Master of Arts (Psychology) (MAPC) HANDBOOK ON PROJECT (MPCE-016/026/036) [Applicable for January 2018 admission eycle and cnwards] © Ignou THE PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY Discipline of Psychology School of Social Sciences Indira Gandhi National Open University Maidan Garhi, New Delhi- 110068School of Social Sciences (SOSS) Prof. Swaraj Basu, Director Faculty of Psychology Prof. Swati Patra, Professor Prof. Suhas Shetgovekar, Professor Dr. Monika Misra, Assistant Professor Dr. Smita Gupta, Assistant Professor Dr. Bhagwanti Jadwani, Assistant Professor Email ID: [email protected] [email protected]. MAPC Programme Coordinator Prof Swati Patra Professor of Psychology SOSS, IGNOU, New Delhi Preparation Team Prof Swati Patra Prof. Subas Shetgovekar Professor of Psychology Professor of Psychology SOSS, IGNOU, New Delhi OSS, IGNOU, New Delhi Dr. Monika Misra Dr. Suita Gupta Assistant Professor of Psychology Assistant Professor of Psychology SOSS, IGNOU, New Delhi SOSS, IGNOU. New Delhi Course Coordinator Prof Swati Patra Professor of Psychology SOSS. IGNOU, New Delhi Print Production ‘Mr. Manjit Singh Section Officer (Publication) SOSS, IGNOU, NewDelhi ‘November, 2018 (Revised) [Applicable for January 2018 admission cycle and onwards] © Indira Gandhi Naitonal Open University, 2014 ISBN : 978-81-266-6599-0 Alll rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission in writing from the copyright holder Further information on the Indira Gandhi National Open University courses may be obtained from the University’s office at Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110 068 or the official website of IGNOU at winiwignou.ac.in Printed and published on behalf of Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi by Director, SOSS, IGNOU. Laser Composed by : Tessa Media & Computers, C-206, A.E-IL, Jamia Nagar, Okhla, New Delhi Printed by:1.0 20 3.0 4.0 5.0 60 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 CONTENTS Page No. Introduction 5 General Objectives 3 Who can be the Guide? 5 Role of the Guide 6 Synopsis Formulation and Submission 7 5.1 PrepatationFomulation of Project Synopsis 7 5.2 Project Synopsis Submission and Approval ° 5.3 Resubmission of Project Synopsis 9 Carrying out the Project 10 Format of the Dissertation 10 Ethical Issues in Psychological Research 13 Submission of the Dissertation 4 Evaluation of the Dissertation (TEE) 14 10.1 Reevaluation of Project Dissertation 1s 10.2 Exemption from Project 1s Points to Remember 15 FAQ'S (MPCE-016/026/036) 16 Appendix-I_: Proforma for Approval of Project Synopsis 18 Appendix-II_; Format for Synopsis Evaluation 19 Appendix-IIl : Guidelines for Synopsis Evaluation 20 Appendis-IV : Consent LetterofGuide 2 Appendix-V Format of Biodata for Guide for MPCE-16/26/36 23 Appendix-VI_ : Acknowledgement for Synopsis Submission 25 Appendix-VII_; Format forReference Letter 26 Appendis-VIIL ; Record of Visits/Activities Carried out by the Leamer 27 Appendix-IX Certificate of Originality 28 Appendix-X_; Cattificate of Completion 29 Appendix-XI_ - Acknowledgement for submission of Project Dissertation 30 Appendix-XIL Evaluation Scheme for Project Dissertation 31 Appendix-XIIT: Remuneration Bill for Guidance of Project 32 Appendis-XIV: Guidelines for Regional Centres 3. Appendix-XV - Format for Approved Project Topics 37 Appendix-XVI: Important Dates for MAPC Project Synopsis and Dissertaion 38Flow Chart (Synopsis Preparation to Project Dissertation Submission and Viva) Read the Handbook on Project throughly t Decide on the interest area in the concemed Specialization Course (MPCE-016/026/036) v Selection of the Guide Discussion with the Guide & finalization of the Topic + Preparation of Synopsis as per the format given in the Handbook Submission of Synopsis at the Regional Centre + Starting of data collection only after the Synopsis is approved | See Ie PEO} Following ethical guidelines while doing data collection, y Analyses of the data + Writing of Project Dissertation as per the format given in the Handbook + Ensuring adherence to ethical guidelines while writi q Submission of the project dissertation at the Regional Centre y Filling up TEE form and paying the exam fees for project Z Viva Voice at the Regional Centre 41.0 INTRODUCTION M.A. IP year has a course on Project which is of6 credits. This course requires youto undertake a Project work on any topic of your interest based on the specialisation group such as Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology or Industrial and Organisational Psychology that youhave chosen. Since the Projects of 6 credits, you have to put ina minimum of 180 hours to complete this course (one eredit is equal to 30 hours of study) The course codes are as follows: MPCE 016: Project in Clinical Psychology ‘MPCE 026: Project in Counselling Psychology MPCE 036: Project in Industrial and Organisational Psychology Project is a research work where you prepare a sysnopsis under the supervision ofa guide, After the approval of the synopsis, you do the data collection, data analysis and then report the findings in the form of dissertation, It is to be noted that you need to read the entire Project Handbook thoroughly so that you have clear understanding of the procedure involved and can complete the project in time. 2.0 GENERAL OBJECTIVES The general objectives of Project is to help the leamer to: develop research skills ‘* solve research problems through scientific method of investigation ‘* develop writing, presentation, communication and analytical skills ‘© develop ability to apply multi disciplinary concepts, tools and fechniques Within this framework, Project Work at the M.A. level (MPCE 016/026/036) has the following specific objectives to enable you to ‘* identify and formulate research problems * write a good research proposal © ident and use appropriate research design + conctuct scientific investigation in a systematic way * collect and analyse the data «lea to use appropriate statistical methods 3.0 WHO CAN BE THE GUIDE? ‘You will require a Guide for camying out the Project. The eligibility criteria for Guide is as follows: a) [Phil/Ph.D. in Psychology with minimum two years Undergraduate Post Graduate teaching! research experience in psychology (research experience while pursuing M Phil & Ph.D. is not considered)Or b) Master's Degree in Psychology with minimum two years fill ime teaching:research experience in psychology at Post Graduate level and NET/SLET/SET in psychology Or ©) Master's Degree in Psychology with minimum five years fil time teachingiresearch experience in psychology at Undergraduate level and NET/SLET/SET in Psychology. Note: This is applicable for the learners enrolled for MAPC programme January 2014 admission cycle onwards. ‘You can take your guide from at y one of the following three groups. i) Academic Counsellors - Academic counsellors are already approved Guides. So, if you take academic cousellor as your guide, you do not need to take approval for them. ii) Approved List of Guides - You can take a guide from the approved list of guides provided by the Discipline of Psychology, SOSS, IGNOU, New Delhi. In such a case, youdo not need to take approval. iii) Other Experts in Psychology - Ifyou are taking auy other expert in Psychology apart from the above two groups, you will need to take approval from the Discipline of Psychology, SOSS, IGNOU, New Delhi in the format as given in Appendix-V in the Handbook. You need to ensure that they fulfill the eligibility criteria as given above There will be remuneration to the Guide for guiding each project. S/he can claim Project Guidance remuneration using a Proforma (Appendix-XIM), after final submission of the dissertation at the Regional Centre. 