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Chapter-1

Introduction

1.1 Introduction

1.2 What are Co-curricular Activities?

1.3 Co-curricular Activities in Our Educational System

1.4 Planning of Co-curricular Activities

1.5 Importance of Co-curricular Activity

1.6 NCC

(1) The Mission

1.7 NSS

(1) Objectives

(2) The Motto

(3) NSS Symbol

(4) NSS Day

1.8 Sports

1.9 Personality Grooming through Co-curricular Activities

(i) What is Personality?

(ii) Definition of the Personality

(iii) Personality and Character

(iv) Character of Personality

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1.10 Concept of Social Competence

(A) Importance of Social Competence

1.11 Altruism

1.12 Summary

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Chapter-1

Introduction

1.1 Introduction:

Besides, teaching work in the school or college time one other activity

which is known as co-curricular activities. These activities are important in

the sense that they keep the balance of the development of the student.

These activities also keep the student busy which help in maintaining the

discipline in the school or college. Game, sports, cultural performance,

debates, dramas, scouting, N.C.C., N.S.S. etc. are some of the co- curricular

activities.

Cultural activities are co-curricular and provide an opportunity to the

students to know their culture and also to enjoy the school work. These

activities are related with the society and the community at large. Some

people think that these are extra activities, but it is no so. These activities

are part of the vast curriculum of the school and studies. They develop the

personality of the students and also provide the knowledge of the past, the

hidden qualities of the students.

1.2 What are Co-curricular Activities?

Activities which complement but are not part of the conventional

academic curriculum. It means that Co-curricular activities are those

activities which fall outside the regular academic curriculum yet they are a

part of schooling or collegiate life. These are observed in tandem with an

institute‟s curriculum and have a yearly schedule. Most of the educational

organizations in various different parts of the world facilitate these

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activities for school and college students. Faculty is mostly involved in

organizing and directing these activities in schools while it may be

independent from faculty in universities or colleges.

Co-curricular activities exist at all levels of education, from primary,

secondary-higher secondary school, college and university education.

These activities are compulsory in some institutions while in other it‟s

voluntary. Where these are compulsory all students must participate them

alongside the standard study curriculum. At higher levels of education

student participations generally include academic points in lieu of the

efforts put by a student in a particular activity. These are held outside

standard curriculum hours and the activities partaken depend on the nature

of the institute and occasion.

Today these activities have become more profound than ever before.

Most of the institutes highlight them as a crucial advertising factor in their

prospectus or advertisements in order to attract parent-students attention.

Though not all of these activities may pursue with great enthusiasm these

are however popular and leave a lifelong lasting experience for most. These

activities are not examined in the same way that the academic curriculum

is, and because most of them take place outside lessons, such activities

have less status in education than the main curriculum. However, they are

often held to be very important to the wider education of young men and

women.

1.3 Co-curricular Activities in Our Educational System.

According to Sharma (2013) since time immemorial we are guided by

those who help us in gaining knowledge and take us further towards the

path of education to make ourselves a fully functional individual. The

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experiences we gain through them help us in dealing with different kinds of

problems. With time the role of information giver and information seeker

has changed. Earlier it was more of guru-shishya parampara where the

gurus used to focus on the all-round development of personality of the

students. Pupils used to stay with the gurus to acquire knowledge about

various aspects of life. It was a practical kind of education where the

student‟s learning was mainly through life experiences. In today‟s world,

again the similar need was felt by the academicians because the students

were becoming rote learners with no practical intelligence. The new

education system is again trying to revive the old teaching methodology by

emulating the principles and focusing more on the overall grooming of the

student. To follow this many amends were made and one of them was to

help students participate more in the activities other than prescribed in the

curriculum and hence co-curricular activities were included in the

syllabuses which focus on the social and emotional needs of the student.

The purpose was to bring a desirable change in a students‟ personality

which includes both intellectual as well as physical development of the

body. Therefore, an all-round development of a student is required.

