CBSE Book Class 11 Psychology Human Existence

9.1 Human Existence

Existentialism is a school of thought that focuses on the question of human existence. The feeling that there is no purpose, indeed nothing at the case of existence, forms one of the fundamental themes of existentialism. There are some who believe in existence and seek to find meaning in his/her life solely by embracing existence. Some of the questions that bother are. Some thinkers hold the view that human beings are ‘thrown’ into existence not having been chosen it. Existentialism asserts that the ultimate and unquestionable reality is not consciousness but existence.

Human beings are born in society and compared to many other organisms in the animal kingdom are very helpless. Their existence depends on the support available from the primary caretakers. During early years child’s dependence on caretakers leads to attachment. In this context individuality and relatedness both assume great significance and life is organized around these needs. We strive to fulfill both these needs. The organizations created by us serve both these purposes.

9.2 Competence

The term competence was proposed to indicate the ability of a person to influence the environment. In this sense it was ‘effectance.’ Today competence stands for a person’s ability to perform a given task. There is considerable interest in cognitive, social and emotional competence. It encompasses a combination of knowledge, skills and behavior utilized in performing a task. In a general sense it is the state or quality of being adequately or well qualified or having the ability to perform a specific job skillfully. It may be noted that competence is also used as general description of the requirement of persons employed in organizations and communities. Thus stating the requirements in terms of competencies is becoming prevalent. An important aspect of this approach is that all competencies are stated in terms of action competencies, which means that a person must show in action that he or she is competent. To be competent you need to be able to interpret the situation in the context and to have a repertoire of relevant skills.

Regardless of training, competence grows through experience and depends on the extent to which an individual is able to adapt. The striving for competence is the key for success and growth.

9.3 Self Efficacy

Self-efficacy is an individual’s belief about his or her own capabilities to produce designated levels of performance. Such beliefs often exert an influence over events that affect human life. Proposed by Bandura, self efficacy is belief in one’s ability to succeed in a specific situation. These beliefs determine how people feel, think, and get motivate and behave.

Having a strong sense of self efficacy enhances human accomplishments and well being in many ways. It has been found that people with high assurance in their capabilities approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided. Self efficacy enhances intrinsic interest and facilitates deep engagement in activities. Such people set themselves challenges and goals and maintain strong commitment to them. They also heighten and sustain the efforts in the face of failure.

The high self efficacy people approach threatening situations with assurance that they can exercise control over them. Such an efficacious outlook produces personal accomplishments, reduce stress, and lower vulnerability to depression. The most effective way of creating a strong sense of efficacy is through mastery experiences. People also rely partly on their somatic and emotional states in judging their capabilities. There is growing body of evidence that human accomplishment and positive well being require an optimistic sense of self efficacy to sustain the perseverant effort needed to succeed. The people who are successful, sociable, non anxious, or innovator take an optimistic view of events that affect their lives. If not unrealistically exaggerated, such self beliefs foster well being and human accomplishments.

Please refer to the link below - CBSE Class 11 Psychology Human Existence