Reflections on Ethics And Values

Dr. M I Joseph is the founder head of the Department of Psychology, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kaldy. After completing his undergraduate programme in psychology at Union Christian College, Aluva, he did his PG programme in psychology at Department of Psychology, University of Kerala. He pursued his PhD programme with UGC fellowship at University of Kerala and was awarded the research degree for his work entitled "Occupational Stress: An Analytical Study". He started his career as Welfare Officer in the Plantation Corporation of Kerala Ltd and joined the University service in the year 1995. He has edited three books including an Encyclopedia of Psychology in Malayalam, and has fifty one published research papers in addition to a number of general articles. He received the Best Research Paper award of Kearala Manasatra Parishath three times consecutively and also the Best Research Paper award of ARDSI. He is member of the editorial boards of a number of journals and magazines. As a research guide, he could so far produce six PhDs and 27 MPhil degrees.

It gives me intense pleasure to write foreword for this very relevant publication of Dr. M1 Joseph, a dear friend of long association. My association with him goes back to the year 1979, while undergoing the undergraduate programme in Psychology at Union Christian College, Aluva. I had numerous opportunities to have close interactions with Dr. Joseph both at UC College and later at Department of Psychology, University of Kerala. He has always shown much interest in social issues and activities, and is committed and ethically bound as a psychologist, teacher, and researcher.

A topic very often ignored in mainstream scientific inquiry for decades, ethical values is beginning to return to the place of reverence that it had in ancient schools of intellectual study. The book, Reflections on Ethics and Values by Dr. MI Joseph explores the role of ethical values and value orientations in the development of mental, moral, and spiritual well-being of the individuals and society, and thereby helps both scholars and lay people to understand the apex of human thought and behavior. The book is particularly relevant in this age of ethical relativism where it has become commonplace to assume that ethical values are merely a social convention, peculiar to the time and place of the beholder.