Kiran falls ill whenever the pressure at work rises. His counsellor finds that he has no clear sense of purpose in life, feels little commitment to his work or family, and sees every change in life as a threat. She advises him to relearn skills such as rational thinking and assertiveness. What is the reason behind her advice?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → He lacks the traits of hardiness, so he must relearn life skills to cope with everyday demands.
Option (1) He has unhelpful habits such as perfectionism, so he must relearn life skills to drop them. — Incorrect. Perfectionism is an unhelpful habit. It helps in the short-term but makes a person more open to stress. Kiran shows no such habit.
Option (2) He lacks emotional and social support, so he must relearn life skills to build such support. — Incorrect. Emotional and social support helps people sail through a crisis. Nothing in Kiran's case shows a lack of support; what he lacks are the hardiness beliefs.
Option (3) He lacks the traits of hardiness, so he must relearn life skills to cope with everyday demands. — Correct. Purpose in life (control), commitment and seeing change as normal (challenge) are the three Cs of hardiness. Kiran lacks all three. Since everyone does not have these traits, many of us have to relearn life skills such as rational thinking and assertiveness to cope with daily demands.
Option (4) He cannot plan his time and delegate, so he must relearn life skills to relieve the pressure. — Incorrect. Planning time and delegating belong to time management, which relieves time pressure. Kiran's problem is about purpose, commitment and change.
NCERT (2026-27): “PROMOTING POSITIVE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING … “Everyone does not have these characteristics, many of us have to relearn specific life skills in areas such as rational thinking, and assertiveness to equip ourselves better to cope with the demands of everyday life, etc.” |