4.0 ROLE OF THE GUIDE ‘© Toprovide guidance regarding selection of a research topic. + Toencourage the leamer to study books /newspapersmagazines; discuss with expertsin the area to find out some topic of his/her interest. ‘© Toprovide the information about the settings Where the empirical data for the project can be collected, © To provide information about the related literature. # Tomotivate the leamer from time to time and to provide required help and guidance, ‘© Encourage the leamerto work sincerely, honestly and originally and not to copy or reproduce the original text. ‘© Toguide the leamerto follow ethical guidelines while conducting research work and writing the project dissertation. * Give reference letter which would help her/him to collect data for research study in different agencies, hospitals, schools or organisation pertaining to her/his area. The letter may also be given by the concemed study centre/ regional centre.5.0 SYNOPSIS FORMULATION AND SUBMISSION Preparation/Formulation of Project Synopsis The project synopsis is an outline/blueprint of the project to be undetaken by you. To carry out project, you will first choose a subject area based on your interest. You can then finalize a topic in which you will be canying out your project work after consultation with your guide. It is necessary that you review various research studies literature and information on the topic selected. Different journals, books and information available on internet can be referred in this regard. This will help you understand the topic in a better manner and will also assist in writing the introduction, review of literature and research methodology for your synopsis. The topic should be specific and focused so that it can be completed within the time limit, The objectives of the project work should be Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. Since this is a Masters level course, the topic taken should not be very elementary. The study may involve quantitative or qualitative or mixed approach. Selection of a particular approach needs to be justified in the synopsis. The research needs to be conducted with primary data that includes psychological constructs (preferably with two continuous variables). The study should not be on secondary data, It should not focus on aspects like finding prevalence, incidence, awareness, or finding only gender differences or on test construction and adaptation. Overall, the relevance and importance of the topie need to be seen. It should contribute something significant to the field of research The synopsis should be typed on Ad size paper in Times New Roman, font size 12 with 1.5 spacing. It can be of 15-20 pages. The information included in the synopsis should not be plagiarized ‘The project synopsis needs to be submitted at the Regional Centre for evaluation. The following format needs to be followed for preparing the project synopsis. Title page: The first page of the synopsis should indicate the title of the project, name of the Jeamer, enrolment munber, study centre, regional eentre, year and name of the guide Introduction: This section should introduce the topie selected by the leamer. It can also give a brief description of the variables taken Review of Literature: Review of literature is a collective body of work done by earlier researchers and published in the form of books, journals, articles, etc. Ithelps in generating ideas and developing significant questions for the research work. In this section, you will cite different studies related to your research work in a systematic and organised manner. ‘The review of related studies will primarily focus on author, year, objectives, sample, tools used and findings. This should not be copied verbatim from the source. The review of literature should be written in a flow and organized manner, not in bullet points. The purpose here is that you are discussing the related studies, not just mentioning these Rationale of the Study: The rationale for carrying out the particular projects explained here. It focuses on why do you want to do this study taking these variables, ‘Methodology: Methodology includes Research problem, Objectives, Hypothesis/es, Operational definition, Sample, Research design, Tests/Tools for data collection, and data analysis techniques + Problem and objectives are to be written specifically and clearly. 7‘© Hypotheses areto be formulated wherever applicable (either null hypothesis/es or alternative hypothesis/es to be mentioned, not both). Hypothesis/es also need(s) to be written in a proper manner. Journals and research methodology text books can be referred to understand how objectives and hypothesis/es is/are to be written, © Operational definition refers to the way you have defined the variable(s) in your research. ‘© Sample represents the population. The size and nature of the sample will depend on the topic selected. While providing details about nature and size of the sample, also mention the sampling technique used. Whether randomization is used or purposive sampling technique is employed will depend on the topic and nature of the sample in your research. Appropriate research design also needs to be specifed. + Research design needs to be decided and specified here. It should be appropriate as per the objectives of the study. * Tests/tools for data collection are to be selected based on the objectives of the research Standardized tools need to be used. The tools of data collection will include details about the test like name of the author(s), number of items, dimensions or domains, reliability validity and norms. In case interview schedule is used to collect data, details about the questions included should be provided. * Data anatysis technique is then used to analyse the data obtained with the help of the tests tools. Specific tools for data analysis should be mentioned. Appropriate data analysis, techniques need to be used, If the study is intervention based, details about intervention to be carried out, like duration, number of sessious involved, nature and content of intervention need to be specified References (APA style): References have to be written in APA format. These should be alphabetically listed, Please see below how to cite studies taken fiom different sources Text taken from Books Anastasi, A. (1968). Psychological Testing. London: MacMillan Publishers Ltd. Article taken from Journal Demnision, B. (1984). Bringing corporate culture to the bottomline. Organizational Dynamics, 13, 22-24 Book Chapter Khan, A.W. (2005), Distance education for development. In S. Garg, (Eds.) Open and distance education in global environment: Opportunities for collaboration. New Delhi: Viva Books. Websites Hemandez M. & Barrioc (2016, October 1), Families and Medication use and adherence anonf Latinos with schizophreria. Journal of Mental Health, 1-7, Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1080/ 09638237.2016.122206, accessed on 25.10.16 Please visit www.apa.org for information regarding citation from different sources and further clarification. Note: 1. You are required to read relevant text and literature related to your atea of interest and topic selelcted Do not begin data collection until your project synopsis is approved. ‘You can have access to Central library, IGNOU, New Delhi. Remote access facility is also avaiable. For firther details, you may contact, Central Library, IGNOU, New Delhi. 8‘You are advised to refer to MPC-005 in MAPC First Year for more information on research methods. This will help you to prepare your synopsis in an appropriate manner so that it gets approved and you are able to complete your project in time, Please read the sample synopsis given at the end of this handbook for your reference while preparing synopsis. The sample synopsis is not to be copied. 5.2. Project Synopsis Submission and Approval ‘You will prepare the project synopsis and submit it at your Regional Centre, The Regional Centre will then get the synopses evaluated by experts from the list of Synopsis Evaluators approved by the Discipline of Psychiology SOSS, IGNOU, New Delhi, Suggestions will be given (Appendis-I) wherever requited. In case of non approval of your synopsis, you will have to resubmit the synopsis with necessar ‘modifications. Itis advised that you prepare a good synopsis in the first place itselfso that ts approved, saving you time to complete the project in time. ‘You are advised to retain a copy of the synopsis. Each project synopsis should contain the following in the sequence given below: ) Proforma for Approval of Project Synopsis (Appendix-I) b) Format for synopsis evaluation (Appendix-II) ©) Guidelines for synopsis evaluation (Appendix-IID) d) Consent letter of the Guide (Appendix-IV) ©) Biodata of Guide, if required (Appendix-V) £) Copy of Grade Card regarding completion of MPC-005 and MPC-006 2) Synopsis Synopsis that do not include the above will not be evaluated. You are required to submit synopsis during the scheduled date range only. Synopsis submitted after the given date range will not be considered. In such ease, you will have to submit itin the mext date range for synopsis submission, ‘Note: You should follow the format of the synopsisin a systematic way. You can start Working on the project only after the approval of the synopsis Schedule of Dates Project Synopsis Submission July Batch 1" - 31" October January Batch 1* - 308 April Note: Leamers will send the soft copy of the synopsis alongwith the scanned copy of the synopsis approval proforma (Appendix-1) and the suggestions of the evaluator (Appendix-I1) after the synopsis has been evaluated in the following email: projectpsychology@ ignou.ac.in Resubmission of Project Synopsis In case of synopsis being not approved, comments/suggestions for reformulating the synopsis will be given by the synopsis evaluator. In such a case, the revised project synopsis should be submitted with a fresh Project synopsis