Co-curricular activities provide meaning to the education system

thereby helping in cultivation of different hobbies and interests. These

activities include literary, sports, excursion, dramatics, scouting etc. It is

concerned with the integrated development of the personality of an

individual; his physical, cultural, aesthetic, social, mental and emotional

aspects. The purpose of initiating these activities in the school apart from

the academics is to train the student's mind in such a way where he can

relate these experiences with his academic achievement. Traditional

curriculum has failed to meet the demands of the changing concept of

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education. The co-curricular programme is a convenient tool by which an

inadequate curriculum may be modified. Participating in them not only

develop students academic potentials but also other aspects of their

personality such as self esteem, self-confidence, social cooperation and

leadership skills.

There are many cases where the situation doesn't demand an action

therefore even after having the required capacity to function well in a

particular situation the capabilities of a student becomes latent. The role of

academic institutes is crucial in this regard since they can provide the

opportunities to help students showcase their talents. The belief that, if a

person is emotionally and mentally sound he can not only excel

academically but can do wonders in whichever field he goes, stands

correct. The co-curricular activities can help the students to realize their

inner potentials and to gain a better understanding of them.

In present educational system in India there are many activities that

are being arranged by school as well as college for overall development of

the student these are -1.N.C.C. 2.N.S.S. 3. Yogasan 4. Indoor and outdoor

games 5.Cycling 6. Swimming 7. Wrestling 8.Morning assembly

programmes 8.Youth Festival 9.Varius activity clubs 10.School band

11.Scout association 12.Performing Arts13.Annual functions.

To choose a career is an important time in a student‟s life because his

whole future depends on it. How and what to choose as a career is

important but why to choose a career is more important because then they

start giving acceptable reasons to themselves regarding their choice and can

reflect on their decision, i.e. if someone took medicine field due to parental

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pressure but doesn't really have an interest to pursue the course can only

become a failure in long run. It happens because most of the time due to

outside pressures without considering their own interests they relent to

those demands and thus become a mediocre in the chosen field. At the

same time if the students know their interests before choosing a career they

can become more productive and scale new heights.

1.4 Planning of Co-curricular Activities:

Co-curriculum doesn't mean teaching in a classroom only but it

requires both going out playing in filed, relating with others, working in

library and laboratory having informal contacts with peers. These Co

curricular activities at times become lost and neglected in giving

importance to academics. To achieve objectives of education they should

be given full justice. They should be planned in a way to cater to a large no

of people. Students should be given choices to select the activities of their

interests. Aims and objectives of doing it should be pre-informed. Some

reward should be linked with it. Regular time should be devoted to these

activities in the time-table.

Activities should be educationally relevant so that they can associate

with it. They should be constructive and should aim at development of

higher level objectives, which are not attainable through regular classroom

teaching e.g, novelty and originality, writing, skill of recitation of poems,

group discussion etc. Schools are now focusing on students‟ health,

hygiene and safety aspects as well. To participate in these activities doesn't

mean only fun but these activities are specially designed in an intelligent

way for wholesome development and to institute good character and feeling

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of democracy. These activities also help them develop balanced emotions

and their portrayal.

1.5 Importance of Co-curricular Activities:

Co-curricular activities are very important in the educational institute.

Only teaching work or bookish knowledge is not sufficient for the all-round

development of the student. These activities keep the students busy and

maintain the discipline in the academic institute. It further has

psychological affect as such; these activities create an atmosphere of unity,

working together and develop the energies of the child.

Co-curricular activities provide students with skills they do not always

get the time or opportunity to develop in the classroom. Research has

shown that students that participate in co-curricular activities, compared to

those that do not, are more competent in; communication, cognition,

management of self and academic competency (Abdul Sitra & Sasidhar,

2005). It has also been suggested that students with higher scores in their

final year of secondary study are not necessarily the students that become

most successful in their chosen careers. Studies have correlated greater

participation in school activities and hobbies as an indicator of greater

success in their chosen career. Co-curricular participation prepares students

for the future by equipping them with a wide range of experiences and

skills, particularly in a society where people tend to change careers at least

once over their lifetime (Nesan, 2009). If students are to gain an absolute

education experience then participation in co-curricular program is a

necessity to their education and well-being during their secondary life and

beyond.

