Distinctiveness and variations among people’s physical, psychological and behaviour patterns refers to_______________.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Individual Differences
Option (1) Variability — Incorrect. Variability is the general fact of nature that individuals differ in height, weight, strength and in psychological attributes. The question asks for the name psychologists give to the distinctiveness among people, which is a narrower, technical term.
Option (2) Situationism — Incorrect. Situationism is the view that situations and circumstances influence one’s behaviour more than personal traits; a generally aggressive person may behave submissively before the boss. It explains behaviour by the situation, not by how people differ from one another.
Option (3) Individual Differences — Correct. For psychologists, individual differences refer to distinctiveness and variations among people’s characteristics and behaviour patterns.
Option (4) Traits — Incorrect. A trait is a stable, persistent and specific way of behaving in one person. Traits are what people differ in; the variation itself across people is called individual differences.
NCERT (2025-26): “Individual Differences in Human Functioning … Variability is a fact of nature, and individuals are no exception to this. They vary in terms of physical characteristics, such as height, weight, strength, hair colour, and so on. They also vary along psychological dimensions. They may be intelligent or dull, dominant or submissive, creative or not so creative, outgoing or withdrawn, etc. The list of variations can be endless. Different traits can exist in varying degrees in an individual. In this sense, each one of us is unique as s/he exemplifies a typical combination of various traits. The question which you may like to pose is how and why people differ. This, in fact, is the subject matter of the study of individual differences. For psychologists, individual differences refer to distinctiveness and variations among people’s characteristics and behaviour patterns.…” “Individual Differences in Human Functioning … While many psychologists believe that our behaviours are influenced by our personal traits, some others hold the view that our behaviours are influenced more by situational factors. This latter view is known as situationism, which states that situations and circumstances in which one is placed influence one’s behaviour. A person, who is generally aggressive, may behave in a submissive manner in the presence of her/his top boss. Sometimes, the situational influences are so powerful that individuals with differing personality traits respond to them in almost the same ways.…” |