approval form (Appendix-I along with the earlier project B®synopsis approval form containing the comments/suggestions. The original synopsis also needs to be submitted alongwith the revised synopsis. Note: You are required to complete and pass the courses MPC-005 and MPC-006 in MA Ist year before submitting the synopsis for project (MPCE-016/026/036) in MA 2nd year. You need to submit a self attested photocopy of the Grade Card mentioning passing of MPC-005 and MPC-006 Courses. In the absence of this, the project synopsis will not be evaluated, This will be applicable for the leamers enrolled for MAPC programme from January 2014 onwards 6.0 CARRYING OUT THE PROJECT ‘You are required to thoroughly read the literature, understand it and be very clear about the area in which you are going to do the project work. You should conduct and carry out the study in an ethical manner. Depending on the research topic finalized, the size and nature of the sample will be determined. You will also have to select suitable standardized tests/ tools to be used for data collection. ‘You will have to contact appropriate agencies! organisations for data collection. Necessary permission should be taken from these agencies/ organisations. Reference letter with regard to this is given in Appendix-VIL. The data should be collected and recorded in a systematic manner ‘The data collected is then analysed and the project dissertation is to be written in the format as given in section 7.0 ‘You need to record every visit to library/Tustitution for reference work and also visit to school(s) hospital(s), organisation(s) for data collection in the format as given in Appendix-VIL 7.0 FORMAT OF THE DIS‘ SERTATIO! Once your project synopsis is approved, you can start with your data collection. After the data is collected and analyzed, you can start working on your project dissertation. Remember to be in regular contact with your guide for guidance and help in catrying out project work and writing the dissertation. ‘The size of the dissertation depends on the nature of the theme of the project. However, it is desirable that the dissertation should be around 100 pages typed in double space. Report should bbe in Ad size papers and in a bound form. The language to be followed for the Project Dissertation work should be English. ‘The dissertation should be in the following format, Title page: The first page of the dissertation should indicate the ttle, name of the learner, enrolment number, regional centre, year, and name of the guide Certificates of Originality and Completion: The format for the certificate are given in Appendix-IX and X. Acknowledgement Table of Contents Abstract: A short summary of researeh work. It should be around 250-300 words. 10Introduction: This section should introduce the topic selected by the leamer. It can also give a brief description of the variables taken. Review of the literature: Review of literature is a collective body of work done by earlier researchers and published in the form of books, journals, articles. It helps in generating ideas and developing significant questions for the research work. Various research studies related to the topie are described and discussed in a systematic manner. This will finally help in highlighting rationale/significance ofthe study. ‘The review of related studies will primarily focus on author, year, objectives, sample, tools used and findings. This should not be copied verbatin from the source. The review of literature should be written in a flow and organised manner, not in bullet points, Ensure that you also include recent studies (within last ten years), Rationale of the study: The rationale for carrying out the particular project is explained here. ‘You will have to justify here why do you want to do this study taking these particular variables. ‘Methodology: Methodology inchides Research problem, Objectives, Hypothesis/es, Operational definition, Sample, Research design, Tests/Tools for data collection and Data analysis techniques * Problem and objectives axe to be written specifically and clearly * Hypotheses are to be formulated wherever, applicable (either null hypothesis/es or alternative hypothesis/es are to be mentioned, not both). Hypothesis/es also need(s) to be written in a proper manner. Journals and research methodology text books can be referred to understand how objectives and hypothesis/es is/are to be written. ‘© Operational definition refers to the way you have defined the variables in you research, ‘© Sample represents the population. The size and nature of the sample will depend -on the topic selected, While providing details about nature and size of the sample, also mention the sampling technique used, Whether randomization is used or purposive sampling technique is employed will depend on the topic and nature of the sample in your research. «Research Design needs to be decided and specified here, It should be appropriate as per the objectives of the study * Testsiools are to be selected based on the objectives of the research, The tools of data collection should include details about the test like name of the author(s), number of items, dimensions or domains, reliability, validity and norms. In case interview schedule is used, details about the questions included should be provided. If the study is intervention based, details about intervention to be carried out, like duration, aumber of sessions involved, nature and content of intervention need to be specified * Data anatysis techniques axe then used to analyse the data obtained with the help of the tests/tools. Appropriate data analysis techniques need to be used. Specific tools for data analysis should be mentioned. Results and Discussion: The findings of the research after data analysis are reported in tabular ‘and graphical form. This is then discussed in the light of existing research studies. Then implications of findings are also discussed. Conelusion: Under this heading, the leamerhas to conclude the findings of research. uImplications: Implications of the findings need to be pointed out in this section, Delimitations and Limitations: Delimitations refers to the scope within which the researcher hhas conducted the study. Limitations refer to the factors that could not be controlled by the researcher in the study. ‘Suggestions for further research: Based on research findings, you will provide here suggestions for finther research, References (APA style): References have to be written in APA format. These should be alphabetically listed. Please refer to the APA website Examples of references when taken from different sources are given below: ‘Text taken from Books Anastasi, A. (1968). Psychological Testing. London: MacMillan Publishers Ltd. Article taken from Journal Dennision, B. (1984). Bringing corporate culture to the bottomline. Organizational Dynamics, 13, 22-24. Book Chapter Khan, A.W. (2005). Distance education for development. In S. Garg, (Eds.) Open and distance education in global environment: Opportunities for collaboration. New Delhi: Viva Books. Websites Hemandez M. & Barrioc (2016, October 1). Families and Medication use and adherence among Latinos with schizophreria. Journal of Mental Health, 1-7, Retrieved from http:/dx.doi.org/ 10.1080/ 09638237.2016.122206, accessed on 25.10.16 Please visit www.apa.org for information regarding citation from other sources and further clarification, Appendices: Includes tools used for data collection, master data chart etc The Dissertation should contain the following: a) Proforma for Approval of Project Synopsis in original (Appendix-D) b) Approved project synopsis in original ©) Cettificate of Originality duly signed by the leamer and the guide (Appendix-IX). d) Certificate of completion (Appendix-X) ©) Record of visits activities carried out by the leaner (Appendix-VIM) in original. Note: 1) You are required to read relevant text and literature related to your area of interest and topic selected. 2) The information included in the dissertation should not be plagiarized. 