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Robert Vilson has given some notes on co curricular activities importance.

“Co-curricular activities in their own from provide background to

cultivate their abilities and skills and thus they motivate and prosper their

learning abilities.”

Co-curricular activities develop the students in her talent, aptitude,

Physical abilities, Moral value and sense of co-operation among peers.

Co-curricular activity bridges educational process and the students with

each other.

Co-curricular activities should be design keeping in mind individual

differences among the students to get best results.

Co-curricular activities should be given utmost importance while

framing curriculum to get the best results from the students.

Co-curricular activities help the students to develop adventure spirit and

leadership qualities (They take imitative) which is important for a future.

1.6 NCC:

According to Sargent Rajendra Chimpi (1997) in modern world where

every good or bad step influences country‟s progress, the need for national

unity and integration is very important. Today discipline in every field is

necessary. In India the N.C.C. is a national organization which plays an

important role in country‟s unity and strength. Its role is incomparable and

we have not to pay for it. It is the only mean through which we can shape

our nation‟s future. As today‟s adolescence is tomorrow‟s base. It is most

important to develop within them the spirit of nationality.

Today our country is facing so many problems such as a terrorism,

casticism, and secularism etc. so the main need is to make the new

generation aware of these very things. And we can do this only by the

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N.C.C. as its training includes all facets which are valuable for the nation‟s

progress. Its discipline teaches to be humble in every walk of life. Its

training teaches to be active in each and every aspect of life. Its main moral

is “Never accept the defeat till the last breath and raise very step for the

good of the nation”.

The NCC in India was formed with the National Cadet Corps Act of

1948. It was raised on 15 July, 1948. The origin of NCC can be traced back

to the „University Corps‟, which was created under the Indian defense Act

1917, with the object to make up the shortage of the Army. In 1920, when

The Indian Territorial Act was passed, the „University Corps‟ was replaced

by the University Training Corps (UTC). The aim was to raise the status of

the UTC and make it more attractive to the youth. The UTC officers and

cadets dressed like the army. It was a significant step towards the

indianisation of armed forces. It was rechristened in the form of UOTC. So

the National Cadet Corps can be considered as a successor of the

University Officers Training Corps (UOTC) which was established by the

British Government in 1942. During World War II, the UOTC never came

up to the expectations set by The British. This led to the idea that some

better schemes should be formed, which could train more young men in a

better way, even during peace. A committee headed by Pandit H. N.

Kumzru recommended a cadet organization to be established in schools and

colleges at a national level. The National Cadet Corps Act was accepted by

the Governor General and on 15 July, 1948. The National Cadet Corps

came into existence.

After 1965 and 1971 wars NCC syllabus was revised. Rather than just

being second line of defense, NCC syllabus laid greater stress on

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developing of leadership and officer like qualities. The Military training

which the NCC cadet received was reduced and greater importance was

given to other areas like social service and youth management.

The National Cadet Corps has its Head quarts at New Delhi. It is open

to school and college students on voluntary basis. National Cadet Corps in

a tri-services organization, comprising the army, navy and air force,

engaged in grooming the youth of the country into disciplined and patriotic

citizens. The National Cadet Corps in India is a voluntary organization

which recruits cadets from high schools, colleges and universities all over

India. The cadets are given basic military training in small arms and

parades. The officers and cadets have no liability for active military service

once they complete their course but are given preferences over normal

candidates during selections based on the achievements in the crops.

(1) The Mission: The aims (Mission) of NCC are as under:

- To develop character, comradeship, discipline, leadership, secular

outlook, spirit of adventure, and ideals of selfless service amongst the

youth of the country.

- To create a Human Resource of Organized, Trained and Motivated Youth,

to provide leadership in all walks of life and be always available for the

service of the Nation.

