ISC Class 12 Syllabus 2028 Psychology

ISC
INDIAN SCHOOL CERTIFICATE
EXAMINATION

YEAR 2028

PSYCHOLOGY
(855)

Developed by:
Research, Development and Curriculum Division (RDCD)
CISCE

January 2026
____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)

MISSION STATEMENT

The Council for the Indian School Certificate
Examinations is committed to serving the nation's
children, through high quality educational
endeavours, empowering them to contribute towards
a humane, just and pluralistic society, promoting
introspective living, by creating exciting learning
opportunities, with a commitment to excellence.

ETHOS OF CISCE

Trust and fair play.
Minimum monitoring.
Allowing schools to evolve their own niche.
Catering to the needs of the children.
Giving freedom to experiment with new ideas
and practices.
Diversity and plurality - the basic strength for
evolution of ideas.
Schools to motivate pupils towards the
cultivation of:
Excellence - The Indian and Global
experience.
Values - Spiritual and cultural - to be the bedrock
of the educational experience.
Schools to have an 'Indian Ethos', strong roots in
the national psyche and be sensitive to national
aspirations.

CLASS XII
There will be two papers in the subject:
Paper I - Theory: 3 hours…….…70 marks
Paper II- Project Work: ……….. 30 marks

PAPER I (THEORY) : 70 MARKS
1. Intelligence and Ability
(i) Intelligence: what is meant by intelligence - theories regarding the nature of intelligence; how
intelligence is measured - the concept of IQ, intelligence tests – Individual Tests, Group Tests. Levels
of intelligence and associated characteristics. Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Quotient (EQ).
Intelligence: definition of intelligence (David Wechsler); what is meant by intelligence - theories
regarding the nature of intelligence; Theories of Intelligence: Two Factor Theory – Charles
Spearman; characteristics of ‘g’ and ‘s’; one criticism of this theory; Primary Mental Abilities –
L.L.Thurstone (seven factors- Numerical, Verbal, Spatial, Memory, Word Fluency, Inductive
Reasoning, Perceptual Speed factor); one criticism of this theory; Raymond Cattell – Fluid and
Crystallised Intelligence; J.P.Guilford’s Structure of Intellect Model (180 factors- six operations, six
products and five contents); one criticism of this theory).Triarchic Theory – Robert Sternberg:
Analytical or componential – sub-theories - Metacomponents, Performance, Knowledge Acquisition;
Experiential or Creative – sub-theories-Novelty, Automation; Contextual or Practical-sub-theories-
Adaptation, Selection, Shaping; Theory of Multiple Intelligence – Howard Gardner (eight
intelligences - Verbal, Mathematical/Logical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinaesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal,
Intrapersonal, Naturalistic); one criticism of this theory. How intelligence is measured - the concept
of IQ-Intelligence Quotient; Intelligence Tests – Individual Tests – only definitions of mental age,
chronological age, intelligence quotient and formula of IQ (no calculations required). Wechsler Adult
Intelligence Scale-III: six verbal tests and five performance tests – (Aim, brief description,
administration and scoring-Full Scale IQ, Verbal Scale IQ and Performance Scale IQ) Group Test –
Raven’s Progressive Matrices. Test details (Aim, brief description, administration of Standard,
Coloured and Advanced versions should be included); Levels of intelligence and associated
characteristics (from gifted to below average- mild, moderate, severe, profound with range of IQ for
each level, six characteristics of each; Gifted - IQ with five positive and four negative characteristic.).
Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Quotient (EQ)- definitions, Characteristics of Emotionally
Intelligent Persons (in brief)- five characteristics.
(ii) Aptitude, Achievement and Interest: meaning of these terms. Reason for their assessment and means
of assessment (different tools/ tests) used.
What is meant by Aptitude - when aptitude needs to be assessed - the GATB (General Aptitude Test
Battery)- nine tests – General Learning, Verbal, Numerical, Spatial, Form Perception, Clerical
Perception, Motor Coordination, Finger Dexterity, Manual Dexterity); meaning and usefulness of
Achievement tests; Why Interest is measured.

