Arjun, a 19-year-old in Lucknow, has to choose a college course. He loves dance but is also drawn to psychology, and he keeps changing his choice. He has made it his rule to score full marks in every mock test, and he sets targets far above what his teachers ask of him. His entrance results came out last week. Since then he replays every wrong answer late into the night and wonders what his relatives will say. A month before the results, his family moved to a new house across the city, and he now travels an hour to meet his old friends.
Arjun keeps replaying every wrong answer late into the night. Which type of stress does this behaviour best show?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Psychological stress, as he generates it himself, and such worry causes further stress.
Option (1) Social stress, as it is induced externally through his interaction with his relatives. — Incorrect. Social stress is induced externally and comes from our dealings with other people, such as strained relationships or trouble with neighbours. Arjun's thoughts about his relatives start in his own head; no relative has made any demand on him.
Option (2) Physical stress, as it changes the state of his body by keeping him from sleep. — Incorrect. Physical stresses are demands that change the state of the body, such as overexertion, a poor diet or too little sleep. His late nights follow from his replaying of the result; the stress itself begins in his thoughts.
Option (3) Psychological stress, as he generates it himself, and such worry causes further stress. — Correct. Going over the wrong answers again and again is stress Arjun generates himself in his mind. This is psychological stress, personal and unique to him. Such worry is a symptom of stress, and it also causes further stress.
Option (4) Environmental stress, as it arises from the move to a new part of the city. — Incorrect. Environmental stresses are aspects of our surroundings that are often unavoidable, such as noise, crowding, pollution or heat. His replaying of the result has nothing to do with his surroundings or the new house.
NCERT (2026-27): “Psychological Stress |