3) You can have access to Central Library, IGNOU, New Delhi. Remote access facility is also available. For further details, leamers may contact Central Library, IGNOU, ‘New Delhi.Chapterisation of the final project report/dissertation will be as follows: Title Page Certificates of originality and completion Acknowledgement ‘Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduetion Chapter2 : Review of Literature Chapter3 > Rationale of the study Chapter4 : Methodology Chapter5 : Results and Discussion Chapter6 : Conclusion and Implications Chapter7 : Delimitations, Limitations and Future Suggestions References Appendices 8.0 ETHICAL ISSU. s IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH Project is a separate component in MAPC IInd Year. It must be clear by now that in this particular course you will be conducting a small study or a research work. This means that you will develop research ideas, select a research design, decide on a sample of human participants on whom the study will be condncted, analyze data, and finally report results, Right from the very beginning that is from developing research ideas to reporting results, you as aresearcher will be under obligation to conduct research in ethical and conscientious manner. In this process. there will be many ethical questions arising e.g. Will patticipants be harmed by the research? How will the confidentiality and anonymity be maintained? How will the informed consent be taken? and so on. In the early years of Psychological research, little attention! was paid to” ethical issiteS if psychological researches, e.g. Spitz’s study on deprivation, Watson and Rayner study on little Albert, Stanford Prison Expetiement, Milgram’s Experiment on obedience to authority, ete However, awareness is growing and psychological studies/researches are being conducted in an ethical manner and fall under the purview of guidelines framed by American Psychological Association (APA). The APA started preparing its ethical guidelines in 1947. The first ethical code of the APA was accepted in 1953 and since then it has been revised several times, the latest being Ethical Principles of Psychologist & Code of Conduct, 2002 (including 2010 Amendments). Various organisations/institutions also have Institutional Review Board (IRB) that reviews the study undertaken for the rights, safety and wellbeing of human participants who participate in the research study. ‘The main ethical issues involved in psychological research that you have to take care and remember are as follows: © Minimal risk: The harm or discomfort should not be more that what is experienced in everyday life by the participants. articipants should be protected from social injury and their responses should be kept anonymous and confidential 13‘* Informed consent: Participants should know about the study, risks involved, their rights, and the right to withdraw anytime during the conduction of the research study. ‘© Privacy: The participants have the right to decide how their information is communicated to others, ‘© Deception: Itis involved in studies where some information is withheld or participants are misinformed at any stage of the research * Debriefing: It isa process after the completion of the study where harmful effects caused by deception are removed by the researcher. * Plagiarism: This happens when written material from Books/articles/Foumals/Intemet sources are produiced as one’s own ideas, ‘You can see the following references for further details on ethical issues in research. Bordens K.S. & Abbott BB (2011). Research Design and Methods. McGraw Hill education (nda) Private limited, New Delhi. wwwapa orglethies/code.htm 9.0 |SUBMISSION OF THE DISSERTATION ‘You will submit the dissertation at the Regional Centre only. You can make three copies one for the Guide, one for yourself and one to be submitted at the Regional Centre. You need to submit the dissertation by the due date given Project Dissertation Submission July Batch 3st May January Batch 30th November If you have submitted Project Report by 31st May, it will be considered for Term-End Examination (TEE) during Ist July to 14th August, If you submit the Project Report by 30th November, it will be considered for TEE during 1st January to 15th February. 10.0 EVALUATION OF THE DISSERTATION (TEE) ‘The total marks for the Project is 100. The dissertation carries 70% weightage and the Viva Voce carries 30% weightage. For successful completion of the Project (MPCE-016/026/036), a learner should secure a minimum of 40%, that is minimum 40 marks out of 100. The Evaluation scheme for the project is given in Appendix-XII. This scheme is sent to the extemal examiner atthe time of evaluation. ‘The Tetm End Examiantion (TEE) in terms of viva voce will be conducted at the Regional Centre during the time period proposed by the Discipline of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, IGNOU, New Delhi Date Range for TEE July Cycle 1° July—14* August January Cycle 1° January — 15% February 4The leamer has to pay exam fee of Rs.120/- to appear for TEE in project. The leamer has to carry her/his Identify card and proof of payment of TEE fees for project on the day of project viva voce. The Regional Centre will make appropriate arangments for the evaluation of the Project dissertation by the extemal examiner. The external examiner will be selected from the approved list provided by the Discipline of Psychology, SOSS, IGNOU. The Regional centre will first send the copy of dissertation to the External Examiner for evaluation and thereafter a date will be finalized by the Regional Centre for conduction of the viva-voce by the same external examiner. 10.1 Reevaluation of Project Dissertation There is no provision of reevaluation for project. A leamer who fails to secure a minimum of 40% will have to follow the same procedure again from the beginning, that is, from submission of project synopsis afresh to preparaing of dissertation and appear for the viva-voce in the next tem, 10.2, Exemption from Project Project is an essential component of MAPC Programme and as such no leamer is exempted from this course. 11.0 POL ‘TS TO REMEMBER For Submission of the Project Synopsis 1) Submit only one copy of the Project Synopsis, and setain.a copy with you. 2) MPCE 016/026/036 (whichever is appropriate) should be clearly indicated on the Syiiopsis approval form 3) Enswe the inclusion of the following while submitting the proposal: a) Profomua for Approval of Project Synopsis (Appendix-I) b) Format for synopsis evaluation (Appendix-I) ©) Guidelines for synopsis evaluation (Appendix-IIT) d) Consent letter of the Guide (Appendix-IV) e) Biodata of Guide (Appendix-V) £) Copy of Grade Card regarding completion of MPC-005 and MPC-006 4) The Synopsis of the Project should be prepared in the proper format as given in section 5.1 For Submission of the Dissertation 1) The Project Dissertation should be submitted in original. Itshould be on A-4 size paper with typed in double space and in a bound volume. 153) Before binding the Project Report the leamer should ensure it contains the following in original: a) Approved Project Synopsis Proforma (Appendix-I) b) Approved Project Synopsis ©) Certificate of Originality (Appendix-IX) @) Certificate of Completion (Appendix-X) e) Record of visits/activities carried out by the leaner (Appendix-VIII) Leamer should keep a copy of the Project dissertation with her/him, as the Dissertation will not be returned to the leamer 12.0 FAQ’S (MPCE-016/026/036) 1 2) 3 6) 2 8) % Q. What is Project? AL Project is a research study where you need to collect data and compile it in form of dissertation. Q. Where should I submit project synopsis? A. The project synopsis is to be submitted at your Regional Centre. Q. Who evaluates the project synopsis? A. Project synopsis is evaluated by empanelled synopsis evaluators fiom list provided by the Discipline of Psychology, SOSS, IGNOU, New Delhi Q. Where should I submit my dissertation? Itshould be submitted only at the Regional Centre Q. During an academic calendar, when am I supposed to submit my project Dissertation? A. Ifyou have taken admission in January batch, you need to submit your Project Dissertation by 30th November; and if you have taken admission in July, then youneed. to submit the Dissertation by 3 Ist May. Q. How is the dissertation to be written? A. The dissertation is to be written as per the format given in the Handbook of Project. Further, dissertation is to be written in English language only. Q. Will there be a viva-voce for project? A. Yes, there will be viva-voce. Q. Isit compulsory to enclose a copy of the approval of the synopsis in the project dissertation. AL Yes, Q. How many copies of the dissertation is to be submitted? 