Sociocentric and Cosmocentric Coping: Cultural Logics of Parenting During Crisis in Low-Resource Indian Families
subject: Cosmocentric self; Cultural coping; Low-income households; Parenting; Sociocentric self
description: Coping with crisis is a culturally situated process shaped by models of self, morality, and notions of good life rather than by individual stress regulation alone. Drawing on cultural psychology frameworks, this study examines how parents of young children in low-resource settings coped with adversity situated within the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Using a constructivist qualitative design, in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 parents of children under six years of age belonging from economically marginalized communities living in urban Delhi, India. Data were analyzed through Reflexive Thematic Analysis, guided by Kirmayers (2007) model of Cultural Configurations of the Self. These narratives illustrate how coping emerged as a moral, relational, and faith-based practice under conditions of adversity and uncertainty. Sociocentric coping reflects a relational orientation in which well-being is understood as collective, caregiving is regarded as morally central, and emotional regulation is oriented toward preserving family harmony. Cosmocentric coping reflects an orientation toward higher-order forces through which uncertainty is accepted, distress is externalized, and endurance cultivated. The study challenges individualistic models of coping and highlights how care, endurance, and meaning-making are collectively organized in contexts of structural vulnerability. The paper extends theoretical understanding of coping with crisis and calls for a contextually grounded model of parental coping. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.
creator: Maganti, Madhavilatha; Baxi, Annie; Lidhoo, Anandita; Battiwalla, Tanya Parvez; Kolte, Akash; Rijuta, Vidushi; Chatterjee, Roshnee Mrinalini
source: Human Arenas;
publisher: Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
date: 01-01-2026
rights: Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
relation: ISSN: 25225804;
format: online
language: English
type: Article
coverage: Maganti M., Psychology-Division of Sciences, School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences (SIAS), Krea University, Andhra Pradesh, Sricity, India; Baxi A., Department of Psychology, Ashoka University, Haryana, Sonipat, India; Lidhoo A., The Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University, Sonipat, India; Battiwalla T.P., Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States; Kolte A., Department of Psychology, Christ University, Bangalore, India; Rijuta V., School of Education, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; Chatterjee R.M., School of Human Ecology, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India