2. Personality
(i) What is meant by Personality.
Definition of personality – Gordon Allport.
Personality related terms: Temperament, Habit, Values, Concept of self (definitions only).
(ii) Theories of Personality: Type Theories, Psychoanalytic Theory - Freud’s structure of personality;
psycho-sexual stages of development; Post Freudians (in brief); Humanistic - Rogers and Maslow;
Traits - Allport, Cattell; Social/Behavioural Learning - Bandura.
Type Theory: William Sheldon’s Somatotypes – Endomorph, Mesomorph, Ectomorph;, Hippocrates -
all four fluids, humours and temperamental characteristics, Meyer Friedman’s Type A and Type B
personality, Friedman, Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality: Sigmund Freud's levels of

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consciousness, structure of personality - Id, Ego and Superego; principles on which they function;
Psychosexual stages of development and fixation - libido – oral, anal, phallic (Oedipus and Electra
complex, penis envy, identification), latency, genital stages(one criticism of this theory.) Post
Freudians: Erik Erikson’s 8 stages- infancy, early childhood, school age, adolescence, young
adulthood, middle adulthood and maturity with conflicts and outcomes described for each (one
criticism of this theory); Karen Horney’s theory – components of basic anxiety, basic hostility and
coping styles of aggression, withdrawal and compliance; Humanistic theories- Carl Rogers (concept
of fully functioning persons, Self-Concept, Real Self and Ideal Self – congruent and incongruent,
Conditional Positive Regard and Unconditional Positive Regard); one criticism of this theory.
Abraham Maslow (self actualization - Peak Experience, Self-Esteem, Five Levels Needs Hierarchy-
Physiological, Safety , Love and Belongingness, Esteem and Self-Actualisation). Traits: Gordon
Allport (central, secondary and cardinal traits), Raymond Cattell (source and surface traits). The
five-factor model of Paul Costa and Robert McCrae with both dimensions of high and low scores –
(Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism). Social
Cognitive Theory of Albert Bandura- Modeling and Observational learning, self system of cognitive
processes of Self-Efficacy, Self-Reinforcement, Self-Set goals (Identification and explanation of
concepts in each theoretical framework).
(iii) How personality is assessed: reports, inventories (MMPI), projective techniques - Rorschach Inkblot
Test and Thematic Apperception Test, Behavioural Analysis.
The use of Self Reports - inventories/ questionnaires in assessing Personality - an understanding of
the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) Clinical Scales of MMPI-2
Hypochondriasis, Depression, Hysteria, Psychopathic Deviance, Masculinity-Femininity, Paranoia,
Psychasthenia, Schizophrenia, Hypomania and Social Introversion (with brief description of
symptoms of each); what is meant by Projective Techniques - how the Rorschach Inkblot and TAT
(Thematic Apperception Test) are used (Test details should include description, administration,
scoring and interpretation).
Behavioural Analysis: Interview, Observation, Nomination, Behavioural ratings, Situational tests (in
brief).

3. Lifespan Development
(i) Meaning of Development, growth and maturation.
Why is the study of lifespan development important? Determinants – interaction of heredity and
environment, identical, fraternal and separated twin studies; context of development –
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory - Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem,
Chronosystem.
(ii) Infancy - motor, cognitive development, socio - emotional development.
Motor development- definition of Motor milestone; reflexes- rooting, moro, grasping, babinski (only
definitions).
Cognitive development – Piaget’s Sensori Motor Stage; socio-emotional development – emergence
of attachment: definition; according to Mary Ainsworth’s & Lamb strange situation test. Explanation
of each type of attachment style – secure, avoidant, ambivalent, disorganised/disoriented.
(iii) Childhood - motor, cognitive development, socio-emotional development.
Motor development- Gross motor and fine motor skills (definitions only); cognitive development –
Piaget’s Theory (Preoperational and Concrete).
Emergence of self – gender, gender role, gender stereotype, gender identity, gender stability, gender
consistency (definitions only). Moral development – Kohlberg’s perspective Experiment on Moral
Dilemma - level pre-conventional stages - punishment and obedience, naive hedonistic (pleasure
seeking) orientation, level, conventional - stages - good-boy/good-girl, social – order maintaining
orientation and level post conventional morality – stages – legalistic orientation and universal ethical
principle orientation.

