Class 12 Psychology Chapter 3 Meeting Life Challenges NCERT Solutions

Q. Explain the concept of stress. Give examples from daily life.

Answer: Stress is the pattern of responses an organism makes to a stimulus
event that disturbs its equilibrium and exceeds its ability to cope. Hans Selye defined
it as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand.” Stress is not a stimulus or
a response in isolation, but an ongoing transactional process between a person and their
environment: the person appraises an event as harmful, threatening or challenging, and
then tries to cope with it.

Everyday examples: a student feeling their heart pound and hands go clammy before an
exam; the daily hassle of a crowded commute or a traffic jam; the stress of a family
member falling ill; the pressure of preparing for a job interview. Not every challenge
is stressful for everyone; a challenge that excites one person (an opening batsman
looking forward to a fast bowler) can threaten another (a number 11 batsman facing the
same delivery), because much depends on how the event is appraised and on the resources
available to deal with it, along with the event’s own intensity, duration, complexity and
predictability.

Q. State the symptoms and sources of stress.

Answer: Symptoms of stress are physical, emotional and behavioural:
lack of concentration, memory loss, poor decision-making, inconsistency, irregular
attendance and timekeeping, low self-esteem, poor long-term planning, frantic bursts of
energy, extreme mood swings, emotional outbursts, worry, anxiety, fear, depression,
difficulties with sleep and eating, misuse of drugs, and physical illness such as
stomach upset, headache or backache.

Sources of stress fall into three groups: life events (major changes,
planned or unpredicted, that occur in a short period of time and disturb one’s routine,
e.g. death of a loved one or a personal illness), hassles (the personal, frequent
stresses of daily life, e.g. noisy surroundings, commuting, quarrelsome neighbours,
traffic snarls) and traumatic events (extreme events such as fire, an accident,
robbery, earthquake or tsunami, whose effects may appear only after a delay and persist
as anxiety, flashbacks or intrusive thoughts).

Q. Describe the GAS model and illustrate the relevance of this model with the
help of an example.

Answer: Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) describes how the
body responds when stress continues over a long period, based on his observation of
animals exposed to stressors (heat, X-rays, insulin injections) and of hospital
patients. It has three stages: (1) Alarm reaction: a stressor activates the
adrenal-pituitary-cortex system, releasing hormones that prepare the body for fight or
flight. (2) Resistance: if the stress continues, the parasympathetic nervous
system calls for more careful use of the body’s resources while the organism tries to
cope, often through confrontation. (3) Exhaustion: continued exposure to the
same or additional stressors drains the body’s resources; the alarm and resistance
systems stop working effectively, and the risk of stress-related disease (such as high
blood pressure) rises.

Example. A student facing continuous board-exam pressure for months first
feels a burst of alertness and energy (alarm), then settles into a longer stretch of
coping through disciplined study and confrontation with the syllabus (resistance), and
if the pressure never lets up and no rest is taken, eventually experiences exhaustion:
falling sick easily, poor concentration and a weakened ability to cope, the kind of
pattern the exhaustion stage describes.

Q. Enumerate the different ways of coping with stress.

Answer: Coping responses can be problem-focused (attacking the problem
itself: gathering information, altering the event or one’s beliefs/commitments, e.g.
“I made a plan of action and followed it”) or emotion-focused (limiting the
emotional disruption caused by the event, with minimal effort to change the event
itself, e.g. “I did some things to let it out of my system”). Endler and Parker give a
separate list of three coping strategies: task-oriented (gathering information and acting
directly on the problem), emotion-oriented (maintaining hope, venting or
controlling emotions) and avoidance-oriented (denying or minimising the
seriousness of the situation). Specific stress-management techniques include relaxation
techniques, meditation, biofeedback, creative visualisation, cognitive behavioural
techniques such as Meichenbaum’s Stress Inoculation Training, and regular exercise.

Q. Explain the effect of stress on psychological functioning.

Answer: Stress produces four major effects. Emotional: mood swings and
erratic behaviour that can alienate a person from family and friends, sometimes starting
a vicious circle of decreasing confidence and more serious emotional problems (anxiety,
depression). Physiological: a rise in hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol
that changes heart rate, blood pressure, metabolism and physical activity; helpful for
short bursts but damaging if prolonged. Cognitive: mental overload, poor
concentration and reduced short-term memory, which can lead to faulty decisions at home,
in career or at work. Behavioural: poorer nutrition, higher intake of caffeine,
cigarettes, alcohol or tranquillisers, disrupted sleep, increased absenteeism and
reduced work performance. Over the long run, unrelieved stress can also cause
burnout, a state of physical, emotional and psychological exhaustion.

Q. Describe how life skills can help meet life’s challenges.

Answer: Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that let
a person deal effectively with everyday demands. Assertiveness lets a person
communicate feelings, needs and opinions clearly and confidently, including the ability
to say no. Time management, built around spending time on what one genuinely
values, relieves the pressure of feeling there is never enough time. Rational
thinking challenges the distorted, negative thinking that stress creates, replacing
it with realistic, positive statements. Improving relationships through
listening, honest expression of feelings and accepting others’ views builds the social
support a person needs under pressure. Self-care (staying healthy, fit, and
practising slow, diaphragmatic breathing) prepares the body and mind for daily demands.
Finally, overcoming unhelpful habits such as perfectionism, avoidance and
procrastination removes strategies that feel helpful in the short term but make a
person more vulnerable to stress over time. Together, these skills let a person face a
challenge with confidence rather than being overwhelmed by it.

