Meera, a Class 12 student in Pune, completed ten sentences starting with 'I am'. Among them she wrote: 'I am Meera', 'I am a hardworking person', 'I am a Maharashtrian' and 'I am one who easily gets hurt'. She also wrote that she is very good at reading but weak at mathematics. Her teachers find her honest at school, her parents find her honest at home, and her friends say the same; this has been true for years. At a family wedding, though, the usually quiet Meera becomes quite talkative. Her younger brother Rohan dislikes being given orders, so their mother now offers him a few acceptable choices and lets him pick one.
Meera sees herself as very good at reading but weak at mathematics. Which of the following best describes this view?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A self-concept that differs at a specific level
Option (1) A self-concept that differs at a specific level — Correct. Self-concept is <strong>the way we perceive ourselves and our competencies</strong>. It can be positive for one skill and negative for another, as with Meera's reading and mathematics.
Option (2) A self-esteem that differs across separate areas — Incorrect. Self-esteem is the value judgment a person makes about her/his own worth. A positive view of one's reading ability but a negative one about one's mathematical skills is described as self-concept, at an even more specific level.
Option (3) A personal identity that differs across abilities — Incorrect. Personal identity refers to the attributes that make a person different from others, such as her name, qualities or capabilities. Meera's positive and negative views of her own skills form her self-concept.
Option (4) A self-concept that differs at a very general level — Incorrect. At a very general level, self-concept is overall either positive or negative. A view that is positive for reading but negative for mathematics belongs to an even more specific level.
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