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(iv) Adolescence - physical changes, cognitive development, socio-emotional development; some major
concerns.
Physical changes at puberty - primary and secondary (in brief); Cognitive development – Piaget’s
Formal Operational Stage; Socio-emotional development - forming an identity, socio-emotional
development according to Erik Erikson’s ego-identity vs role diffusion; Personal Identity – definition;
James Marcia’s categorisation of adolescents based on Identity Achievement, Identity Moratorium,
Identity Foreclosure, Identity Diffusion -in brief ; some major concerns – meaning of delinquency
(causes only), substance abuse – meaning of substance abuse (drugs in general and alcohol),
symptoms of drug abuse and alcoholism - dependence, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms; eating
disorders - bulimia, anorexia- (meaning and symptoms).

4. Stress and Stress Management
(i) Meaning of stress - its basic nature.
Strain and Eustress; Types of stress- psychological, physical and environmental; Stress as a process
- stressors (negative and positive events); results of overload/underload; the stages of GAS or the
General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye's model). Cognitive appraisal of stress – primary and
secondary.
(ii) Common causes of stress.
External/situational: major life events, minor hassles of everyday life, work-related causes, the
physical environment.
Internal/dispositional: Personality variables- Types - Type A and Type B; nature of men and women
who handle stress differently; personality and attitude. Traits - optimism-pessimism; locus of control
– internal and external; frustration; conflicts; pressures.
(iii) Effects of stress on health and performance.
Upsets the internal mechanism and balance - immune system affected, hypertension, heart problems,
ulcers, diabetes, asthma (each effect to be briefly explained). Relation between stress and performance
- Upside- down-U curve on arousal and performance, stress which is distracting, mild, prolonged,
increasing difficulty levels which reduce performance; burnout - work related.
(iv) Stress management - ineffective and effective strategies of handling stress.
Coping with stress: Ineffective strategies - defence mechanisms - rationalization, projection, reaction
formation, regression, repression displacement, sublimation (each to be briefly explained); Effective
strategies: relaxation training- bio feedback, massage, progressive muscle relaxation and meditation
(in brief) and yoga- yama, niyama, asana, pranayama and pratyahara (definitions only).
Promoting positive health and well-being: Exercise, Diet, Self-Care, Life Skills, Assertiveness,
Rational thinking, improving relationships, overcoming unhelpful habits, Social support, Stress
Resistant Personality, Positive thinking and positive attitude.

5. Psychological Disorders and Psychotherapy
(i) Meaning of “Abnormal behaviour” - biological, psychological and socio - cultural behavioural,
cognitive perspectives. Principles of classification of psychological disorders with reference to DSM
IV.
Common features of abnormal behaviour- deviance, distress, dysfunction, danger.
Different views of "abnormal" behaviour - the statistical stand - the biological/medical approach -
the psychological perspectives – psychoanalytic, behavioural, cognitive and sociocultural
dimension; why classification of disorders is necessary - an understanding of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – IV (brief explanation of each of the five Axes).
(ii) Characteristics of some psychological, behavioural and developmental disorders: Anxiety -
generalised, anxiety disorder, phobia, obsessive-compulsive; Mood - bi-polar - (mania and
depression), severe, depression; Personality disorders - anti-social, avoidant, dependent (causes and
symptoms of all).

