Page 335 - DEDU502_GUIDANCE_AND_COUNSELING_ENGLISH

Unit 32 : Problems of Guidance and Counseling in India and their Solutions

to domestic work and home-making. A woman is expected to play a subservient role and not take Notes
any decision, even in matters concerning the home. All decision-making is a man’s prerogative.
This belief is supported by sex stereotypes, customs and traditions of most societies all over the
world. Besides this, women are believed, mistakenly, to have different temperaments and abilities
that prevent them from being independent and able to take decisions. Most such beliefs concerning
the sexes are not true. In language, the opposite of man is women. But they are opposite only with
regard to gender. Opposite does not mean inferior or lower. While the sexes differ in physical
strength and stature, they are not really different with regard to most capacities and capabilities.
The next important area of counseling is that of career guidance. Different women have different
concerns. There are women who :
1. have remained single
2. have no children
3. have heavy family responsibilities
4. are middle-aged and who feel no longer needed by their children and husband.

Counseling women is somewhat different from counseling men. In the case of women, the problems
are usually more complex and affective. Early counseling assistance provided in all instances would
be of great value. Counselors dealing with high-school girls must plan with an eye to the future. The
girls should be encouraged to aim high.

An interesting study made by Goldberg (1971) reveals that when professional articles
were to be evaluated by women, they generally under-valued them when they
thought that the authors of those paper were women.

Self Assessment
2. State whether the following statements are ‘true’ or ‘false’
(i) Premarital counseling basically involves the coming together of two individuals.
(ii) Finance could cause enormous inter personal strains and serious problems of adjustment.
(iii) Counseling the weaker sections needs no special attention and care, they already help
themselves.
(iv) Transference is a counselor reaction to the client.

32.7 Counseling Weaker Sections

One of the characteristic features of the Indian society is the diversity of its people. Though India
has been the seat of one of the great ancient civilizations, it has, paradoxically for over three centuries,
if not more, been an underdeveloped country. This backwardness has brought into relief the
differences between various sections of society. After independence, contemporary society has been
in the throes of socio-economic and political change. Several divisive forces, the origins of which are
vague and unclear, have sprung up. In course of time, the different communal segments grew
overly self-conscious and increasingly suspicious of each other. Even after nearly five decades of
freedom, communal cleavages not only continue to exist, they are growing wider and deeper.
Psychologically speaking, the social phenomenon of pluralism reflects the fact that the social groups
exist separately for whatever reason, naturally or voluntarily or out of compulsion. They develop
different languages, habits, manners, social attitudes, prejudices, perceptions of themselves and
others, values and norms that guide their behaviour. Consequently, they become culturally different.
The members of the Indian society are identified as separate and unequal groups and this fact is

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