Quite often you must have found yourself engaged in knowing and evaluating your own behaviour and that of others. You must have noticed how you react and behave in certain situations in a manner different from others? You may have also often asked questions about your relationships with others. To find an answer to some of these questions, psychologists use the notion of self. Similarly when we ask questions such as why people are different, how they make different meaning of events, and how they feel and react differently in similar situations (i.e. questions relating to variations in behaviour), the notion of personality comes into play. Both these concepts, i.e. self and personality are intimately related. Self, in fact, lies at the core of personality.

Which of the following statement is NOT correct in the context of the concept of 'self'?

a. A newly born child has very less idea of its self. 

b. As a child grows older, the idea of self emerges and its formation begins.

c. Parents, friends, teachers and other significant persons play a limited role in shaping a child’s ideas about self.

d. The structure of self is modifiable in the light of our own experiences and the experiences we have of other people.

only a and c

A newly born child has no idea of its self. As a child grows older, the idea of self emerges and its formation begins. Parents, friends, teachers and other significant persons play a vital role in shaping a child’s ideas about self. Our interaction with other people, our experiences, and the meaning we give to them, serve as the basis of our self. The structure of self is modifiable in the light of our own experiences and the experiences we have of other people.