- To provide a suitable environment to motivate the youth to take up a

career in the Armed Forces.

- Through the NCC, boys and girls are able to channelize their potentials

which lead to an all-round mental and physical growth.

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1.7 NSS

The National Service Scheme (NSS) was started to establish a

meaningful linkage between the campus and the community. Mahatma

Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, had recognized that the country could not

progress in a desired direction until the student youth were motivated to

work for the upliftment of the villages/community. For Gandhiji the

villages, where majority of the population lived, represent the country i.e.

India. Therefore, for the national reconstruction and national resurgence it

was deemed fit that the students and teachers should be properly sensitized

and utilized for strengthening the Indian society as a whole with particular

emphasis on rural community. Therefore, student youth, teachers and the

community are considered the three components of the National Service

Scheme.

The overall aim of National Service Scheme as envisaged earlier, is to

given an extension dimension to the higher education system and orient the

student youth to community service while they are studying in educational

institution. The reason for the formulation of this objective is the general

realization that the college and +2 level students have a tendency to get

alienated from the village/slum masses which constitute the majority of the

population of the country. The educated youth who are expected to take the

reins of administration in future are found to be unaware of the problems of

the village/slum community and in certain cases are indifferent towards

their needs and problems. Therefore it is necessary to arouse the social

conscience of the students, and to provide them an opportunity to work

with the people in the villages and slums. It is felt that their interaction with

the common villagers and slum dwellers will expose them to the realities of

life and bring about a change in their social perception.

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(1) Objectives:

The broad objectives of NSS are to:

(i) Understand the community in which they work

(ii) Understand themselves in relation to their community;

(iii) Identify the needs and problems of the community and involve them

in problem solving process;

(iv) Develop among themselves a sense of social and civic responsibility;

(v) Utilize their knowledge in finding practical solution to individual and

community problems;

(vi) Develop competence required for group living and sharing of

responsibilities;

(vii) Gain skills in mobilizing community participation;

(viii) Acquire leadership qualities and democratic attitude;

(ix) Develop capacity to meet emergencies and natural disasters and

(x) Practice national integration and social harmony.

(2) The Motto

The motto or watchword of the National Service Scheme is: „NOT

ME BUT YOU‟. This reflects the essence of democratic living and upholds

the need for selfless service and appreciation of the other person‟s point of

view and also to show consideration for fellow human beings. It underlines

that the welfare of an individual is ultimately dependent on the welfare of

society on the whole. Therefore, it should be the aim of the NSS to

demonstrate this motto in its day-to-day programme.

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(3) NSS Symbol

The symbol of the National Service Scheme, as appearing on the

cover page of this manual is based on the „Rath‟ wheel of the Kornak Sun

Temple situated in Orissa. These giant wheels of the Sun Temple portray

the cycle of creation, preservation and release, and signify the movement in

life across time and space. The design of the symbol, a simplified form of

the Sun-chariot wheel primarily depicts movement. The wheel signifies the

progressive cycle of life. It stands for continuity as well as change and

implies the continuous striving of NSS for social transformation and

upliftment.

(4) NSS Day

NSS was formally launched on 24th September, 1969, the birth

centenary year of the father of the Nation. Therefore, 24 September is

celebrated year as NSS day with appropriate programmes and activities.

1.8 Sports

Education plays a vital role in a young person‟s life. Sports is “the

best school and college of life”, teaching basic values and life skills that are

important for the holistic and well balanced development of younger

generations. Honesty, fair play, self confidence, mutual respect, adherence

to rules and how to cope with victories as well as defeats are all examples

of the values connected to the immense resource that is sport (Giovanni di

Cola, 2006). Objectives behind various countries policies of sports and

planned school physical activities are similar to some extent. All extra-

curricular activities have enormous importance and having specific

objectives. National education policy and various education commissions

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recommended the sports should be included in regular school time table.

