Competition Tolerance refers to -

The correct answer is Option (4) → ability to put up with competition even for basic requirements

Individuals differ in how they react to crowding, and two kinds of tolerance explain these differences: crowding tolerance and competition tolerance.

Option (1) the ability to tolerate competitors — Incorrect. This speaks of accepting rival persons, as in a game or a business. Competition tolerance is about the situation of having to compete with many others for basic resources in a crowded setting, not about one’s feelings towards rivals.

Option (2) the ability to compete with oneself — Incorrect. Competing with oneself means trying to beat one’s own earlier performance. It involves no other people and no shortage of resources.

Option (3) physical prowess that is compared with others — Incorrect. Physical prowess is bodily strength or skill. Competition tolerance is a capacity to put up with a stressful situation, not a measure of strength.

Option (4) ability to put up with competition even for basic requirements — Correct. Competition tolerance is the ability to put up with a situation in which individuals would have to compete with many others for even basic resources, including physical space. A crowded setting raises the competition for resources, so the reaction to it depends on this tolerance.

Note: Competition tolerance was there in the chapter ‘Psychology and Life’ of the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023, and is not there in the NCERT book (2025-26).