16A 10) Q. A 1) Q A 12) A 13) Q A 14) Q 15) Q 16) Q. A Only one copy (hard copy) is to be submitted. But one copy is to be kept by you, and one copy is to be given to the guide. Where will the TEE (viva-voce) for project be held? ‘Viva-voce will he held at your Regional Centre. Do I need to carry dissertation for TEE (viva-voce)? It is desirable to cary your copy of dissertation. You also need to carry University Identity card issued by IGNOU. What are the passing marks for Project? Passing marks are 40 out of 100. Who should I contact in case I have any doubts or feedback/suggestions/grievance about project? ‘You can email on psychology @ignou.ac.in Or [email protected] Do I need to pay any examination fees for TEE in project? ‘Yes. you need to pay Rs. 120/- as exam fees for appearing in TEE of project. What is the validity period of my approved synopsis? Once the synopsis is approved, your synopsis will be vai admission. till the validity of your Can Ichange my guide? Yes, but there has to be a proper justifigation for the same and you will need to take approval from the Faculty, Discipline of Psychology, IGNOU, New DelhiAPPENDIX-I PROFORMA FOR APPROVAL OF PROJECT SYNOPSIS (MPCE 016/026/036) Enrolment Number: Course Code : ‘Name and Address of the Learner: Phone No. Email : Regional Centre Study Centre Successfully completed MPC-005 & MPC-006 Yes noo Title of Dissertation: Name, Designation & Address of the Guide*: "Guide is (Please tick mark): a) Academic counselor) _fiom Approved list by IGNOU ©) Other Signature of Student Signature of Guide Date: Date: Synopsis (puta tick mark as appropriate): a) Approved b) Approved with modifications as suggested ©) Not approved Signature of Synopsis Evaluator ‘Name Designation Address Date: 18APPENDIX-IL FORMAT FOR SYNOPSIS EVALUATION Suggestion/comments need to be given by synopsis evaluator for each component of the synopsis as follows: 1. Introduction: Review of Literature: 3. Rationale of the Study: 4, Objectives & Hypotheses: 8. References: (Signature & Name with Date) 19APPENDIX-IIL GUIDELINES FOR SYNOPSIS EVALUATION (synopsis evaluation to be done by approved evaluator only) Brief Information about Project in MA Psychology (MAPC) Project (MPCE 016/026/036) is a compulsory course in the Second year of MA Psychology (MAPC). The leamer is required to take up a particular specialization in the second year either Clinical Psychology (MPCE 016), or Counselling Psychology (MPCE 026) or Industrial & Organizational Psychology (MPCE 036). Related to the specialization, the leamer will prepare a synopsis for the Project under the supervision of a Guide and submit the synopsis at the Regional Centre (RC). Detailed guideline alongwith the format for preparing synopsis is given in the Handbook on Project. The leamer is required to prepare the synopsis as per the guidelines given in the Project Handbook Once the synopsis is approved, the leamer sends a copy of the Proforma for Approval of Project Synopsis (Appendix-1) and the suggestions/comments given by the Evaluator (Appendix-II) to the Discipline of Psychology, IGNOU, New Delhi. The leamer also encloses Appendix-I and IL alongwith the approved synopsis in original in the final project dissertation. Dissertation is submitted at the Regional centre for evaluation and viva-voce by experts from approved list of Examiners Guidelines: Following are a few guidelines which may kindly be followed while evaluating the synopsis: 1) The synopsis is to be evaluated as per the Format for synopsis evaluation (Appendix-I1) given in the Handbook on Project 2) Kindly ensure that the synopsis is prepared as per the following sequence: Introduction, Review of Literate, Rationale of the Study, Methodology (Research Problem, Objectives, Hypotheses, Operational definition, Sample, Research design, Tools, Data analysis techniques, and References 3) Since this is a Masters level course, the topic taken should not be very elementary. It needs to be relevant and specific. 4) The study may involve quantitative or qualitative or mixed approach. Selection of a particular approach needs to be justified in the synopsis. The research needs to be conducted with primary data that includes psychological constructs, (preferably with two continuous variables). The study should not be on secondary data, It should not focus on aspects like finding prevalence, incidence, awareness, or finding only gender differences or on test construction and adaptation. Overall, the relevance and importance of the topic need to be seen. It should contribute something significant to the field of research. In case of any query, the evaluator can contact the Faculty, Discipline of Psychology by email: [email protected] 6) The Title needs to be specific and should reflect the important variables. 207) Review needs to include studies related to the variables taken in the study. It needs to be written in a flow discussing the various studies and not in bullet points. 8) Research methodology needs to be appropriate as per the research problem and objectives. 9) Objectives and hypotheses need to be framed appropriately. 10) The sample size needs to be adequate. Suggestion can be given to increase the sample size. It may be less depending on the design and objectives of the study. 11) Standardized tools need to be used for data collection. Ifa self-developed questionnaire is used, the standardization procedure needs to be followed, 12) Techniques for data analysis need to be mentioned, 13) Suggestions and comments need to be given with regard to each component as mentioned in the Appendix-II 14) Evaluation consists of three categories: Approved, Approved with modifications, and ‘Not approved. Approved refers to when the synopsis is appropriate, Not approved indicates that the synopsis is not proper and requires major changes in the design and methodology Approved with modifications indicates that the synopsis is approved with minor changes (the leamerneeds to incorporate the modifications suggested in the final dissertation), 15) Ifyou have any queries/suggestions with regard to project synopsis evaluation, please contact the Faculty ou [email protected] 2APPENDIX-IV CONSENT LETTER OF GUIDE This is to certify that the Project titled for the partial fulfillment of MAPC Programme of IGNOU will be carried out by Mr/Ms Enrollment No. under my guidance (Signature) Name of the Guide: Designation: Address: Date:APPENDIX-V INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY DISCIPLINE OF PSYCHOLOGY FORMAT OF BIODATA FOR GUIDE FOR MPCE-016/026/036 (Other Experts in Psychology) Name of the Guide (in Block Letter) : Address Contact No. : Present Designation Name and Address of the 4. Email address: Academic Qualifications: (from Graduation upwards) Si. No. Qualification (with subject) University | Month’ (Write fullname) | Year ‘Area of Specialisation Teaching/Research Experience in Psychology Sl. No. Job Position ‘Name of the Organisation |(Write full name) From | To Total Experience Subjects Taught8. Publication and Research (add more pages if required) Any other relevant information: Date: Signature of the Guide/Supervisor Name: Note: The documents with regard to Master's in Psychology, NET/SLET/SET/PhD /M Phil Degree & teaching research experience need to be self-attested and attached. Guide: Approved Not Approved (Puta V mark) (Signature with seal) Faculty, Discipline of Psychology Date =APPENDIX-VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR SYNOPSIS SUBMISSION ‘This is to acknowledge that Ms./ Mr. Enrolment No of MAPC (2 Year) has submitted the Project synopsis at the Regional Centre The leamer has enclosed copy of Grade card regarding successful completion of MPC 005 and MPC 006 Date: Signature (with Seal) Received by: 25APPENDIX-VIL FORMAT FOR REFERENCE LETTER Date To, Dear Sir/Madam, This is to certify that Mr/Ms Enrollment No sa learner of IGNOU and is presently pursuing MA in Psychology from Regional Centre ‘Asa part of MA Psychology programme s/he has to carry out Project (MPCE-016/MPCE-026/MPCE-036). The leamer is carrying out her/his Project on topic ‘You are requested to kindly proivde her/him with permission to carry out reference work/data collection in your esteemed organisation. ‘Yours faithfully, Study Centre/Regional Centre/ Faculty, Discipline Psychology IGNOU, New Delhi (Signature with Seal)APPENDIX-VII RECORD OF VISITS/ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE LEARNER Date of [Time Duration | Place Nature of Work Nameand | Remarks vist [From | To | Visited Signature of Concerned Authority Note: * This includes visit to Library or any other place for reference work, Interaction with the Supervisor, Visits for data collection and any other activity related to Project work. # This is to be duly signed and attached in the final Dissertation/Project report. © Multiple copies of the blank form may be taken Signature of learner Signature of GuideAPPENDIX-IX, CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY This is to certify that the Project Report titled “ submitted to Indira Gandhi National Open University in partial fulfilment ofthe requirement for the award of Master of Arts Degree in Psychology (MAPC) is an original work carried out by Mt/ Ms (Enrollment Number ) ‘The matter embodied in this Project is a gemtine work done by the student and has not been submitted whether to this University orto any other University/ Institute for the fulfillment of the requirement of any course of study. The content of project report/dissertation has been checked {or plagiarism. Signature of the Leamer Signature of the Guide Name: Name: Enrollment Number Designation Place: ‘Name of lastitution/ Organisation: Date: Date:APPENDIX-X CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION ‘This is to certify that Mr./Ms Enrollment No. MPCE-026/MPCE-036 titled y completed Project in MPCE 016 under the guidance of. Signature of the Leamer Signature of the Guide Name Name: Enrollment No: Designation Study Centre: Place: Regional Centre: Date: Place: Date 29APPENDIX-XI ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (for submission of Project Dissertation) This is to acknowledge that Ms /Mr. Enrollment No. of MAPC (2nd Year) has submitted the Project Dissertation at the Regional Centte cnn Date: Signature (with Seal) Received byAPPEND) XL EVALUATION SCHEME FOR PROJECT DISSERTATION (To be filled by the External Examiner) Name ofthe Programme: MAPC Comrse Code Study Centre: Regional Centre Name of the Learner Enrollment No. SLNo| Components Maximum Marks] Marks Obtained 1.