Organized as well as indigenous games (traditional and culturally related

games) both are equally important for development of skills. Research

literature shows that positive relationship exists between sports/physical

activities and skills development. Desirable benefits of a physically active

lifestyle are mastery of motor and sport-specific skills that contribute to

competence in lifelong physical activities, attaining social and

psychological life skills (e.g. interpersonal skills, resistance skills), and

improving developmental outcomes such as confidence, self regulation,

character, motivation and perseverance (Weiss 2008, & Wiese-Bjornstal,

2007).

1.9 Personality grooming through co-curricular activities:

According to Bharti Sharma, (2012) many self development and

personality grooming classes also become part of curricula in the schools

and college which cater to the needs of those unable to express themselves.

Today‟s world requires students with street smart intelligence i.e. practical

intelligence keeping in mind that to reach the goal is as important as the

setting of goals. Enjoying the journey of knowledge helps one in

understanding the deeper level of it or else focusing interest on something

without paying any attention to it mars the soul of it. If a student enjoys

what he reads he becomes eager to finish off the book as soon as possible

on the other hand if one loses interest he keeps on counting the pages and

measuring the width of the book.

Participation in these programmes also helps the teachers to consider

the psychological factors and to pay more attention to understand

individual differences of the children and of providing proper outlets for

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the flow of the energies of the children. These activities are very helpful in

this regard. They focus more on training the social aspects and to instill

patience, good temper, sincerity, and discipline, teamwork, responsibility,

commitment and hard work. They learn how to share their interests with

others similar to them. Co-curricular activities encourage personal

accomplishments and the development of interpersonal skills. Adolescents

who participate in these activities have opportunities to assume meaningful

roles and responsibilities.

(i) What is Personality?

Personality is an organization of a large number of traits. It is the

integration of all the individuals‟ abilities and characteristics physical and

mental, learned and unlearned. Personality is the organized combination of

attributes, motives, values, and behaviors that is unique to each individual.

Sigelman (1999) and Carver & Scheier (2000) explained that “personality

is a dynamic organization, inside the person, of psychophysical systems

that create a person‟s characteristic pattern of behavior, thoughts, and

feelings.” Personality is the various aspects of a person‟s character that

combined to make them different from other people.

It is well known that personality plays an important role in

determining not only the behavior of an individual but also his/her overall

success and prosperity in life. Allport (1937) has defined personality as a

dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical

systems that determines his/her unique adjustment to his/her environment.

Interest in personality is as old as civilization: Ancient philosophers and

poets often speculated about why individuals were unique and why they

differed from each other in so many ways. For ages person situation

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interaction has played an important role in the development of an

individual‟s personality. In this context not only the family environment

but also the society and the culture in which the children are brought up

become are too important. In every culture and society children and

adolescents are subjected various kinds of pressures, both personal and

social. These pressures exert great influence on the personality

development of the children, which ultimately influences not only the all-

round development of that particular society but also affects the future

development of the country. In other words personality of the individual

determines the nature of the society and the society in turn influences and

nurtures the personality of an individual‟s, thus mutually reinforcing each

other.

According to Cattell (1950) “The personality of an individual is that

which enables us to predict what he/she will doing given situation”,

Mischel and Shoda (1995) identified personal styles or strategies of

individuals in dealing with the situations and found that these styles or

strategies remain consistent over the years and they in turn, become a kind

of behavioral signature of their personalities. These personality patterns or

styles are determined largely by experiences of an individual, which

develop within a socio-cultural world. The surroundings and the various

interacting patterns that the child faces from the beginning of life determine

the dynamics of personality.

The Five-factor model of personality (FFM) or “Big-five” has

dominated the field of personality during the last two decades, providing a

significant degree of convergence in the trait, factor analytic psychology

(Roberson & Callinan, 1998). The five factors: usually called neuroticism,

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extraversion, openness to change, agreeableness and conscientiousness

(Costal & McCreae, 1992), have provided personality psychology with a

clear measurement frame work and are responsible for the resurgence of

interest to personality in the field of work and organizational psychology.