Q. Discuss the factors that lead to positive health and well-being.

Answer: Health is a state of complete physical, mental, social and
spiritual well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Positive health
comprises a healthy body, high quality of personal relationships, a sense of purpose in
life, self-regard and mastery of life’s tasks, and resilience to stress, trauma and
change. Five factors act as stress
buffers and build positive health: diet (a balanced diet lifts mood, gives energy
and strengthens the immune system), exercise (regular physical activity reduces
tension, anxiety and depression and improves overall fitness), positive attitude
(an accurate perception of reality, a sense of purpose, tolerance for others’ viewpoints,
and taking responsibility for both success and failure), positive thinking
(optimism, which has been linked to psychological and physical well-being; optimists
also use more problem-focused coping strategies and seek advice and help from others) and social support (having people who care about,
value and love you, which reduces psychological distress such as depression or
anxiety). A stress-resistant “hardy” personality (Kobasa’s three Cs: commitment,
control, challenge) and resilience (the I HAVE, I AM and I CAN resources) also help a
person convert a personal crisis into something that leaves them stronger for future
challenges.

Q. How does stress affect the immune system?

Answer: Stress can cause illness by impairing the workings of the immune
system. Psychoneuroimmunology, which focuses on the links between the mind, the
brain and the immune system, studies these effects of stress on the immune system. The immune system’s white blood cells
(leucocytes), T cells (which destroy invaders), T-helper cells (which increase
immunological activity, and are themselves attacked by HIV, the virus that causes
AIDS), B cells (which produce antibodies) and natural killer cells (which fight viruses
and tumours), identify and destroy foreign bodies such as viruses. Stress can affect
natural killer cell cytotoxicity, which is of major importance in the defence against
infections and cancer; reduced cytotoxicity has been found in students facing important
examinations, bereaved people and those who are severely depressed. Psychological stress
is also accompanied by negative emotions (depression, hostility, anger, aggression)
which are linked to poorer immune functioning, while social support has been found to
improve it. This is why prolonged stress makes a person more likely to fall ill.

Q. Give an example of a life event which is likely to be stressful. Suggest
reasons why it is likely to cause different degrees of stress to the person experiencing
it.

Answer: Example: the death of a close family member (mean stress score 66 on
the Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale). This event will not stress every person to
the same degree, because the appraisal of a stressor and the resulting stress response
depend on several factors: the person’s past experience of similar events (a
person who has coped with a similar loss before may find it less threatening),
perceived controllability (a sudden, uncontrollable death feels more stressful
than a long-anticipated one), the person’s physical health and psychological
characteristics (mental health, temperament, self-concept), the cultural
context they live in, which shapes what response is expected, and the resources
available to them, such as money, social skills, coping style and social support
networks. Two people can experience the identical event and appraise it very differently
depending on all of these factors.

Q. Given what you know about coping strategies, what suggestions would you
give to your friends to avoid stress in their everyday lives.

Answer: Reassess rigid, deep-seated beliefs that create unnecessary anger or
pressure (such as believing traffic “should” move faster), and use problem-focused
coping wherever the situation can genuinely be changed: gather information, make a plan
of action and follow it. Where the situation cannot be changed, use emotion-focused
coping to manage the emotional reaction rather than letting it build up. Build life
skills into daily routine: practise assertiveness, manage time around what actually
matters, challenge negative and distorted thoughts, and improve communication in
relationships instead of bottling things up. Adopt stress-management techniques such as
relaxation, deep breathing, regular exercise and, where useful, meditation or
biofeedback. Finally, maintain social support networks and a balanced, healthy
lifestyle (diet, sleep, exercise) rather than unhealthy escape routes like smoking,
alcohol or drugs, since these give only temporary relief and add long-term damage.

Q. Reflect on the environmental factors that have (a) a positive impact on the
being, and (b) a negative effect.

Answer: The book names environmental factors such as noise, pollution,
space, light and colour, which can all influence our mood and our ability to cope with
stress. It gives no list of positive factors, so part (a) is a reflective answer that
mirrors those factors.

(a) Positive impact: a calm, clean and quiet living space; good
natural light and pleasant colours around a person; access to green, open spaces for
exercise; a supportive, low-conflict home and social environment; comfortable weather
and clean air. Such conditions reduce arousal and make coping easier.

(b) Negative effect: the book’s own examples of unavoidable environmental
stress are noise, air pollution, crowding, the heat of summer and the cold of winter,
along with catastrophic events such as fire, earthquake or floods. Everyday
environmental factors such as noise, pollution, cramped space, poor light and jarring
colour can all exert a noticeable influence on mood, on the ability to cope with stress,
and on general well-being.

Q. We know that certain lifestyle factors can cause stress and may lead to
diseases like cancer and coronary heart disease, yet we are unable to change our
behaviour. Explain why?

