Given below is a figure showing the boundary between self and group.…

Given below is a figure showing the boundary between self and group. Which of the following does this figure represent?[PICTURE /img/Uploads/Questions/YM/Psychology/Indian%20Perspective.png, width 235]

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Indian cultural perspective, with a shifting boundary

Option	Reason
Option (1): Indian cultural perspective, with a shifting boundary. Correct.	The figure shows the view in which the boundary between self and group shifts: at one moment the self fuses with the cosmos or takes in others, at the next it withdraws to personal needs and goals.
Option (2): Western cultural perspective, with a relatively fixed boundary. Incorrect.	In the Western view the boundary appears relatively fixed, and the self and the group exist as two different entities with their own defined boundaries.
Option (3): Indian cultural perspective, with a relatively fixed boundary. Incorrect.	A relatively fixed boundary is the mark of the Western culture, where individual members of the group maintain their individuality.
Option (4): Western cultural perspective, with a shifting boundary. Incorrect.	The Western culture keeps the self and the group at a distance, each with its own boundary, which is why it is called individualistic.

NCERT (2026-27): “CULTURE AND SELF …
The most important distinction between the Indian and the Western views is the way the boundary is drawn between the self and the other. In the Western view, this boundary appears to be relatively fixed. The Indian view of self, on the other hand, is characterised by the shifting nature of this boundary. Thus, our self at one moment of time expands to fuse with the cosmos or include the others. But at the next moment, it seems to be completely withdrawn from it and focused fully on individual self (e.g., our personal needs or goals). The Western view seems to hold clear dichotomies between self and other, man and nature, subjective and objective. The Indian view does not make such clear dichotomies. illustrates this relationship.”

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Indian cultural perspective, with a shifting boundary

Option	Reason
Option (1): Indian cultural perspective, with a shifting boundary. Correct.	The figure shows the view in which the boundary between self and group shifts: at one moment the self fuses with the cosmos or takes in others, at the next it withdraws to personal needs and goals.
Option (2): Western cultural perspective, with a relatively fixed boundary. Incorrect.	In the Western view the boundary appears relatively fixed, and the self and the group exist as two different entities with their own defined boundaries.
Option (3): Indian cultural perspective, with a relatively fixed boundary. Incorrect.	A relatively fixed boundary is the mark of the Western culture, where individual members of the group maintain their individuality.
Option (4): Western cultural perspective, with a shifting boundary. Incorrect.	The Western culture keeps the self and the group at a distance, each with its own boundary, which is why it is called individualistic.