No term is more frequently used regarding personality than the word

trait. It means a characteristic, a trend, a way of response an attribute, an

aspect. It means each of the various components or segments of the

individual consider in a greater or lesser degree of separation from other

traits. In this context there are probably as many definitions personality as

there are people who have defined it. Generally, speaking, modern

definitions of personality tend to emphasize the uniqueness of qualities and

attributes of each person, the characteristics that make each person different

from others.

There are more than fifty definitions of the personality. Popular

psychology generally uses the term “personality” as a shorthand way of

identifying one individual‟s impact upon others.

Five factor model (Big Five Model) of personality traits that describes

five basic trait dimensions.

- Openness: One of the five factors, willingness to try new things and be

open to new experiences.

- Conscientiousness: The care a person gives to organization and thought

fullness of others dependability.

- Extraversion: Dimension of personality referring to one's need to be with

other people.

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- Agreeableness: The emotional style of a person that may range from

easygoing friendly and likeable to grumpy, crabby and unpleasant.

- Neuroticism: Degree of emotional instability or stability.

(ii) Definition of the Personality

It is not very easy to define the word 'Personality'. A common man

has absolutely a different conception of the word 'Personality'. For example

a person, who has a fine physique, is tall, robust and good-looking, is

generally spoken of as having good personality. In psychological terms, the

word personality has absolutely a different connotation. The term is derived

from the word 'persona' which actually means a theatrical mask used by the

actors in the Greek drama. If understood in this sense, personality might

mean simply the outer mask. So the etiology of the term personality is

slightly misleading with regard to the correct definition of personality.

Personality is certainly not only the assumed, the external but mostly the

vital, the internal and the essential. Psychologically personality is all that a

person is. It is the totality of our being and includes physical, emotional,

social, mental and spiritual make-up of the individual. Again personality is

not the same as character. Character is essentially a moral term referring to

the standards of right and wrong, whereas personality is purely a

psychological term and thus cannot enter into the study of ethical values.

Allport distinguishes as many as fifty meanings of the word

'Personality'. Some of the most recent definitions of personality are as

follows:-

Morton Prince defined personality as 'the total sum of all the

biological innate dispositions, impulses, tendencies, appetites and instincts

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of the 'individual' and dispositions and tendencies acquired by experience.

The main defect of this definition is that a mere enumeration of various

elements or the '' total sum of the actual or potential behaviour patterns of

the organism'' does not describe the total organization or structure of a

human being any more than mere counting of the bricks which describes a

house.

Warren and Carmichael call personality ''The entire organization of a

human being at any stage of its development''.

William Healy defines it as ''An integrated system of habitual

adjustments to the environment, particularly to the social environments''.

William James took into account the various levels of integration in a

hierarchical order. He talked about the various levels of the self material,

the social, the spiritual and the pure self.

Mc. Dougall defined personality as ''a synthetic unity of all mental

features and functions in their intimate interplay''.

Lewins' approach is more dynamic. He defines personality as ''a

dynamic totality of systems''.

Murphy claimed that personality is not the sum of interaction of the

separate traits but is a unitary mode of adjustment in relation to which each

specific activity or interest, no matter how trivial, can be seen. Murphy

further elaborated by calling a person a distinguishable individual,

definable in terms of a qualitative and quantitative differentiation from

other such individuals. So personality according to Murphy, ''A structured

whole definable in terms of its own distinctive structural attributes in an

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organism-environmental field, each aspect of which stands in dynamic

relation to the others''.

Allport says ''Personality is the dynamic organization within the

individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique

adjustment to his environment''. Brown-Personality is the final

differentiation which the individual makes by incorporating both inherited

and acquired powers to stimulate and to activate the imagination of others

in art, science and public affairs and also to live in and partake of a super-

individual and ''super-temporal'' world of values.

The correct definitions of personality take the following factors in to

consideration.

(i) Dynamic nature of Personality.

(ii) Its integrated behavior and

(iii) Its nature emerging as a result of interaction between inherited

Potentialities and environmental influences.