__| Synopsis 10 2.__ | Introduction and Review of Literature 10 3.__| Rationale of the Study 5 4. _| Methodology 45 5.__| Results, Discussion & Conclusion 20 6.__| implications, Future suggestions, Limitations 5 7.__| References 3 8. | Vivavoce 30 ‘Total Marks 100 Observation and Comments: Signature Name & Address of External Examiner Date: Note: 1. Minimum pass marks is 40 out of 100. 2. Marks are to be given for each of the components. 3, The external examiner is required to write observation and comments regarding the project report and viva voce * Dissertation is as per the approved synopsis. Modification if any given by the Synopsis, Evaluator (Apendix I & II) has been incorporated in the final dissertation) 31APPENDIX-XUIT REMUNERATION BILLFOR GUIDANCE OF PROJECT (Zo be submitted at the Regional Centre) To Regional Director Regional Centre ~ IGNOU 1. Programme Code: MAPC 2. Course Code: MPCE 016/026/036 Name of Guide: 4. Residential Address: Designation: 6. Official Address: 7. Telephone No. Office: Mobile’ Residence:sh. Enrollment | Course Name of Students Amount No. No. Code Certified that Ihave guided the students for theirproject dissertation work Dated: Signature of the Guide: Note: The remmeration payable for guidance of Project/ Dissertation Work is Rs. .....- pet student. Certified that the above project guide was approved and recommended by the concerned school of study and above claim may be admitted. Dy. /Asst Registrar Section Officer Dealing AssistantAPPENDIX-XIV GUIDELINES FOR REGIONAL CENTRES, MAPC PROJECT (MPCE 016/026/036) SYNOPSIS SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION » 4) 6) 0 Project (MPCE 016/026/036) is a compulsory course in the Second year of MA Psychology (MAPC). The leamer will prepare a synopsis for the Project under the supervision of a Guide and submit the synopsis at the Regional Centre (RC), The RC will then get the synopses evaluated by the experts from the approved list of synopsis evaluators provided by the Discipline of Psychology, IGNOU, New Delhi. The RC will invite the experts and get the synopses evaluated at the RC. Guidelines for synopsis evaluation (Appendix TID and the format for synopsis evaluation (Appendix TI) need to be provided to the evaluators. TA and payment for synopses evaluation will be as per IGNOU nonm. The RC may arrange for evaluation of around 25 to 30 synopses per evaluator in a day. Pre-conditions for synopsis evaluation: i) Leamer should have successfully completed MPC 005 and MPC 006 in the First Year of MAPC. If not, synopsis of such a leaner will not be evaluated and returned to the leamer by the RC ii) Leamer should have taken an approved Guide (Appendix 1) for Project. Guide may be an academic counselor or from the list of approved Guides (provided by the Discipline of Psychology) or any other expert from Psychology (as per the eligibility criteria given inthe Handbook on Project). In case of the first two scenarios, they are already approved Guides, But in the third scenario, that is, if the leamer is taking any other expert from Psychology, the leamer needs to take prior approval for the Guide (Appendix-V) from the Discipline of Psychology, SOSS, IGNOU, NewDelhi before submitting the synopsis. iii) All the formats enclosed with the synopsis are completely filled Hence it needs to be ensured that the leamer has passed MPC 005 and MPC 006, has taken an approved Guide, and has filled up the enclosures completely before getting the synopsis, evaluated. The RC will provide the Acknowledgement for Synopsis submission (Appendix-V1) to the learner in the prescribed proforma given in the Handbook on Project. The list of approved project topics of the Leamers in the prescribed format given in the Handbook on Project (Appendix-XV) will be sent by the RC to the Discipline of Psychology in the following email: [email protected]. A data bank will be created for all the synopses by the Discipline of Psychology accordingly. Incase of non-approval of synopsis, it needs to be resubmitted by the Leamer incorporating the suggestions/comments given by the Evaluator. RC will then get the resubmitted synopsis evaluated by the same evaluator8) Incase of resubmission, the learner needs to enclose the previous suggestion and the synopsis alongwith the revised synopsis 9) No Evaluator should be assigned more than 100 project synopses in a year for evaluation, 10) Each Regional Centre will send 2% of the project synopsis evaluated by the Synopsis Evaluators to the Discipline of Psychology for the purpose of monitoring. 11) Date range for synopsis submission is as follows Iuly Batch: Ist October—31stOctober January Bateh: Ist April - 30® April The learner needs to submit the synopsis within this date range only. Synopsis submitted after a particular date range will be considered in the next date range only 12) Leamer will start the project work only after the approval of synopsis and Guide. 13) Leamers need to enclose the following (in this sequence only) alongwith the synopsis ‘while submitting the same: Proforma for approval of project synopsis (Appendix-1) Format for Synopsis Evaluation (Appendix-I1) * Guidelines for Synopsis Evaluation (Appendix-IT}) * Consent Letter of the Guide (Appendix-IV) © Fonmnat for Biodata of Guide (required in case of Guide being other than Academie Counsellor or from the approved list provided by the Discipline of Psychology) (Appendix-V) Copy of Grade card regarding completion of MPC 005 and MPC 006 + Synopsis Note: Each Regional Centre will send 2% of the Project Synopsis evaluated by the synopsis evaluators to the Discipline of Psychology for the purpose of monitoring. Since the approved synopses need to be returned to the leamers so that they can stat the work, photocopy of the same can be sent to the discipline. PROJECT DISSERTATION SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION 1) After synopsis approval, the Leamer will start the Project work, complete it and submit one copy of the project dissertation at the RC. 2) Evaluation of MAPC Project consists of evaluation of the project dissertation and viva- voce. 3) RC will cay out the evaluation of dissertation and conduction of viva-voce by Extemal Examiner fiom the approved list provided by the Discipline of Psychology, IGNOU, New Delhi. 4) RC will send the dissertation to the External Examiner alongwith the Evaluation Scheme (Appendix XI) for Project to be evaluated. After receiving the evaluated dissertation, the RC will conduct the Viva-voce of the Leamers by the same Extemal Examiner. Itmay be ensured that the Extemal Examiner should not have guided the Leamers for whom slhe is evaluating the dissertation and condueting the viva-voce. 35,6) 0 8) 9) Date range for submission of Project Dissertation is as follows: July Batch’ 31* May January Batch: 30% November Date range for Term end exam (Viva-voce) of Project (MPCE 016/026/036) is as follows: July Batch’ 1s July 14% August January Batch: 1# January ~ 15 February Thus, if the dissertation is submitted by 31* May, it will be considered for TEE during 1* July to 14 August. fit is submitted by 30* November, it will be considered for TEE during 1° January to 15% February. After the Viva-voce, the RC is required to send the award forms to the Project Section, SED. for uploading of marks. 10) The total mark in Project is 100. A leamer is required to secure a minimum 40% to pass in Project. 