The psychological inquiry in India possesses a dual heritage: ancient philosophical-psychological insights contained in the Upanishads, Samkhya, Yoga, and Buddhism, juxtaposed with the modern institutionalization introduced during the British colonial period.
- First Department of Psychology: Established in 1916 at the University of Calcutta by Dr. N.N. Sengupta, who was trained under Hugo Münsterberg at Harvard University.
- Prof. Girindrasekhar Bose: A towering pioneer who established the Indian Psychoanalytical Society (1922) and corresponded extensively with Sigmund Freud, proposing unique psychoanalytic interpretations of the Gita and Hindu psychological constructs such as the 'contrary wish'.
- Post-Independence Expansion: The post-1947 era saw the founding of specialized laboratories and institutions, notably the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru and the psychological wing of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), focusing on personnel selection.