Read the given case-study carefully and answer the question that follow.
According to Lazarus and his colleagues, people have a tendency to appraise any situation as positive, negative or neutral. When Vikram lost his job as event manager, he perceived the situation as negative but he didn't lose heart and decided to start a food joint as he was handling similar projects in the past. Whereas Vikas who also lost his job as a marketing manager, started feeling helpless and hopeless and consumed alcohol regularly. He started coming up with excuses for not doing anything. He could not even think of starting his own venture as he had no money to invest. He would often become very angry or would start crying bitterly.
According to Cognitive Appraisal Theory of Stress, psychological characteristics that affect stress appraisal are :
(A) Mental health
(B) Physical health
(C) Temperament
(D) Expected response style
(E) Self concept
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (C), (E) Only
Many factors determine how a stressful situation is appraised: the stress itself, the person’s body, the person’s psychological make-up, the culture and the person’s resources.
(A) Mental health Correct. It is named among the psychological characteristics relevant to the experience of stress.
(B) Physical health Incorrect. Physical health matters, but as part of the physiological strength of the person: those with poor physical health and a weak constitution are more vulnerable. It is a bodily factor, not a psychological characteristic.
(C) Temperament Correct. Temperament is another psychological characteristic that shapes the experience of stress.
(D) Expected response style Incorrect. The response expected of a person comes from the cultural context, which determines the meaning of an event and defines the nature of response that is expected. It is a cultural factor, not a characteristic of the person’s mind.
(E) Self concept Correct. Self-concept, with mental health and temperament, is the third psychological characteristic relevant to the experience of stress.
NCERT (2025-26): “Nature of Stress … An individual’s experiences of stress depend on the physiological strength of that person. Thus, individuals with poor physical health and weak constitution would be more vulnerable than would be those who enjoy good health and strong constitution. Psychological characteristics like mental health, temperament, and self-concept are relevant to the experience of stress. The cultural context in which we live determines the meaning of any event and defines the nature of response that is expected under various conditions. Finally, the stress experience will be determined by the resources of the person, such as money, social skills, coping style, support networks, etc. All these factors determine the appraisal of a given stressful situation.…”
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