The table shows what a psychiatrist observed in four people with schizophrenia. Whose behaviour belongs to the category of negative symptoms?
| Person | What the psychiatrist observed |
|---|---|
| P | Firmly believes he will be the next President of India |
| Q | Hears voices that no one else can hear |
| R | Shows very little emotion and says very little, even with his family |
| S | Laughs while talking about the death of a close friend |
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Person R
Option (1) Person P — Incorrect. Believing oneself to be a specially powerful person is a delusion of grandeur. Delusions are positive symptoms, an addition to normal thinking.
Option (2) Person Q — Incorrect. Hearing voices that are not there is a hallucination. It is a positive symptom, an excess of perception.
Option (3) Person R — Correct. Negative symptoms are deficits of thought, emotion and behaviour. Person R lacks normal emotion and speech, so something normal is missing.
Option (4) Person S — Incorrect. Laughing at sad news is inappropriate affect, an emotion that does not fit the situation. The book places it among positive symptoms.
NCERT (2026-27): “Symptoms of Schizophrenia “Positive symptoms are ‘pathological excesses’ or ‘bizarre additions’ to a person’s behaviour. Delusions, disorganised thinking and speech, heightened perception and hallucinations, and inappropriate affect are the ones most often found in schizophrenia.” |