Relationships

First published in The Hindu, 5th April 2026 Whether it’s a colleague, friend or parent, dealing with defensiveness can be challenging. When you raise a concern, the person is not open or ready to accept that there is a problem…

For many, our first friendships emerged in Kindergarten or primary school. As we ploughed through higher grades, it was easy to forge relationships with many friends as we were all in the same class, school and phase of life year…

First published in The Hindu, 1 March 2025 A tendency to categorize people into groups is fairly pervasive. The groupings may be based on a host of factors ranging from gender, ethnicity, religion, class, caste, language, educational levels, political affiliation…

First published in The Hindu, 2 September 2023  Imagine standing in a circle with a group of people who are throwing a ball. The ball passes to-and-fro as different people throw the ball to each other. However, the ball is never…

One of the more robust findings of psychology, to have withstood the tests of time, is the theory of infant attachment, first put forth by psychologist, John Bowlby and subsequently furthered by Mary Ainsworth. According to this theory, infants primarily exhibit three…

Have you ever felt miffed when friends or acquaintances pass judgments as if they know you better than you know yourself? Sure, you get good grades. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t forget to submit an assignment, especially under…

As your friends can influence your behavior in overt and covert ways, don’t be fooled into thinking that only young children or pliant people fall under the spell of peer pressure. Like many things in life, peer pressure is a…

Avoid giving unsolicited advice and draw boundaries when receiving it, to protect your “psychological space” Be it a well-meaning uncle, a do-gooder neighbour or a paternalistic boss, most of us have received unsolicited advice on a range of matters. You…

Tips to ensure that face-to-face meetings are both deep and meaningful Given that our social interactions have reduced considerably since the pandemic, many people may be craving company. Small pleasures like a coffee with a close friend, lunching with colleagues…