(iii) Personality and Character

Character is merely a part of Personality. While considering

personality we take into consideration intelligence, character, temperament

etc. According to Watson, character is only a term used when viewing the

individual from the stand-point of his responses to the more

conventionalized and standardized situations. According to Shand every

sentiment or emotional reaction towards ideas or objects forms a type of

character. Mc. Dougall believes that character consists of sentiments

formed by the combination of native propensities or instincts with ideas in

various ways. According to him this organizations of sentiments expressing

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itself involution, in the higher forms of action and in the control of action

constitutes one's character. Mc. Dougall believed Personality to be

something bigger-a synthetic unit of all mental features and functions in

their intimate interplay. According to Gordon, Personality is a more

comprehensive term and includes character. According to him character is

merely a special aspect of a developed Personality. According to Ogden

''Personality is the expression of a man's inner life; Character is the

expression of what he does or believes.''

(iv) Character of Personality

(1) We can speak of Personality only in the case of an adult. In

Children it is still shaping itself.

(2) Personality is through and through social. Its development takes

place through social interaction. Infect personality implies the reactions of

others to one's own qualities and actions.

(3) A personality is continuously adjusting itself to its environments to

one's inner life.

(4) A Personality is always trying to reach certain goals.

(5) A Personality functions as a unified whole.

1.10 Concept of Social Competence

Social Competence has been defined as the social ability interpersonal

skill (Eisler, 1976) of an individual in effectively meeting a person-

situation interaction or successfully dealing with „an individual

environment factors‟. Goldfriend and D‟Zurilla (1967) considered it as the

effectiveness or adequacy which an individual is capable of responding to

the various problematic situations which confront him. White (1963)

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developed the concept of social competence to depict a person‟s transaction

with the social environment; and enable him to acquire successful

experiences of others that may produce desirable effects.

Social competence refers to the social, emotional, and cognitive skills

and cognitive skills and behaviors that children need for successful social

adaptation. Despite this simple definition, social competence is an elusive

concept, because the skills and behaviors required for healthy social

development vary with the age of the child and with the demands of

particular situations. A socially competent preschool child behaves in a

much different manner than a socially competent adolescent; conversely,

the same behaviors (e.g., aggression, shyness) have different implications

for social adaptation depending upon the age of the child and the particulars

of the social context.

It is a collection of specific social behavior such as differential self-

concept, consolidation of identity, habits of personal maintenance and care

consistent with common peer group standards differentiations of feelings

and implications, positive and affectionate personal relationships,

appropriate regulations of antisocial tendencies, curiosity and active

exploration of the environment, control of attention as a function of

situational or task requirements, perceptual skills, fine motor dexterity,

language skills, memory flexibility in the application of information

processing, strategies, quantitative and rational concepts, understanding and

skills, general health, social environment, consumer behavior etc,.

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(A) Importance of social competence

Where as parents are the primary source of social and emotional

support for children during the first years of life, in later years peers begin

to play a significant complementary and unique role in promoting child

social-emotional development. Increasingly with age, peers rather than

parents become preferred companions, providing important sources of

entertainment and support. In the context of peer interactions, young

children engage in fantasy play that allows them to assume different roles,

learn to take another person‟s perspective, and develop an understanding of

the social rules and conventions of their culture. In addition, relationships

with peers typically involve more give-and-take than relationships with

adults, and thus provide an opportunity for the development of social

competencies such as cooperation and negotiation. During adolescence,

peer relations become particularly important for children. A key

developmental task of adolescence is the formation of an identity-a sense of

the kind of person you want to be.

1.11 Altruism

The terms altruism, benevolence, compassion, empathy, fellow

feeling, sympathy and love (despite distinctions among them)- all refer to

behavior that has its aim to produce, maintain, or improve the physical or

psychological welfare and integrity of another person. The terms describe

behavior that is directed in a positive way and is given the name of

„positive social behavior‟ by Wispe (1978), who distinguishes its three

principal forms altruism, sympathy and helping.