Answer: Health-damaging behaviours (poor diet, smoking, alcohol misuse,
inactivity) develop gradually and are accompanied by pleasant experiences in
the short term: a cigarette, a “comfort food” high in fat, salt or sugar, or a
drink all give immediate, temporary relief from stress. Because the reward is immediate
and the harm is long-term and probabilistic, people tend to ignore the long-term
damaging effects and underestimate the risk these behaviours pose to their
lives. The modern, fast-paced lifestyle of excess in eating, drinking and activity has
further normalised the violation of basic health principles, making it harder to
recognise these habits as harmful in the moment they are being formed. This is why
merely knowing the risk is not enough to change behaviour; changing it needs a
deliberate, sustained effort using the life skills and coping strategies described in
this chapter.

Q. Read the following signs of stress: lack of concentration, memory loss, poor decision-making, inconsistency, irregular attendance and timekeeping, low self-esteem, poor long-term planning, frantic bursts of energy, extreme mood swings, emotional outbursts, worry, anxiety, fear, depression, difficulties with sleep, difficulties with eating, misuse of drugs, physical illness (e.g. stomach upset, headache, backache). Tick those applicable to you and then discuss in groups of two or three students in class. Can you reduce some of them? Discuss how? Consult your teacher.

Answer (guidance): This is a self-check. After ticking your own signs, group them as the chapter does: physical (sleep and eating difficulties, headache, stomach upset), emotional (mood swings, worry, anxiety, fear) and behavioural (irregular attendance, misuse of drugs). Most can be reduced with the chapter’s own techniques: relaxation and deep breathing for tension, a revision timetable (time management) for poor planning and frantic bursts of energy, regular exercise and a balanced diet for sleep and eating problems, and talking to friends, family or the teacher (social support) for worry and low self-esteem.

Q. Identify the stressful events which you and two of your classmates have experienced in the past one year. List the stressful events and rank them from 1 to 5 that have had negative impact in your day-to-day functioning. Then select those that are common to all three of you. Find out how much ability, skill, and family support your friends and you have in order to deal with each of these stresses. Discuss these results with your teacher.

Answer (guidance): Your own list will differ. Events the chapter itself lists include appearing for examinations, illness of a family member, break-up with a friend, change in eating or sleeping habits, and moving into a new house. While ranking, use the four dimensions the chapter gives: more intense, prolonged, complex and unexpected events usually have a bigger negative impact. The second part is secondary appraisal in practice: the same event hurts less when a person has the ability, skills and family support (resources) to deal with it.

Q. Respond to the following items on a 5-point scale ranging from 5 = always to 1 = never: I express emotions openly and directly. I work towards my own personal goals. I accept situations that cannot be altered. I discuss my worries with friends. I may not get everything just right. Discuss your answers with your classmates and teacher. The higher the score, the better would be your ability to cope.

Answer (guidance): Add up your five ratings (the total lies between 5 and 25); the book says the higher the score, the better the ability to cope. Each item reflects something the chapter recommends: expressing emotions openly is assertiveness, working towards goals is a sense of purpose, discussing worries with friends is using social support, and accepting that you may not get everything right is the opposite of perfectionism, an unhelpful habit.

Q. Which of the following coping behaviours are problem-focused? Why? (i) Discussing your problem with a friend. (ii) Feeling sorry for failing in an examination. (iii) Finding fault with classmates for poor marks in tests. (iv) Hiding examination results from parents. (v) Blaming friends for bad habits. (vi) Reading essential books for the annual examination. (vii) Making efforts to improve one’s performance after a setback. (viii) Missing school when assignments not completed.

Answer: Problem-focused strategies attack the problem itself, with behaviours designed to gain information, to alter the event, and to alter beliefs and commitments. On that test the problem-focused behaviours are:

• (i) Discussing your problem with a friend depends on the aim: it is problem-focused when the aim is to get information or advice on what to do, and emotion-focused when it is only venting, to let feelings out;
• (vi) Reading essential books for the annual examination, which acts directly on the demand (the examination);
• (vii) Making efforts to improve one’s performance after a setback, which tries to change the outcome itself.

The rest are not problem-focused. Feeling sorry for failing (ii) only deals with the emotion. Finding fault with classmates (iii) and blaming friends (v) shift the blame without changing anything. Hiding results from parents (iv) and missing school when assignments are not done (viii) avoid the problem instead of facing it.

Q. Identify a child in your neighbourhood who had undergone some major stress in life such as a serious accident or been through a recent traumatic experience like a robbery, fire, etc. Talk to the child and family. Can you identify some factors that have helped her/him to cope and overcome the trauma? Do you see any similar factors in your own life? Discuss with your teacher.

Answer (guidance): This is a field activity. The factors to look for are the ones the chapter links to resilience and positive health: people the child trusts and who love her/him (I HAVE), self-respect and confidence (I AM), the ability to find ways to solve problems (I CAN), and support from family and friends in its three forms: tangible (material help), informational (advice) and emotional (reassurance that the child is loved and cared for). The chapter also notes that the effects of a traumatic event can persist, and that professional help may be needed if they last for many months.