UGC NET Psycology Emerging Areas Syllabus

How can media exacerbate conflict?

By spreading propaganda, hate speech, and misinformation, sensationalizing violence, dehumanizing the 'other,' and inciting fear and hostility, as seen in genocide-era broadcasts.

Distinguish hedonic and eudaimonic well-being.

Hedonic well-being focuses on pleasure, happiness, and life satisfaction (feeling good and avoiding pain); eudaimonic well-being focuses on meaning, self-realization, virtue, and functioning fully (living well and realizing one's potential).

What are the components of subjective well-being (Diener)?

Subjective well-being (a hedonic concept) comprises three components: high positive affect, low negative affect, and high cognitive life satisfaction.

What are the six dimensions of psychological well-being in Ryff's eudaimonic model?

Self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth.

What is Seligman's PERMA model of well-being?

A flourishing model with five elements: Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.

What are character strengths in the VIA classification (Peterson & Seligman)?

Positive traits reflected in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; the VIA classification lists 24 character strengths organized under 6 core virtues: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence.

List the six core virtues in the VIA Values in Action classification.

Wisdom and knowledge, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence.

What is the difference between signature strengths and lesser strengths?

Signature strengths are an individual's top character strengths that feel authentic and energizing and are central to identity; using them in new ways is linked to increased happiness and reduced depression.

Define resilience in psychology.

The process and capacity to adapt successfully and 'bounce back' in the face of adversity, trauma, threat, or significant stress, maintaining or regaining psychological well-being.

What is post-traumatic growth (PTG)?

Positive psychological change experienced as a result of struggling with highly challenging, traumatic life circumstances, leading to growth beyond the previous level of functioning.

What are the five domains of post-traumatic growth (Tedeschi & Calhoun)?

Appreciation of life, relating to others (deeper relationships), new possibilities in life, personal strength, and spiritual/existential change.

How does resilience differ from post-traumatic growth?

Resilience is returning to a baseline level of functioning (bouncing back) after adversity, whereas post-traumatic growth involves positive transformation that exceeds the pre-trauma baseline (bouncing forward).

Distinguish health-promoting (health-enhancing) from health-compromising (health-impairing) behaviors.

Health-promoting behaviors protect or improve health (exercise, balanced diet, adequate sleep, health screenings); health-compromising behaviors damage health (smoking, excess alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, unsafe sex).

What is primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention in health psychology?

Primary prevention stops disease before it occurs (vaccination, healthy lifestyle); secondary prevention detects and treats disease early (screening); tertiary prevention reduces impact and complications of established disease (rehabilitation).

What lifestyle factors are major risk factors for chronic diseases?

Tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, harmful alcohol use, and chronic stress are the leading modifiable behavioral risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases.

What distinguishes Type 1 from Type 2 diabetes mellitus?

Type 1 is an autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells causing absolute insulin deficiency (usually early onset, insulin-dependent); Type 2 is characterized by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency, strongly linked to obesity and lifestyle, usually adult onset.

What is hypertension and how is it generally classified?

Hypertension is persistently elevated arterial blood pressure; commonly defined as readings at or above 140/90 mmHg, it is a major risk factor for stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure, and is influenced by stress, diet (salt), and lifestyle.

What behavioral pattern is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease?

The Type A behavior pattern—competitiveness, time urgency, and especially hostility—is linked to greater CHD risk; hostility/anger is the most cardiotoxic component.

What is psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)?

The interdisciplinary study of the bidirectional interactions among psychological processes, the nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system, explaining how stress and emotions influence immune function and disease.

How does chronic stress affect the immune system in PNI?

Chronic stress activates the HPA axis and sympathetic nervous system, raising cortisol and catecholamines, which suppress immune function (e.g., lower lymphocyte/natural killer cell activity), increasing vulnerability to infection and disease progression.

How is psychoneuroimmunology relevant to cancer?

Chronic stress and depression can suppress immune surveillance (e.g., NK cell activity) and promote inflammation and angiogenesis, potentially affecting tumor progression; psychosocial interventions may improve quality of life and immune parameters.

How is PNI relevant to HIV/AIDS?

Psychological stress, depression, and lack of social support are associated with faster decline in CD4 (T-helper) cells and quicker disease progression, while stress management and coping interventions can support immune function and adherence.

What is digital learning (e-learning)?

Learning that is facilitated by digital technology and the internet—including online courses, multimedia, virtual classrooms, and learning management systems—enabling flexible, accessible, and often self-paced education.

Differentiate synchronous and asynchronous digital learning.

Synchronous learning occurs in real time with simultaneous teacher-student interaction (live video classes, webinars); asynchronous learning occurs at the learner's own pace without real-time interaction (recorded lectures, discussion forums).

What is digital etiquette (netiquette)?

The set of norms and standards for appropriate, respectful, and responsible behavior when communicating and interacting in online/digital environments; it is one of the nine elements of digital citizenship.

Define cyberbullying.

The use of digital technologies (social media, messaging, gaming) to repeatedly and intentionally harass, threaten, humiliate, or harm another person; it can be anonymous, has a potentially limitless audience, and follows the victim across time and place.

How does cyberbullying differ from traditional (face-to-face) bullying?

Cyberbullying can be anonymous, occurs 24/7 with no safe space, reaches a wide audience instantly, content can be permanent and viral, and lacks direct feedback on the victim's distress, often reducing perpetrator empathy.

What is cyber pornography and a key concern about its consumption?

Cyber pornography is sexually explicit material produced, distributed, or accessed via the internet; concerns include compulsive/addictive consumption, desensitization, distorted sexual attitudes and expectations, relationship problems, and exposure of minors.

What are common psychological implications of heavy cyber pornography consumption?

Possible compulsive use, escalation/tolerance requiring more extreme content, desensitization, unrealistic sexual expectations, body-image and relationship dissatisfaction, guilt/shame, and interference with daily functioning.

What is parental mediation of children's digital usage?

Strategies parents use to manage and guide children's media/internet use to maximize benefits and minimize risks.

What are the main types of parental mediation of digital media?

Active/instructive mediation (discussing and explaining content), restrictive mediation (setting rules and limits on time/content), and co-use/co-viewing (using media together); technical mediation using filtering/monitoring software is also recognized.