A cross-cultural study of Nepalese and Indian optimism

The phenomenological approach to a person's own awareness is capable of revealing the contents of his experiential world without the limitations inherent in the use of projective method. As a rating scale, Cantril's self-monitoring scale is a useful device for revealing the subjective world of one's experience. With its remarkable simplicity, it can provide data of considerable value in cross-cultural research. Like a barometer,it can portray the perceived stage of the social and political development of a people and provide for comparisions across national and cultural boundaries.

The paper reports the findings of a study of samples of the Nepalese and India attitude towards self and nation, and their hopes and expectations. Discrepancies of the past and future ratings from the present anchor, a comparison between the two national groups investigated and with Cantril's study of concern over the national situation in 13 countries have been studied.