"I am one who easily gets hurt," is an example of which aspect of 'Self'?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Self as an ‘object’
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, the question can have more than one correct answer, i.e. both Option (2) and Option (4), as explained below.
People describe themselves either as an entity that does something (‘I am a dancer’) or as an entity on which something is done (‘I am one who easily gets hurt’).
Option (1) Self as a ‘subject’ — Incorrect. The self is described as a subject when it is the one who does something, as in ‘I am a dancer’. Getting hurt is something that happens to the person.
Option (2) Self as an ‘object’ — Correct. In ‘I am one who easily gets hurt’ the self is an entity on which something is done; it is described as an ‘object’ (which gets affected).
Option (3) Self as a ‘knower’ — Incorrect. As a knower, the self is the subject that actively engages in the process of knowing itself. In the statement the self is what gets affected, not the one acting.
Option (4) Self as a ‘known’ — Should be Correct, but has been taken as Incorrect as per the NTA answer key. The words go in pairs: the self as a subject is the knower, and as an object (consequence) the self gets observed and comes to be known. So the self as ‘known’ is the same as the self as an object, the side on which something is done, and ‘I am one who easily gets hurt’ fits it as much as it fits Option (2).
Tip for students: Learn the two pairs: subject = knower (the self that acts) and object = known (the self that gets affected). When both words of one pair appear among the options, prefer ‘subject’ or ‘object’, the words used for such self-descriptions; ‘I am one who easily gets hurt’ is the standard example of the self as an ‘object’.
NCERT (2025-26): “Self as Subject and Self as Object … If you return to your friends’ descriptions in Activity 2.1, you will find that they have described themselves either as an entity that does something (e.g., I am a dancer) or as an entity on which something is done (e.g., I am one who easily gets hurt). In the former case, the self is described as a ‘subject’ (who does something); in the latter case, the self is described as an ‘object’ (which gets affected). This means that self can be understood as a subject as well as an object. When you say, ‘I know who I am’, the self is being described as a ‘knower’ as well as something that can be ‘known’. As a subject (actor) the self actively engages in the process of knowing itself. As an object (consequence) the self gets observed and comes to be known. This dual status of self should always be kept in mind.” |