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Comment—The situation purports to test many qualities in a single fold. Relationship with
neighbours (social adjustment), courage to tackle the burglars (dynamism), ideas or resourcefulness to
deal with such situation (intellectual) and decision-making (leadership). However, depending on the
understanding and other personality factors, the candidate will select a response that may or may not
include his strength spread over all the fields.
Situation–II—He was the leader of a trekking party that lost its way due to navigational error in
the dense jungles of Sikkim. Weather was getting worse and his party members were badly tired. He…
Comment—This situation involves lot of stress. The leader in this situation has lot of tasks to
manage. He has to see the physical and psychological fitness of his team remain at a high level
along with their morale. Then he has to find the correct way and reach his destination. He will
certainly face conflicting suggestions from his team members. Intellectual qualities, social
qualities, leadership and dynamism are put to test in a single situation.
From the above-mentioned situations, it is clear that situations do not involve manifestation of a
single quality. With a single response, a candidate can show one or more than one qualities.
How To Do Well In SRT ?
Every situation in the SRT contains a problem. As long as you are able to propose a solution to the
situations leaving no essential aspect unattended, you have done fine. All elements of problem solving
i.e., understanding and analysis of the situation, ability to produce solutions, think creatively,
resourcefulness, planning and organisation are involved together. Qualities like dynamism, motivation
to achieve, social adjustment and social effectiveness are also manifested either with force or in a
limited way in your response.
Caution—SRT is a very peculiar. Unlike the TAT and the WAT (that operates at unconscious
and sub-conscious levels) it operates at conscious level. It gives candidates lots of opportunity to
evaluate, assess and manipulate their own responses before they could be written. Thus your
responses, however meritorious may be are taken with a pinch of salt. You cannot thus depend on
the strength of SRT only. SRT only confirms the observation of psychologist in your TAT and
WAT. It does not add anything to your evaluation in real sense.
Secondly, tests at conscious level are influenced by the ‘element of desirability’. A candidate
knows well what and where to hide or suppress his natural responses specially in a social situation.
Take, for example the situations wherein the burglars have entered neighbour’s house in late hours
(discussed earlier in the context of mixed situations). In most of the cases candidates are aware of
‘love with neighbour’. In actual life they might be having strained relationship with their neighbours
and would not actually come to help risking their own life and limb, but in spite of this fact, they will
prefer to show involvement in neighbours welfare at their own cost and risk.
Consider another situation mentioned as following :—
Situation—While going for a morning walk he found a purse containing five thousand rupees.
He…