Family, Identity, and the Individual in India

As a universal social institution, the family has always attracted much academic interest in multiple areas of study. This chapter examines the theory of family and explores family life in India. In order to provide an account of the Indian family in its multiple manifestations with its due place in academia, a critical examination of various theoretical perspectives on family is offered. It is argued that the empirical research on Indian families as settings for the care of children—its most important function—can be used to develop a theoretical framework to study families worldwide. By applying the varieties of family structures observed, it is argued that the predominantly one-adult, one-child paradigm, which is the foundation for mainstream developmental psychology, is found in only a few families. Thus, findings of research on Indian families can inform mainstream theory and discourse about family structure and function, and make an important contribution.