Chaudhary, N. (2012). Mental Sociality and Collective Identity: A Dialogical Analysis of the Indian Sense of Self. In H.J.M. Hermans (Ed.), Applications of Dialogical Self Theory. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 137, 53–68. 53 4 Mental Sociality and Collective Identity: A Dialogical Analysis of the Indian Sense of Self Nandita Chaudhary Abstract This chapter discusses the specifc strengths of Dialogical Self Theory for the exploration and explanation of the phenomenon of society of the mind as it is expressed in various intricate, culturally specifc discourse strategies among Indians. By focusing on a recent social movement to demonstrate the particu- larity of cultural processes, personal and collective meanings are explored through interviews of several citizens during a protest. The examples explain how a dramatic event can cause people to react, review, and reconstruct their internal positions related to collective reality. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. I am Anna, you are Anna, now a whole country has become Anna. Nitin Dawar, songwriter 1 NEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, no. 137, Fall 2012 © Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). • DOI: 10.1002/cad.20017