Read the passage below and answer the questions
Rishabh often feels dissatisfied with himself, despite receiving appreciation from his family and friends. According to Carl Rogers, such dissatisfaction arises when there is an incongruence between an ideal and real self of an individual. Rogers proposed that individuals have an inherent tendency towards growth and fulfillment known as self-actualization. However, this growth can be hindered when an individual receives conditional positive regard and when acceptance depends on certain fixed expectations. If this continues, individuals like Rishabh may deny or distort their lived experiences. This in turn can harm their self-concept and psychological well-being.
According to Rogers, unconditional positive regard helps in:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Promoting a healthy self-concept
Option (1) Increasing defense mechanism — Incorrect. Defence mechanisms distort reality to protect a person from anxiety. Unconditional acceptance makes such distortion less needed, not more.
Option (2) Reducing anxiety — Incorrect. A warm, accepting atmosphere may make a person feel at ease, but Rogers ties unconditional positive regard to the self-concept, not to anxiety as such.
Option (3) Promoting a healthy self-concept — Correct. When social conditions are positive, the self-concept and self-esteem are high, and such people stay open to new experiences and keep growing. So Rogers says an atmosphere of unconditional positive regard must be created to ensure enhancement of people’s self-concept.
Option (4) Enhancing superego — Incorrect. The superego is Freud’s moral branch of mental functioning, built by internalising parental authority. Rogers’s humanistic theory does not speak of it.
NCERT (2025-26): “Humanistic Approach … Rogers views personality development as a continuous process. It involves learning to evaluate oneself and mastering the process of self-actualisation. He recognises the role of social influences in the development of self-concept. When social conditions are positive, the self-concept and self-esteem are high. In contrast, when the conditions are negative, the self-concept and self-esteem are low. People with high self-concept and self-esteem are generally flexible and open to new experiences, so that they can continue to grow and self-actualise. This situation warrants that an atmosphere of unconditional positive regard must be created in order to ensure enhancement of people’s self-concept. The client-centred therapy that Rogers developed basically attempts to create this condition.…” |