Psychology

Chapter 16. Diversity and Individual Variations Textbook Solutions

NIOS Class 12 Psychology Chapter 16 Answers

INTEXT QUESTIONS 16.1

State which of the following statements are ‘true’ and which are ‘false’?

1. Diversity is solely man made.

Ans: False

2. People of the same family can also be diverse.

Ans: True

3. Life experiences can lead to diversity.

Ans: True

4. Gender is an invisible diversity trait.

Ans: False

5. Diversity can be based on psychological differences.

Ans: True

INTEXT QUESTIONS 16.2

Match the following:

i. Openness	1. This trait features characteristics such as imagination and insight.
ii. Agreeableness	2. It is characterized by excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and high amounts of emotional expressiveness.
iii. Extroversion	3. Standard features of this dimension include high levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse control, and goal-directed behaviors.
iv. Neuroticism	4. It is a trait characterized by sadness, moodiness, and emotional instability.
v. Conscientiousness	5. This personality dimension includes attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behavior.

Ans:

(i) 1 (ii) 5 (iii) 2 (iv) 4 (v) 3

INTEXT QUESTIONS 16.3

State which of the following statements are ‘true’ and which are ‘false

1. One should treat people with disabilities with pity.

Ans: False

2. Mental Retardation is the most common type of disability in India.

Ans: False

3. A more appropriate term to refer to people with disability is ‘Differently abled’ as compared to ‘Disabled’.

Ans: True

4. Stereotypes often lead to discrimination.

Ans: True

5. If someone is in a wheelchair, you should converse with them at eye level.

Ans: True

TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. What is Diversity? With the use of examples, explain the classification of diversity trait

Ans: Diversity refers to a range of people who differ from each other in a variety of ways. Broadly, diversity traits, i.e., how people differ from each other, can be classified under three heads:

1. Visible diversity traits – are traits that can be overtly observed and often impact the first impression of an individual. For example: Physical characteristics
2. Visible or invisible diversity traits -These are neither completely overt nor completely covert. At times these traits are immediately observable, at other times these might only come to the surface after interacting with the individual. For example: Sexual orientation.
3. Invisible diversity traits – These are the differences that are covert in nature and thus come to knowledge only after keen observation over a period of time. For example: Religious beliefs or political beliefs.

2. Explain the psychological factors causing diversity.

Ans: Psychological differences among people are less visible, they can be only known after

repeated and keen observation. Psychological diversity refers to the differences in human constructs such as cognitive ability, skills, attitudes, personality, and so on.

The two most common psychological attributes studied in psychology to understand psychological diversity are:

1. Personality: Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. People differ from each other in personality dimensions such as Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN).
2. Intelligence: Intelligence refers to the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. It involves some different mental abilities, including logic, reasoning, problem-solving, and planning.

3. What are the social and economic factors causing diversity in India?

Ans: India is one of the best examples of social diversity. Religion, number of people living in urban and rural areas, ethnicity, etc., are major socio-economic factors that cause diversity in India.

While the number of Indians living in urban areas has increased over the last two decades, about 67% of people still live in rural areas. In 2011, India had a literacy rate of 74%: 82% for men and 65% for women. The literacy rate varies wildly by state.

Data on ethnicity is not collected by the Indian census, although the CIA World Factbook estimates the population is 72% Indo-Aryan, 25% Dravidian, and 3% Mongoloid and other.

The diversity, hence caused by social and economic factors, is immense.

4. How does diversity create special needs?

Ans: Diversity brings with it a lot of challenges. Differences in lifestyles, opinions, backgrounds, and attitudes can make it challenging to coexist.

Minority is any small group in society that is different from the rest because of their caste, religion, political beliefs, or cognitive ability, or a person who belongs to such a group.

As stated earlier, diversity often encourages stereotypes and prejudices. And the targets of these prejudices are often the minority group.

Thus, there arises a special need to help build an environment of inclusion in which everyone feels appreciated for their unique characteristics and is therefore comfortable sharing their ideas and other aspects of their authentic selves.

