Sarthak believes that he is highly liked by everyone in his family and that his parents will always choose him over others in any circumstance. In which aspect of 'self' will Sarthak score high?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Self-esteem
Option (1) Self-concept — Incorrect. Self-concept is the way we perceive ourselves and the ideas we hold about our competencies and attributes. Sarthak’s belief is not a description of what he is like; it is a judgement of how much he is valued.
Option (2) Self-esteem — Correct. Self-esteem is a person’s value judgement about her or his own worth. To assess it, a child is asked how far statements such as ‘I am highly liked by my peers’ are true of her or him; one who says they are true has high self-esteem. Sarthak believes he is highly liked by everyone in his family and that his parents will always choose him, so he would score high on self-esteem.
Option (3) Self-efficacy — Incorrect. Self-efficacy is the belief that one has the ability or behaviours a situation requires and can control the outcomes of one’s life. Sarthak’s belief is about being liked, not about his ability to do something.
Option (4) Self-regulation — Incorrect. Self-regulation is the ability to organise and monitor one’s own behaviour, for example to resist situational pressures. It is about controlling behaviour, not about how one is valued.
NCERT (2025-26): “Self-esteem … Self-esteem is an important aspect of our self. As persons we always make some judgment about our own value or worth. This value judgment of a person about herself/himself is called self-esteem. Some people have high self-esteem, whereas others may have low self-esteem. In order to assess self-esteem we present a variety of statements to a person, and ask her/ him to indicate the extent to which those statements are true for her or him. For example, we may ask a child to indicate the extent to which statements such as ‘I am good at homework’, or ‘I am the one usually chosen for the games’, or ‘I am highly liked by my peers’, are true of her/ him. If a child reports these statements to be true for her/him, her/his self-esteem will be high in comparison to someone who says ‘no’.…” |