Which of the following is associated with the 'P-O-X' triangle?

The correct answer is Option (2) → Concept of balance

Option (1) Two step concept — Incorrect. Proposed by the Indian psychologist S.M. Mohsin, it says attitude change takes place in two steps: the target first identifies with the source, and then changes her or his attitude after seeing the source change her or his own behaviour. It involves a target and a source, not a triangle.

Option (2) Concept of balance — Correct. Proposed by Fritz Heider, it is described in the form of the ‘P-O-X’ triangle: P is the person whose attitude is studied, O is another person, and X is the attitude object. An attitude changes when the three relations are in a state of imbalance, because imbalance is logically uncomfortable.

Option (3) Cognitive dissonance — Incorrect. Proposed by Leon Festinger, it says that two cognitions (ideas or beliefs) about an attitude object that do not fit with each other create discomfort, so one of them is changed. It deals with cognitions within one person, not with a P-O-X triangle.

Option (4) Internalization — Incorrect. Internalisation is one of Kelman’s three forms of social influence (compliance, identification and internalisation). A person who internalises an influence accepts it because she or he believes it is right, so the new belief becomes her or his own; for example, a student keeps the school clean because she values cleanliness, not because she is told to. It is a form of social influence, not a model of attitude change drawn as a triangle.

Note: The concept in Option (4), ‘internalisation’, is not in the 2023-24 NCERT, which NTA followed in 2025, and is not in the NCERT book (2025-26) either; it was there in the pre-rationalised NCERT, as one of Kelman’s three forms of social influence. It has been explained here for the benefit of the students.