5. What are stereotypes?

Ans: A stereotype is an over-generalized belief about a particular category of people. By stereotyping, we infer that a person has a whole range of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have. Stereotypes lead to social categorization, which is one of the reasons for prejudiced attitudes (i.e., “us” and “them” mentality), which lead to the formation of in-groups and out-groups. Prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or experience.

6. What do you understand by the term OCEAN that describes different types of personalities of individual

Ans: behaving. People differ from each other in personality dimensions such as Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism (OCEAN) :

Openness to experience – It concerns people’s willingness to try new things.
Conscientiousness – It is the tendency to control impulses and act in socially acceptable ways.
Extroversion – It concerns where an individual draws his/her energy from and how he/she interacts with others.
Agreeableness – It concerns how well an individual gets along with others.
Neuroticism – It encompasses one’s emotional stability and general temper.

7. Explain the physical and physiological factors causing diversity.

Ans: Physical diversity is prevalent all around the world. It refers to diversity based on physical characteristics such as height, weight, color of the skin, gender, etc. No two individuals, except for identical twins, have the same physical features.

Physiological diversity can be understood in two ways:

1. Coexistence of a variety of species of flora and fauna on Earth.

2. Physiological differences among humans of varied ecological origins.

Between two populations occupying contrasting habitats, for example, differences in physiological performance may be derived from genetic differences, or from adaptation, or from onto genetic effects induced by growth and development in differing environments.

Some genetic disorders are more likely to occur among people who trace their ancestry to a particular geographic area.

Physiological differences arising from genetic factors, ancestral history, lifestyle, and geographical conditions also make the world diverse. People living in various parts of the world are prone to diseases.

8. What are the different ways of reducing stereotypical thinking?

Ans: The following are five techniques for reducing stereotypical thinking:

Learning to recognize one’s stereotypical responses to other people and to generate non-stereotypical alternatives to explain that person’s behavior.
Remembering or imagining people from stereotyped groups who do not fit the stereotype.
Paying attention to other things about someone besides the stereotypes of their group–personal things that can help you see them as an individual, not just a group member.
Imagining what the world looks like through the eyes of a stereotyped person.
Deliberately seeking opportunities to get to know people from stereotyped groups.

9. Outline different types of diversity traits in which people differ from each other can be classified.

Ans: There are multiple factors leading to diversity. These factors can be classified as follows:

1. Physical: Physical diversity is prevalent all around the world. It refers to diversity based on physical characteristics such as height, weight, color of the skin, gender etc. No two individuals, except for identical twins, have the same physical features. Children might resemble their parents, however, only to some extent.
2. Physiological: Physiological diversity can be understood in two ways: 1. Coexistence of a variety of species of flora and fauna on Earth. 2. Physiological differences among humans of varied ecological origins.
3. Psychological: Psychological differences among people are less visible; they can only be known after repeated and keen observation. Psychological diversity refers to the differences in human constructs such as cognitive ability, skills, attitudes, personality, and so on.
4. Social and Economic: Social traits are the most visible factors of diversity. They comprise all the features attached by society to the individual, such as one’s caste, class, race, religion, and occupational pattern.
5. Cultural: Culture is defined as people’s way of life. It entails how they dress, how they speak, the type of food they eat, the type of festivals they celebrate, the manner in which they worship, and their art, among many other things.

10. How does the social and economic factor impacts the society?

Ans: Social traits are the most visible factors of diversity. They comprise all the features attached by society to the individual, such as one’s caste, class, race, religion, and occupational pattern. People vary drastically from each other based on their social background and thus can be easily allotted to a particular category merely by quick observation. For instance, people of different regions use different types of dresses, and their eating habits and customs differ.

These factors often contribute to stereotypes and prejudices. A stereotype is an over-generalized belief about a particular category of people. By stereotyping, we infer that a person has a whole range of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have. Stereotypes lead to social categorization, which is one of the reasons for prejudiced attitudes (i.e., “us” and “them” mentality), which lead to the formation of in-groups and out-groups.