According to __________ approach, psychological problems are caused by inadequacies in the way an individual thinks, feels or perceives the world.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Psychological
Option (1) Psychological — Correct. According to the psychological approach, psychological problems are caused by inadequacies in the way an individual thinks, feels, or perceives the world.
Option (2) Supernatural — Incorrect. This ancient approach explains abnormal behaviour by supernatural and magical forces such as evil spirits (bhoot-pret) or the devil (shaitan), and treats it with exorcism through countermagic and prayer.
Option (3) Biological — Incorrect. The biological or organic approach holds that individuals behave strangely because their bodies and brains are not working properly. The cause it looks for is in body and brain processes, not in thinking or feeling.
Option (4) Organismic — Incorrect. The organismic approach was developed by the philosopher-physicians of ancient Greece, Hippocrates, Socrates and in particular Plato. It viewed disturbed behaviour as arising out of conflicts between emotion and reason, not out of faulty thinking, feeling or perceiving in general.
Note 1: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 30-05-2023 (Slot 1).
Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 31-05-2026 (Slot 1).
NCERT (2025-26): “Historical Background … One ancient theory that is still encountered today holds that abnormal behaviour can be explained by the operation of supernatural and magical forces such as evil spirits (bhoot-pret), or the devil (shaitan). Exorcism, i.e. removing the evil that resides in the individual through countermagic and prayer, is still commonly used.…” “Historical Background … A recurring theme in the history of abnormal psychology is the belief that individuals behave strangely because their bodies and their brains are not working properly. This is the biological or organic approach. In the modern era, there is evidence that body and brain processes have been linked to many types of maladaptive behaviour. For certain types of disorders, correcting these defective biological processes results in improved functioning. Another approach is the psychological approach. According to this point of view, psychological problems are caused by inadequacies in the way an individual thinks, feels, or perceives the world. All three of these perspectives — supernatural, biological or organic, and psychological — have recurred throughout the history of Western civilisation. In the ancient Western world, it was philosopher-physicians of ancient Greece such as Hippocrates, Socrates, and in particular Plato who developed the organismic approach and viewed disturbed behaviour as arising out of conflicts between emotion and reason.…” |