Tarun believes that he is capable of selecting, influencing and even constructing the circumstances of his own life. He had a bad habit of smoking, but the moment he became a father he decided to quit the habit, and he never returned to it again. Which aspect of Tarun's self is being reflected here?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Self-efficacy
Option (1) Self-esteem — Incorrect. Self-esteem is the value judgement a person makes about her or his own worth. Tarun’s belief is about what he is able to do, not about how much he values himself.
Option (2) Self-efficacy — Correct. A person who believes that she or he has the ability or behaviours required by a situation shows high self-efficacy, a notion based on Bandura’s social learning theory. A strong sense of self-efficacy allows people to select, influence, and even construct the circumstances of their own life, the very words used for Tarun. His belief that he could quit smoking, and his success in doing so, show it.
Option (3) Self-concept — Incorrect. Self-concept is the way we perceive ourselves and the ideas we hold about our competencies and attributes, positive or negative. It is the whole picture of oneself, not the specific belief that one can shape one’s circumstances.
Option (4) Self-instruction — Incorrect. Self-instruction is a technique of self-control: we instruct ourselves to do something and behave the way we want to. It is a method Tarun might use, not the aspect of self the question describes.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 02-06-2023 (Slot 1) and 23-06-2023 (Slot 3), and in CUET (UG) 2026 on 15-05-2026 (Slot 1).
NCERT (2025-26): “Self-esteem … Self-esteem is an important aspect of our self. As persons we always make some judgment about our own value or worth. This value judgment of a person about herself/himself is called self-esteem.…” “Cognitive and Behavioural Aspects of Self … The way we perceive ourselves and the ideas we hold about our competencies and attributes is also called self-concept.…” “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. The notion of self-efficacy is based on Bandura’s social learning theory. Bandura’s initial studies showed that children and adults learned behaviour by observing and imitating others. People’s expectations of mastery or achievement and their convictions about their own effectiveness also determine the types of behaviour in which they would engage, as also the amount of risk they would undertake. A strong sense of self-efficacy allows people to select, influence, and even construct the circumstances of their own life. People with a strong sense of self-efficacy also feel less fearful.…” “Self-regulation … 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.…” |