Meera, a college student in Pune, is in cognitive therapy based on Aa…

Meera, a college student in Pune, is in cognitive therapy based on Aaron Beck's approach. Match List-I (events in her case) with List-II (concepts of this therapy).

List-I	List-II
(A) As a child, Meera was ignored by her parents and grew up with the deep belief "I am not wanted."	(I) Negative automatic thoughts
(B) In Class 9, her teacher made fun of her in front of the whole class, and that old belief became active.	(II) Cognitive restructuring
(C) Since then, thoughts like "Everyone laughs at me" and "I am a failure" keep coming to her mind again and again.	(III) Core schema
(D) After gentle questioning by the therapist, she sees her beliefs differently, changes the way she thinks, and her anxiety falls.	(IV) Critical incident

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II

List-I	List-II	Reason
(A) As a child, Meera was ignored by her parents and grew up with the deep belief "I am not wanted."	(III) Core schema	Childhood experiences in the family build a <strong>core schema</strong>, a deep system of beliefs and action patterns. Neglect by parents gives the schema "I am not wanted".
(B) In Class 9, her teacher made fun of her in front of the whole class, and that old belief became active.	(IV) Critical incident	A <strong>critical incident</strong> is a later event in life that <strong>triggers the old core schema</strong>. Being mocked in public by a teacher is such an event.
(C) Since then, thoughts like "Everyone laughs at me" and "I am a failure" keep coming to her mind again and again.	(I) Negative automatic thoughts	Once the schema is triggered, <strong>persistent irrational thoughts</strong> keep coming back. These are <strong>negative automatic thoughts</strong>, and their repeated occurrence leads to anxiety and depression.
(D) After gentle questioning by the therapist, she sees her beliefs differently, changes the way she thinks, and her anxiety falls.	(II) Cognitive restructuring	The therapist's gentle, non-threatening questioning makes her think against her negative thoughts and <strong>alter her cognitive structures</strong>. This change is <strong>cognitive restructuring</strong>, the aim of the therapy.

NCERT (2026-27): “Cognitive Therapy …
Another cognitive therapy is that of Aaron Beck. His theory of psychological distress characterised by anxiety or depression, states that childhood experiences provided by the family and society develop core schemas or systems, which include beliefs and action patterns in the individual. Thus, a client, who was neglected by the parents as a child, develops the core schema of “I am not wanted”. During the course of life, a critical incident occurs in her/his life. S/ he is publicly ridiculed by the teacher in school. This critical incident triggers the core schema of “I am not wanted” leading to the development of negative automatic thoughts. Negative thoughts are persistent irrational thoughts such as “nobody loves me”, “I am ugly”, “I am stupid”, “I will not succeed”, etc. …”

“Repeated occurrence of these thoughts leads to the development of feelings of anxiety and depression. The therapist uses questioning, which is gentle, non-threatening disputation of the client’s beliefs and thoughts. Examples of such question would be, “Why should everyone love you?”, “What does it mean to you to succeed?”, etc. The questions make the client think in a direction opposite to that of the negative automatic thoughts whereby s/ he gains insight into the nature of her/ his dysfunctional schemas, and is able to alter her/his cognitive structures. The aim of the therapy is to achieve this cognitive restructuring which, in turn, reduces anxiety and depression.”

Meera, a college student in Pune, is in cognitive therapy based on Aaron Beck's approach. Match List-I (events in her case) with List-II (concepts of this therapy).

List-I	List-II
(A) As a child, Meera was ignored by her parents and grew up with the deep belief "I am not wanted."	(I) Negative automatic thoughts
(B) In Class 9, her teacher made fun of her in front of the whole class, and that old belief became active.	(II) Cognitive restructuring
(C) Since then, thoughts like "Everyone laughs at me" and "I am a failure" keep coming to her mind again and again.	(III) Core schema
(D) After gentle questioning by the therapist, she sees her beliefs differently, changes the way she thinks, and her anxiety falls.	(IV) Critical incident

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II

List-I	List-II	Reason
(A) As a child, Meera was ignored by her parents and grew up with the deep belief "I am not wanted."	(III) Core schema	Childhood experiences in the family build a <strong>core schema</strong>, a deep system of beliefs and action patterns. Neglect by parents gives the schema "I am not wanted".
(B) In Class 9, her teacher made fun of her in front of the whole class, and that old belief became active.	(IV) Critical incident	A <strong>critical incident</strong> is a later event in life that <strong>triggers the old core schema</strong>. Being mocked in public by a teacher is such an event.
(C) Since then, thoughts like "Everyone laughs at me" and "I am a failure" keep coming to her mind again and again.	(I) Negative automatic thoughts	Once the schema is triggered, <strong>persistent irrational thoughts</strong> keep coming back. These are <strong>negative automatic thoughts</strong>, and their repeated occurrence leads to anxiety and depression.
(D) After gentle questioning by the therapist, she sees her beliefs differently, changes the way she thinks, and her anxiety falls.	(II) Cognitive restructuring	The therapist's gentle, non-threatening questioning makes her think against her negative thoughts and <strong>alter her cognitive structures</strong>. This change is <strong>cognitive restructuring</strong>, the aim of the therapy.