Reema was sent to a hostel because of her parents' transfer to another country. She feels that she is not wanted by anyone. This is an example of _____.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Irrational beliefs
Option (1) Self awareness — Incorrect. Self-awareness is knowing one’s own feelings, thoughts and behaviour; therapies such as Gestalt therapy aim to increase it. Reema’s feeling is not an understanding of herself but a distorted conclusion about others.
Option (2) Irrational beliefs — Correct. Irrational beliefs are not supported by empirical evidence and distort the present reality. Reema’s parents sent her to the hostel because of their transfer abroad, yet she concludes that she is not wanted by anyone, much like the irrational belief that one should be loved by everybody all the time.
Option (3) Guilt — Incorrect. Guilt is the feeling that one has done something wrong; Adler linked feelings of inadequacy and guilt to the inferiority complex. Reema does not blame herself for any wrong act; she believes others do not want her.
Option (4) Id — Incorrect. In Freud’s theory the id is the source of a person’s instinctual energy, working on the pleasure principle. It is a structure of personality, not a belief a person holds about her situation.
NCERT (2025-26): “Cognitive Therapy … Cognitive therapies locate the cause of psychological distress in irrational thoughts and beliefs. Albert Ellis formulated the Rational Emotive Therapy (RET). The central thesis of this therapy is that irrational beliefs mediate between the antecedent events and their consequences. The first step in RET is the antecedent-belief-consequence (ABC) analysis. Antecedent events, which caused the psychological distress, are noted. The client is also interviewed to find the irrational beliefs, which are distorting the present reality. Irrational beliefs may not be supported by empirical evidence in the environment. These beliefs are characterised by thoughts with ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’, i.e. things ‘must’ and ‘should’ be in a particular manner. Examples of irrational beliefs are, ‘One should be loved by everybody all the time’, ‘Human misery is caused by external events over which one does not have any control’, etc. This distorted perception of the antecedent event due to the irrational belief leads to the consequence, i.e. negative emotions and behaviours.…” |