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What is meant by anxiety - different forms of anxiety disorders: generalised anxiety disorder (GAD),
phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders; Mood disorders- characteristics of severe depression,
manic-depressive or bipolar disorder; personality disorders - anti-social, avoidant, dependent
(causes and symptoms only).
Neurodevelopmental and anxiety disorders in childhood: Neurodevelopmental disorders - Attention
Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder-Autism (definitions and
symptoms only); Anxiety- Separation Anxiety Disorder in childhood (definitions and symptoms only).
(iii) Schizophrenia - meaning; main types; characteristics.
Basic nature of Schizophrenia: symptoms- positive and negative. Main types- characteristics of
Disorganized, Catatonic and Paranoid Schizophrenia (symptoms).
(iv) Psychotherapy - Psychoanalysis; Client-centred; Behavioural, Social Rehabilitation, Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy.
What is meant by Psychotherapy - techniques of psychodynamic therapies - free association, dream
analysis, resistance, transference and counter transference (explain briefly). The principles on which
client centred therapy has been developed - non-directive counselling, unconditional positive regard
or unconditional acceptance, fully functional individual, empathetic understanding, active listening,
paraphrasing, conditions of worth, genuineness. Behavioural therapies based on classical
conditioning (flooding and systematic desensitization) and operant conditioning (shaping and token
economy) and modelling (explain briefly), Psychosocial rehabilitation - deinstitutionalisation, social
inclusion, occupational therapy, social skills training, vocational rehabilitation/training, cognitive
retraining. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Therapy A-B-C-D-E Model
– Activating Event - Irrational Belief - Emotional Consequence-Disputing Irrational Belief-Expected
New Behaviour (explain briefly).

6. Social Thought and Social Behaviour
(i) Social Perception - attribution or the process through which people try to understand the reasons for
others’ behaviour.
How people determine whether others' behaviour is a result of internal causes or external factors -
Harold Kelley’s Attribution Theory define (attribution); information about consensus, consistency
and distinctiveness; biases in forming judgments. Explain with examples each of the following biases
- fundamental attribution error or corresponding bias, self-serving bias, the false consensus effect,
automatic vigilance, counterfactual thinking.
(ii) Social Influence- how people try to change others’ behaviour; social norms; conformity and obedience
- factors affecting them.
Social Influence- Meaning and characteristics of a group; types of groups- formal and informal,
primary and secondary and in-group and out-group, conditions of group formation - proximity,
similarity, common motives and goals (stages of group formation NOT included); influence of group
on individuals - social facilitation, social loafing (concepts and reasons why it occurs), group
polarisation(concepts and reasons why it occurs); Meaning of social norms - why people conform to
social norms - normative social influence-desire to be liked, to be approved, to be accepted;
informational social influence- to be right; descriptive norm-to be appropriate and adapt. Asch's study
on conformity; factors affecting Conformity - group- size, status, cohesiveness, attractiveness, nature
of task, personality, unanimity of group, cultural values, social respect; Milgram's experiment on
Obedience. Why and when people obey others – victim’s emotional distance, legitimacy of authority,
liberating effect of group influence, lack of personal responsibility, follow social norms, consistency
in giving command, foot-in-the-door phenomenon.

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7. Attitudes
(i) Meaning of “Attitude” - how attitudes are formed and changed.
What are attitudes - the components of attitude - cognitive, affective (emotional), behavioural; the
process of forming attitudes- modeling- observational learning, classical conditioning - association,
operant conditioning - rewards or punishments, cultural norms, genetic factors, exposure to
information (factors that influence attitude formation is NOT included) - how attitudes change:
persuasion and cognitive dissonance.
(ii) Prejudice – meaning of “prejudice” and discrimination; the origins of prejudice; how prejudice can be
resisted.
An understanding of the meaning of prejudice and how it works in the form of discrimination - causes
of prejudice: social learning, realistic competition, social categorization and stereotyping; ways in
which prejudice can be resisted- break cycle of hate, recategorization, direct intergroup contact,
develop positive values, reduce stereotype vulnerability.

