Read the case mentioned below and answer the question :
Rahman is a successful boy, who lives in Mumbai. He is very fond of junk food but he realised that eating junk food has many ill-effects on his health. He read in a newspaper that one can control his/her eating habits in order to reach long term goals in life. After reading this article on "Healthify Life" in the newspaper, he adopted a few effective mechanisms in his own lifestyle.
He selected all necessary information about the ideal weight and body mass index and found out his extra weight that is required to be shed off with immediate effect.
He started self introspection and instructed himself about the changed diet plan and work out schedule.
He kept a self reward policy wherein he could reward his own efforts towards weight loss journey and got extra happiness with each pleasant outcome.
After applying these changes in his life, Rahman reduced his body weight and gained some extra confidence, esteem and happiness in life.
Which technique is used by Rahman, when he gathers all relevant information to achieve his target, in reference to the behavioural aspect of his self ?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Observation of own behaviour
Option (1) Self focus approach — Incorrect. This is not a technique of self-control; focusing on oneself does not by itself supply the facts needed to change a habit.
Option (2) Observation of own behaviour — Correct. This technique provides us with necessary information that may be used to change, modify, or strengthen certain aspects of self. Rahman collected the facts about his ideal weight and body mass index and worked out how much extra weight he had to shed: he observed his own behaviour and its result.
Option (3) Self motivation — Incorrect. Motivation is the drive to act. Rahman was certainly motivated, but gathering information about himself is the named technique the question asks for.
Option (4) Self obsessed — Incorrect. Being self-obsessed means being too absorbed in oneself. It is a fault of character, not a technique of self-control.
NCERT (2025-26): “Self-regulation … A number of psychological techniques of self-control have also been suggested. Observation of own behaviour is one of them. This provides us with necessary information that may be used to change, modify, or strengthen certain aspects of self. Self-instruction is another important technique. We often instruct ourselves to do something and behave the way we want to. Such instructions are quite effective in self-regulation. Self-reinforcement is the third technique. This involves rewarding behaviours that have pleasant outcomes. For example, you may go to see a movie with friends, if you have done well in an examination. These techniques have been tried out and found quite effective with respect to self-regulation and self-control.” |