11) Incasea leamer fails to secure the minimum 40% in Project (including both dissertation and viva-voce), s/he will be declared fail. In such a case, the leamer has to take up a new topic for project, prepare synopsis, carry out the study and then submit dissertation, The leamer may take the same Guide 12) The RC can have the following check list to ensure that all enclosures are there in the dissertation before sending the same for evaluation to the Extemal Examiner. * Proforma for approval of project synopsis (Appendix-1) ‘Format for Synopsis Evaluation (Appendix-I1) Guidelines for Synopsis Evaluation (Appendix-II) © Consent Letter of the Guide (Appendix-IV) Format for Biodata of Guide (required in case of Guide being other than Academic Counsellor or from the approved list provided by the Discipline of Psychology) (Appendix-V) © Copy of Grade card regarding completion of MPC 005 aud MPC 006 © Synopsis In case any of these is not there, the leamer can be informed accordingly 13) Important dates for MAPC project synopsis and dissertation are given in Appendix-XV1 for the convenience and reference of the RC. 36(to be sent by the Regional Centre to the Discipline of Psychology) APPENDIX-XV. FORMAT FORAPPROVED PROJECT TOPICS, Sl. No. Enrol. No. Name & |Contact details Project Topic Course Code Guide Name & Contact details Date of Synopsis approvalAPPENDIX. IMPORTANT DATES FOR MAPC PROJECT SYNOPSIS AND DISSERTATION (from Synopsis preparation to Term End Examination of Project) S.No. | Activity Date Range July Session January Session 1__| Synopsis submission Ist October—31st October | Ist April — 30 April 2__| Synopsis evaluation 1* November ~ 31* December | 1 May— 30% June 3 | Retum of Evaluated 18— 154 Jannary 18— 154 July ‘Synopsis to Leamers bythe RC 4 | Project Dissertation 314 May 30" November submission 3 | Project TEE 1*July- 14% August 1" January — (dissertation evaluation and Viva-voce) 15* FebruarySAMPLE SYNOPSISignou THE PEOPLE’S UNIVERSITY ©)SYNOPSIS Relationship between Forgiveness, Gratitude and Life Satisfaction among the Elderly in Cochin Master of Arts (Psychology) (MPCE-026) Submitted by ‘Name: Enrolment No.: Regional Centre: Guide: ignou Tie rcones UnveRsiny Discipline of Psychology School of Social Sciences (SOSS) Indira Gandhi National Open University IGNOU) Maidan garhi, New Delhi - 110068ignou THE PEOPLE’S UNIVERSITY ©)Relationship between Forgiveness, Gratitude and Life Satisfaction among the Elderly in Cochin Introduction Forgiveness and gratitude are important character strengths (Peterson & Selig McCullough, 2000) that affect life satisfaction of the individual, Gratitude refe state of thankfulness and appreciation towards what is valuable and meanin (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002). Itrefers to acknowledging whatever is go in one’s life. It comes from the Latin word ‘gratus’, meaning pleasing or thankful. quality of being thankful, showing appreciation and returningkindness. Robert Emmons, world’s leading expert on gratitude, points out two key aspect ude: the first is, it is an affirmation of goodness; and second, we recognize that the sources o odness are outside of ourselves. Emmons and other researchers see the social dimension as being eSecially important to gratitude, Inthe words of Emmons, itis arelationship-strengthening emotion itrequires us to see how we've been supported and aflinned by other people. The sociologist Georg Simmel called it as “the moral memory of mankind” because gratitude enoourages us not only to appreciate gifts but to repay them (or pay them forward). According to Friedman (1989, 2000), gratitude is bei circumstances in life, (0) what youhave received, exp people, situations, and d, (c) spiritual source! pive. (f) your inner qualities, aiid (g)fiture positive experiences, prosperity, and blessings. Emmonsiand MeCullough (20030), **(p, 377), They point out that gratitude the good deeds, words of othier Gratitude is a positive emotional reaction in response to the receiving son fon Of agit, benefitor favour from others. As Watkins et al. (2003) put it, ar received” (p. 327). They further iden teristics of grateful persons, First, grateful individuals feel a sense of abundatice. S grateful individuals appreciate contributions of others to their well-being. Third, grateful 1 als appreciate the simple pleasures of life, those that are readily available to most people. Fourth, grateful individuals recognize the importance of experiencingand expressing gratitude. atitude. Gratitude has also been conceptualized both as a reaction to a present event or experience) as well as a te things and move ahead in life. The effect of forgiveness has been to physical and psychological well being. Forgiveness is a process ives misbehavior of others, thereby reducing the tendency of person to seek revenge (McCulloygh &Witvliet, 2002). 9) and Friedman (1989, 2000) use seven criteria for defining forgiveness (a) a shift in perception and vision, (b) a shift in belief’ and attitudes, (c) a shift in affeets, (d) a 4Bshift in self-empowerment and self-responsibility, (e)a shift in choice, decision and intention, (D) a shift from duality consciousness to oneness consciousness, and (g) a shift in the recognition of the core qualities ofa person. Thus forgiveness includes letting go of emotionally backed judgments and grievances. It focuses on perceiving the goodness, worth, magnificence, innocence, love. and peace in both themselves and another person simnltaneously. Moreover, from this point of view the forgiveness process is activated when a person makes a conscious choice/decision to forgive (see things differently) and then turns the forgiveness process over to a high rer/Self (e.g. the God). During this process projections are owned and released and p. set as goals. Life satisfaction (LS) isa part ofthe broader construct of Subjective well to Diener (1984), SWB consists of high life satisfaction, high levels of p happy, pleased, joy), and lack of negative affect (¢.g., angry, depressed). The cognifive dimension of SWB consists of life satisfaction and refers to the individual's global evaluation of their own lives, The affective dimension refers to the negative ai 100d in one’s immediate experience Review of Literature Gratitude, forgiveness and life satisfaction are constructs und been found to be related to physical and psychological wellbeing done on these variables which highlight their ance as strength vari for clinical as well as non-clinical populati ve psychology. These have studies have been les having implication Roberts (2004) has provided a conc: Emmons & McCullough (2003a) in wellbeing are positively related. Va forgiveness, gratitude and well bei 0 & MoCllough, 2006: Friedman & Toussaint, 2006b; ‘Toussaint & Webb, 2005). atitude and pointed out its benefits also fonad that gratitude and subjective Studies on adolescents have also found positive association between gratitude and well being and life satisfaction. For instance, Chen and Kee (2008) reported that gratitude positively predicted adolescents to either a ise (ie., counting one’s blessings), a hassles condition, or jt the gratitude condition was associated with greater life ng (2008) studied gratitude and well being among college found an association between gratitde and well being. Sood and Gupta (2012) had ‘and well being among Indian adolescents. Safaria (2014) in his study on. \so found that gratitude is an important factor contributing to happiness. ied gender differences in gratitude and the results demonstrated that men were less likely 19 feel and express gratitude, made more critical evaluations of gratitude, and derived hefits. Wood et al (2009) determined that higher levels of gratitude predicted better subjective sleep quality and sleep duration. Studies have found that gratitude can predict 448% of individual differences in satisfaction with life (equivalent to x =.28) after controlling for the 30 facets of the Big Five (Wood. Joseph et al., 2008), and between 2% and 6% (equivalent to 1 between .16 and .25) in personal growth, positive relationships with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance (Wood, Joseph, & Maltby, 2009). Froh, Yurkewicz, & Kashdan (2008) found gratitude has a significant positive correlation with positive affect, life satisfaction, optimism, social support, and pro-social behavior. Research also points out some conflicting data (e.g., Kirgiz, 2008; & Henrie, 2007, that gratitude did not show a relationship with well being or satisfaction with li studies need to be done in the area. Even though a few conflicting studies do exi majority of findings, it can be said that experiencing gratitude, thankfulness, an: tends to foster positive feelings, which in tum, contribute to one’s overall sense of v forgiveness have potential benefits for mental health (Toussaint & Webb, 2 (Karuse & Ellison, 2003). MeFarland, Smith, Toussaint and Thomas (201 relationship between interpersonal forgiveness and health for older Blacks and Whites on elderly sample of 436 Blacks and 500 Whites. Results found forgiven wsitively associated with self-reported health over time among Blacks Kimani (2015) studied relationship between grat subjective wellbeing among college going students and found a positive rela se. Sastre et al (2003) examined the relationship between forgiveness and satisfaction witlif®. Toussaint and Friedman ly associated with well-being and largely, though not