Indian Idols Drinking Milk: Understanding the Phenomenon and Its Implications for Social Reform

Abstract

The mass media have occasionally been reporting miracles such as stone idols sipping milk or bleeding in India. The author argues for viewing such irrational happenings as the examples of the social psychological phenomenon of conformity to the group norms (i.e., informal, unwritten prescriptions of what the group might think to be right and desirable). By identifying people as likely (1) sources of accurate information and (2) standards of desirable behaviors in a given situation, it is proposed that a shift from conformity to the norms to compliance to the laws might be helpful in building a New India.

Validating Cognitive and Emotional Urges in Comprehending One’s Surroundings: The Case of Attraction from Attitudes

“…In more general terms, people are as active and dynamic information processors in the laboratory (Singh, 1991(Singh, , 2011 as they are in real life (Singh, 2020;Sinha, 1952;J. Sinha, 2022).…”

“…When similarity with peers signals correctness of one's views, and that correctness satisfies a motive for accuracy, certainty, desirability, prediction and/or control of one's environment (Festinger, 1954;Heider, 1958;Pittman, 1998;Singh, 2020;White, 1959), validation by agreement should then draw people together. Such validation is particularly needed when there is no objective standard for checking on the accuracy of the belief or rumour, as given in Sinha (1952).…”

“…Humans tend to evaluate themselves and others against objective or physical standards that are readily available (Singh, 2020). However, physical standards rarely exist for evaluating their beliefs and opinions.…”