DEFENCE INSTITUTE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR) is an Indian defence laboratory of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), located in Delhi, functioning under DRDO's Directorate of Life Sciences (DLS). Its history dates to 1943, when it was established in Dehradun as a small experimental board for selecting Indian officers through psychological techniques. In 1949 it was renamed the Psychological Research Wing (PRW), and on June 28, 1962, it became the Directorate of Psychological Research (DPR), expanding into areas like morale, group effectiveness, leadership behaviour, and PTSD. The Applied Psychological Laboratory (APL) and Naval Psychological Research Unit (NPRU) were later merged into DPR in 1967. In 1982, DPR came under DRDO's administrative control and was designated the Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR). In 2024, DIPR began developing a psychological assessment test for Agniveer selections, with trials conducted during the 2023 recruitment year. DIPR's research covers morale, ideological convictions, leadership, job satisfaction, high-altitude effects, motivation, attitude, anthropometrics, and civil-military relations. It develops psychological tests used for officer selection in the defence forces, including Picture Perception Test, Thematic Appreciation Test (TAT), Word Association Test (WAT), and Situation Reaction Test (SRT). The former director was Dr. Arunima Gupta, and the present director is Ms. Nishi Mishra.