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Altruism is the favorite term of the biologists. Wilson‟s (1975) work

has revitalized and enlivened the term. The biologists have contributed one

of the most important theoretical explanations for altruistic behavior. This

is obviously a genetic explanation. The fundamental concern of the

biologists is whether altruism can be explained by natural selection. Wilson

argues for the possibility of some kind of genetic evolution of altruism

because altruism in some way increases the genetic fitness of the species.

The term altruism is one of recent origin. However, attempts to

explain the behavior to which the term applies are ancient. Auguste Comte,

French Philosoher and sociologist, first introduced this term

(Encyclopadeia of Britancica, 1967, Vol.8). Probably he came to adapt the

term from the Italian altrui. For him altruism was an unselfish regard for

the welfare of others. The term egoism was also used along with altruism as

opposite. Egoism is the selfish, ego-centered, unsocial behavior. Comte

maintained that “the chief problem of our existence is to subordinate as far

as possible egoism to altruism.” Herbert Spencer adopted the term and gave

considerable space in his „Data of Ethics‟ to discussion of the contrasted

elements of egoism and altruism and to their reconciliation. The contrast

between egoism and altruism was discussed by some earlier writers on

Psychology and Ethics under the rubric self-regarding (i.e. benevolent and

disinterested tendencies) sentiments.

The term altruism has not been widely used by behavioral scientist for

two reasons. Firstly, self-sacrificial bravery is an extreme form of behavior

with low rates of occurrence even in warfare. Secondly, the study of

altruism creates problems for the behavioral scientist. It is a wrong

paradigm for him. Since the rise of Adam smith, the behavioral sciences

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have preferred an exchange model of social interaction grounded in

psychological hedonism in which model altruism is hard to handle.

Biologists, however, have found the term useful. They originally used the

term to refer heroic altruism, often self-destructive, directed towards the

well-being of others (Wispe, 1978). More recently they have begun to use

the term to refer to behavior the counteracts the effect of individual‟s

selection as altruistic. The behavioral scientist means by altruism any

unselfish behavior, i.e., other directed. Both the biologists and behavioral

scientists focus on the welfare of the other person. However, two

distinctions are worth noting. First, the term altruism seems to be a generic

term for other directed behavior and there are many synonyms for such

behavior. Secondly, altruism refers to actions that have at least the potential

for extreme self-sacrifice. The self-sacrifice may be self-annhilating or

merely inconvenient. In short, behavior to be designated as „altruistic‟ must

be directed to the well-being of others and must involve at least some

nontrivial self-sacrifice.

While there are differences about the precise definition of altruism,

there is general agreement that altruistic behavior must be carried out

volunteering, must aim to benefit another and must be carried out without

anticipation of reward. The difference arises about further specification of

altruistic behavior. Thus Midlarsky (1968) takes altruism to be a sub-

category of aiding referring to helpful action which incur some cost to the

individual but bring either very little or nothing by way of gain, relative to

the magnitude of the investment.

Bryan and Test (1967) take altruism to mean “those acts where in

individuals sharing of sacrifice is a positive reinforcer for no apparent

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social or material gain.” Walester and Piliavin (1972) hold that “altruistic

behavior is generally thought of as behavior that benefits another rather

than the self, when something is done out of the goodness of one‟s heart.”

Aronfreed (1970) and Cohen (1972) stipulate empathy as an essential

condition for altruistic behavior. Leeds (1973) presents three conditions for

altruistic behavior; (i) it must be treated as an end in itself, (ii) it must be

elicited voluntarily, and (iii) it must be judged by others as doing good.

An examination of these various definitions reveal that all the

definitions agree that a person carrying out an altruistic act should not

accept any external rewards. Macauley and Berkowitz (1970) have defined

altruism as “behavior carried out to benefit another without anticipation of

rewards from external sources.”

1.12 Summary:

In this chapter, definitions and theoretical conceptions of the Co-

curricular activity and development of personality, social competence and

altruism were described.

Studies related to the problem of this study have been discussed in the

next chapter named Review of Relevant Literature.