8. Psychology in relation to the Environment and Social concerns
Meaning and nature of counselling; characteristics of a good counsellor, communication skills;
Environmental effect on human behaviour; Promoting Pro-environmental behaviour; Adverse effects of
poverty and deprivation. Measures to reduce poverty.
(i) Meaning and nature of counselling - elements of counselling, characteristics of a good counsellor-
authenticity, positive regard, empathy, communication skills- paraphrasing, attention, listening,
speaking, body language, role of culture in listening; counsellor’s psychological testing skills.
(ii) Environmental effect on human behaviour - influences on perception, emotion, occupation, living
style and attitude. Human influence on the environment- influences of noise, pollution, crowding -
features; crowding tolerance and competition tolerance – definitions; natural disasters; post-
traumatic stress disorder features of the disorder.
(iii) Promoting Pro-environmental behaviour-reduction of - pollution, noise, non-biodegradable
consumer goods, plastics; garbage management, laws relating to construction that violates
environmental design, planting trees.
(iv) Adverse effects of poverty and deprivation on personality, motivation, social behaviour, cognitive
processes, and mental health. Major causes of poverty. Measures to reduce poverty.

PAPER II (PROJECT WORK) : 30 MARKS
Candidates will be expected to have completed two studies from those given below. Assessment will be based
on a written report which should cover –
(I) Aim
(II) Basic concept: Definition of concepts used and related theory. Identification of variables –independent
and dependent.
(III) Method - (i) Sample of the Study
(ii) Procedure followed (data-collection, nature of raw data)
(iii) Statistical Treatment of Data
(iv) Results & Discussion
(v) Conclusion
The practical work will be assessed by the teacher and a Visiting Examiner appointed locally and
approved by CISCE.

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Mark allocation per study [15 marks]:
Basic Concept 3 marks
Method (correctness of procedure) 4 marks
Results and discussion 4 marks
Viva 4 marks

A. Statistics
To study group differences in Examination results.
Groups: Any two classes or two sections of the same class with same subjects.
Raw Data: Summated scores on all subjects in the annual examination for each student.
Analysis:
(i) Group analysis – Calculate mean scores (central tendency) and standard deviations (variability) for each
group and make inter-group comparisons.
(ii) Individual analysis – Calculate Z (standard) scores for any two students from each class – one whose
examination score is above the class mean and one whose examination score is below the class mean.
Interpret the Z score in standard deviation units and indicate the percentage of scores that lie above/below
the subject’s score (use a table that gives the areas under the Normal curve corresponding to given values
of Z).
(iii) Graphic Representation – bar diagram to depict the mean scores of both groups.

B. Attitudes
To study attitudinal differences regarding any one of the following – Fashion, Work/Lifestyle, Marriage.
Groups: Two generations (parents and children)
Or
Gender differences (boys and girls) of the same age-group (preferably from Class XI or XII).
Tools: to construct a simple 5-point scale (10-15 items) with positively and negatively worded statements.
Raw Data: Summated scores on all the statements for each respondent.
Analysis:
(i) Calculate mean attitudinal scores for each group and make inter-group comparisons.
(ii) Short, structured interview schedule constructed and administered to 8-10 students in each group. The
responses elicited can be used to draw inferences to explain the inter-group differences, if any.

C. Stress
To study the causes and effects of stress among school students.
Group: Class X or Class XI students
Tools: To construct two checklists - one indicating the potential stressors along with a 5-point rating scale
indicating their frequency of occurrence (very often, often, sometimes, rarely, very rarely). The stressors
should include dispositional/internal variables (personality attributes, cognitive appraisal) and
situational/external variables (life events, environmental pressures – physical, social, cultural and academic
stressors).
The second checklist should indicate the effects of stress (strain) – physical, psychological and behavioural
along with their frequency of occurrence (on a 5-point rating scale).
Analysis: To determine the stressors and the effects that occur with the most to the least frequency and
understand/explain each.
NOTE: No question paper for Practical Work will be set by CISCE.

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