Mention one emotional and one psychological effects of stress, she may be going through.
Mention one emotional and one psychological effects of stress, she may be going through.
Official answer
Ritu shows both emotional and psychological effects of chronic stress.
- Emotional effect: irritability and emotional exhaustion — Ritu has become short-tempered and emotionally drained from the sustained pressure and dilemma she faces.
- Psychological effect: feelings of inadequacy and lowered self-esteem from constantly comparing herself to peers, along with difficulty concentrating and making decisions (evident in her unresolved career dilemma), reflecting stress's impact on cognitive functioning.
Marking scheme
- 1.1 mark: One correct emotional effect of stress (e.g., irritability, emotional exhaustion, anxiety) linked to the case.
- 2.1 mark: One correct psychological effect of stress (e.g., lowered self-esteem/feelings of inadequacy, poor concentration or decision-making) linked to the case.
Hint
Emotional = feeling-based (irritability, exhaustion); Psychological = thinking-based (low self-esteem, poor concentration/decision-making) — don't confuse these with the physical symptoms (headaches, sleep loss) already given in the case.
Quick oral answer
One emotional effect Ritu shows is irritability and emotional exhaustion, and one psychological effect is lowered self-esteem and difficulty concentrating/deciding, caused by her unresolved career conflict and constant peer comparison.
Common mistakes
- 1.Repeating the physiological symptoms already stated in the case (headaches, sleep trouble) as the 'psychological' effect instead of identifying a distinct cognitive/self-esteem-related effect.
- 2.Giving only one combined effect instead of clearly separating one emotional and one psychological effect as the question specifically asks.
Analysis and explanation
NCERT categorises stress effects into emotional, physiological, cognitive/psychological and behavioural domains, and this question isolates two of them.
Concept
Emotional effects include mood-level changes such as irritability, anxiety, anger or emotional exhaustion. Psychological/cognitive effects go a level deeper, affecting how a person thinks and perceives themselves — reduced self-esteem, narrowed attention, poor concentration and impaired decision-making are classic examples, all visible in Ritu's inability to resolve her career conflict and her constant negative self-comparison.
Exam Trap
A very common mistake is listing physiological symptoms (headaches, sleep trouble) as the 'psychological' effect — these are physiological/behavioural effects, not psychological ones, and must be kept separate for full marks.
Real-world relevance
Recognising these distinct effect categories helps counsellors design targeted interventions — e.g., relaxation techniques for physiological symptoms versus cognitive restructuring for psychological effects like poor self-esteem.
Interesting facts
Chronic stress has been shown in research to narrow the perceptual field, meaning stressed individuals often miss important cues in their environment and make poorer decisions.
Prolonged emotional exhaustion from stress is also a core component of 'burnout', a term formally recognised by the WHO in its ICD-11 classification as an occupational phenomenon.
Question details
Q31 of 33 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 12
- Subject
- Psychology
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section F
- Marks
- 2
- Chapter
- Meeting Life Challenges
- Topic
- Effects of Stress on the Individual
- Bloom's level
- understand
- Syllabus topic
- Unit 3: Meeting Life Challenges — Effects of Stress on Psychological Functioning (Emotional, Cognitive/Psychological, Behavioural, Physiological)
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
Spotted a mistake or something unclear?
Tell us and we will fix it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between emotional and psychological effects of stress?
Emotional effects are mood-level reactions such as irritability, anxiety or emotional exhaustion, while psychological effects go deeper into cognitive functioning — such as lowered self-esteem, narrowed attention, poor concentration and impaired decision-making.
Are headaches and sleep trouble emotional or physiological effects of stress?
They are physiological/behavioural effects of stress, not emotional or psychological ones, so they should not be repeated when the question specifically asks for one emotional and one psychological effect.