Read the case mentioned below and answer the question :
Rahman is a successful boy, who lives in Mumbai. He is very fond of junk food but he realised that eating junk food has many ill-effects on his health. He read in a newspaper that one can control his/her eating habits in order to reach long term goals in life. After reading this article on "Healthify Life" in the newspaper, he adopted a few effective mechanisms in his own lifestyle.
He selected all necessary information about the ideal weight and body mass index and found out his extra weight that is required to be shed off with immediate effect.
He started self introspection and instructed himself about the changed diet plan and work out schedule.
He kept a self reward policy wherein he could reward his own efforts towards weight loss journey and got extra happiness with each pleasant outcome.
After applying these changes in his life, Rahman reduced his body weight and gained some extra confidence, esteem and happiness in life.
Rahman learnt to delay or defer the gratification of his need to consume junk food. This is called __________.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Self-control
Option (1) Self-efficacy — Incorrect. Self-efficacy is a person’s belief that s/he has the ability or behaviours required by a particular situation, so that s/he, and not luck or fate, controls the outcomes of her/his life. Rahman may well have gained this belief, but it is a belief about one’s own ability, not the learning to put off a need.
Option (2) Self-control — Correct. Learning to delay or defer the gratification of needs is called self-control. It plays a key role in the fulfilment of long-term goals; Rahman put off the pleasure of junk food for the sake of his health.
Option (3) Self-observation — Incorrect. Observing one’s own behaviour is one of the techniques used to build self-control. It gives information; the delaying of a need is the self-control itself.
Option (4) Self-reinforcement — Incorrect. It is another technique of self-control: rewarding behaviours that have pleasant outcomes. Rahman used it, but it is a means, not the name for delaying gratification.
Note: The original NTA paper printed Option (1) as ‘Self-regulation’. NTA accepted both Option (1) and Option (2) as correct. Self-regulation is our ability to organise and monitor our own behaviour, and the book describes self-control, the delaying of needs, as a part of it, under the heading ‘Self-regulation’; so ‘Self-regulation’ can also be defended as an answer. Therefore, to leave a single correct answer, Option (1) has been changed to ‘Self-efficacy’, for the benefit of students.
NCERT (2025-26): “Self-efficacy … Self-efficacy is another important aspect of our self. People differ in the extent to which they believe they themselves control their life outcomes or the outcomes are controlled by luck or fate or other situational factors, e.g. passing an examination. A person who believes that s/he has the ability or behaviours required by a particular situation demonstrates high self-efficacy.…” “Self-regulation … Self-regulation refers to our ability to organise and monitor our own behaviour. People, who are able to change their behaviour according to the demands of the external environment, are high on self-monitoring. Many situations of life require resistance to situational pressures and control over ourselves. This becomes possible through what is commonly known as ‘will power’. As human beings we can control our behaviour the way we want. We often decide to delay or defer the satisfaction of certain needs. Learning to delay or defer the gratification of needs is called self-control. Self-control plays a key role in the fulfilment of long-term goals. Indian cultural tradition provides us with certain effective mechanisms (e.g., fasting in vrata or roza and non-attachment with worldly things) for developing self-control. A number of psychological techniques of self-control have also been suggested. Observation of own behaviour is one of them. This provides us with necessary information that may be used to change, modify, or strengthen certain aspects of self. Self-instruction is another important technique. We often instruct ourselves to do something and behave the way we want to. Such instructions are quite effective in self-regulation. Self-reinforcement is the third technique.…” |