completely, also studied in the context of commitment in 1 (Tsang, McCullough, & Fincham, 2006) & Witvliet, 2002) Bono, G., & McCullough, M. E. (20 context of religion. Many studies religionsity’spitituality Krause & Ellison, 2 examined age differences in the association b respondent reports of mental and physical heal Studied have also been. and forgiveness respon eC ullough, 2011;Tabak et.al. 2011). Tabak et al (2012) jess and adjustment in Older adults in the ¢ relationship between forgiveness and issaint, Williams, Musick, & Everson, (2001) Forgiveness, gratitude,gfe the strengths of human behavior, Research has started documenting the powerful e these strengths that are there within us which can be capitalized to deal 45with negativity in life and promote physical and psychological well being. Instead of articulating the positive experiences that improve quality of life, many theories in psychology have focused mainly on curbing aggression, reducing psychopathologies, and controlling vices (McCullough & Snyder, 2000: Myers & Diener, 1995: Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2001). Hence there is a need to highlight the significance of the character strengths and positive emotions in enhancing our well being and satisfaction, The present study has taken up for study the three variables of gratitude, forgiveness a with life. The relationship among the three variables holds significance especiall of the elderly. The elderly, having reached a stage where they might be suffe illness, mental disorders and fluctuating mood changes may exhibit less sat number of people over 60 years old will be higher than that of children up to Syears old (WHO, 2015). The world’s population is aging but are they also having quality life? Advancement in economic condition and health care also need to be ac ec! by enhanced psychological well being for the elderly. ness and life satisfaction I help design appropriate Hence an attempt has been made to assess the level of among the elderly and examine the relationship among intervention measures to enhance their sense of life satistactio Research Problem ‘The present research aims to study satisfaction among the elderly in Co Objectives © Toassess the level of gratitude, rd life satisfaction among the elderly in Cochin. ‘* To examine the relationship between elderly in Cochin, status on gratitu Hypotheses ignificant gender difference in gratitude, forgiveness, and life satisfaction ly in Cochin. 46‘© There will be significant difference in gratitude, forgiveness and life satisfaction among the elderly in Cochin with regard to type of family. ‘© There will be significant difference in gratitude, forgiveness and life satisfaction among the elderly in Cochin with regard to marital status. Operational Definition © Gratitude: Trefers o a general state of thankfulness and appreciation towards, and meaningful to oneself (MeCullough, Enmons, & Tsang, 2002), ‘© Forgiveness: Forgiveness is the framing ofa perceived transgression such t to the trausgressor, transgression, and sequelae of the transgression are tr negative to neutral or positive. The source of a transgre: forgiveness, may be oneself, another person or persons, 0 beyond anyone’s control (e.g., an illness, “fate,” or a natural 2003), So it refers to people’s dispositional forgiveness of self, o tuations. ‘© Life Satisfaction: It refers to the individual’s global evaluation of their ow Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985). © Type of Family: Itrefers to nuclear family and joint fa ‘© Marital Status: It refers to living with the spouse, sepa yorced from the spouse, and spouse is expired. Sample The sample is selected to represent the pop ich we want to study. Since itis difficult to study the entire population, a sample is wing. different procedure, The sample selection process depends on the objective Non probability sampling method will will be used. Those individuals locality will be taken. The resear citizen clubs of the societies. A total of taken for the present study. Out of this, 100 study In this, the purposive sampling f age and above residing in the same Research Design Research design is the or the collection, measurement and analysis of data, It answers the what, where, whet -search study. It is an outline of the research objectives, In the present study, an attempt is made to find out the ness and life satisfaction among the elderly in Cochin, thus, ‘The Gratitude Qiestionnaire-Six-Item Form (GQ-6) isa six- item self-report questionnaire. The respondent has to rate himself? herself on a 7-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1(strongly "7disagree) to 7(strongly agree). The scale is designed to assess individual differences in the proneness to experience gratitude in daily life. Higher scores on GQ-6 signify higher levels of ‘grateful disposition. GQ-6 has strong psychomettic properties with high intemal consistency and a robust one-factor structure. Heartland Forgiveness Seale (Thompson, et al., 2005): ‘The Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS) is an 18-item self-report scale which people’s dispositional forgiveness of self, others and situations. Respondents r referring to “Almost always true of me’. Score on the Total H how forgiving one is, in general, of oneself, others, and ne Higher scores indicate higher levels of forgiveness and vice vers average, the maximum score being 126. HES demonstrates desirable with adequate intemal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and conv test-retest reliability is 82 and the range of alphia coefficient is 84 to 87 for the (Thompson, et al., 2005). Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, It consists of five items to be rated using @ | ~7 scale) stands for strongly agree. Low score indicates dissatis satisfaction with life Demographic Information Sheet: Demographic information sheet will be 1: various demographic information about the sample including age, gender, type, Statistical Techniques Descriptive and inferential statisti used. The data will be analyzed using SPSS software: Correlation, ‘t test and one-way AN( References Allemand Mathias & . & Kashdan, T B (2008). Gratitude and subjective well-being in early gender differences. Journal of Adolescence, pp.1-18, doi:10.1016/ Gurel Kirgiz 0 (2008). Effects of gratitude on subjective well-being, self-construal, and memory. Diss Abstr Int; 68:4825B 48Henrie P (2007). The effects of gratitude on divorce adjustment and well-being of middle-aged divorced women. Diss Abstr Int. 2007; 67:6096B. Kashdan, T. B., Mishra, A., Breen, W. E., & Froh, J. J. (2009). Gender differences in gratitude: Examining appraisals, narratives, the willingness to express emotions, and changes in psychological needs. Journal of Personality, 77, 691"730. Kashdan TB, Uswatte G Julian T (2006). Gratitude and hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in ‘Vietnam war veterans. Behav Res Ther. 44(2):177-99. Krause, N., & Ellison, C. G (2003), Forgiveness by God, Forgiveness of OtherSand Psychological Well-Being in Late Life. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 42(1), 77 McCullough, M. E. (2000). Forgiveness as human strength: neasurement, and links to well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. McCullough, ME. & Witvliet, C V. (2002). The psychology of forgiveness, Lopez, S. I. (Eds), Handbook of Positive Psychology, Oxfond University 458, Safaria, Triantoro (2014). Forgiveness, Gratitud: mong College Students. International Journal of Publie Health Seience. 3 > Billings LS; Heinze; Dispositional Forgiveness of Self, 4-360. ‘Thompson, L Y; Snyder CR: Hoffman L Neufeld JE: Shorey HS; Roberts JC; Others, and Situations, Journal of Pt feness and healt: Amtmanswered question. veness: Theory. research, and practice. New Thoresen CE, Harris AHS & Lusl In: McCullough M E, Pargament ‘York: Guilford Press, 254-280 events, interpersonal strength, and mental health among ediation and moderation effects. Bull Edue Psychol. 40, ichosom Res. 66, 43-48. Maltby, J. (2008). Gratitude uniquely prediets satisfaction with life ve the domains and facets of the five factor model. Personality and 5, 49-54. Individual Differen 49Wood, A. M., Joseph, S., & Maltby, J. (2009). Gratitude predicts psychological well-being above the big five facets. Personality and Individual Differences, 46, 443- 44 World Health Organization. (2015). World report on ageing and health. (W. atin, Ed) ‘World Health Organization. Luxembourg: World Health Organization. doi: 9.1907/s133¢)-014- 0173-7.2 Appendices Appendix 1: Gratitude Questionnaire ~ Six Item Appendix 2: Heartland Forgiveness Seale Appendix 3: Satisfaction with Life Seale Appendix 4: Demographic Information Sheet * The sample synopsis is based on the research work carried out by Prof. Swati Patra, SOSS, IGNOU, New Delhi. 50