1920, the University of Lucknow is one of the oldest government owned institutions of higher ed ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

. At the University of Lucknow, he collaborated with Radhakamal Mukerjee, an eminent sociologist, to write a text on social psychology. Although the text, ''Introduction to Social Psychology: Mind in Society'', was one of the first books written on social psychology in India, it was reviewed as more sociological in tone than psychological.Hunt, W. A. (1929). Review of 'Introduction to Social Psychology' eview of the book ''Introduction to Social Psychology'' ''Psychology Bulletin, 26''(12), 712. In addition, reviews stated that the book was written from the stance of Western research literature that was current at the time, and included minimal material from Indian sources, thus representing the westernization of

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

in India.Faris, E. (1929). Review eview of the books ''Social Psychology Interpreted, Introduction to Social Psychology, An Outline of Social Psychology, Social Psychology: The Psychology of Political Domination'' ''The American Journal of Sociology, 35''(2), 304-308.

Influence on curriculum

Sen Gupta was appointed Professor of Philosophy at the University of Lucknow in 1929. He introduced psychology into the philosophy curricula, and soon established the Department of Experimental Psychology, which focused primarily on social and experimental psychology. By the mid-1930s, he began mentoring students in experimental psychology, including Indian psychologists Raj Narain and H. S. Asthana. While at Lucknow, Sen Gupta published ''Heredity in Mental Traits'' (1942) and ''Mental Growth and Decay'' (1940).Vidyarthi, L. P. (1978). ''Rise of Anthropology in India.'' New Delhi, India: Concept Publishing Company. However, his interests shifted to the

psychology of religion Psychology of religion consists of the application of psychological methods and interpretive frameworks to the diverse contents of religious traditions as well as to both religious and irreligious individuals. The various methods and frameworks c ...

during the latter portion of his life, and he focused on experimentally investigating " Sadhana," the spiritual pursuit required for the accomplishment of goals. As a student of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

and Pali languages, Sen Gupta drew from original literature from

religious text Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pra ...

s of ancient India and the classics of Christian mysticism to write his "''magnum opus''," which he planned to publish under the title of ''Mechanisms of Ecstasy''. The manuscript was lost in the confusion following Sen Gupta's death in June 1944 due to a

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

Publications

Sen Gupta made contributions to the disciplines of psychology, philosophy,

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

, and

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

in India. He was the founding editor of the ''Indian Journal of Psychology'', and his writings include: *''Introduction to Social Psychology'' (1928), co-authored with Radhakamal Mukerjee *''Mental Growth and Decay'' (1940) *''Heredity in Mental Traits'' (1942)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gupta 1889 births 1944 deaths Indian psychologists Academic staff of the University of Calcutta Academic staff of the University of Lucknow Harvard College alumni 20th-century psychologists 20th-century Indian philosophers Expatriates from British India in the United States