Description
The IGNOU MSW-013 Solved Assignment offers question-wise model answers for Introduction to Psychological Basis of Counselling, a 4-credit Year 1 theory course in PGDCOUN. It covers psychology, personality, social behaviour, mental-health conditions and counselling applications. Listed sessions are 2026-27 and 2025-26; match your own booklet before selecting the file.
MSW-013 Course and Assignment at a Glance
| University | Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) |
| School | School of Social Work |
| Course Code | MSW-013 |
| Course Name | Introduction to Psychological Basis of Counselling |
| Programme | Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work Counselling (PGDCOUN) |
| Programme Stage | Year 1 |
| Credits | 4 (Theory) |
| Edition | English |
| Maximum Marks | 100 |
| Assignment Weightage | 30% of the course evaluation |
| Resource Type | Independent study-support model answers |
Sessions Available in This Product
| Session | Paper identification | Solution status |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | PGDCOUN booklet for the July 2026 and January 2027 admission cycles | Complete English solution prepared |
| 2025-26 | Earlier PGDCOUN session with a different question set | Requires its own session-specific solution file |
MSW-013 keeps a similar marks pattern across cycles, but the actual alternatives change. The 2026-27 paper asks about the Five Factor Model, Erikson, dementia care, therapeutic conditions and reinforcement; the 2025-26 paper uses a different combination of abnormality, social psychology, anxiety and dissociative-disorder questions. Compare every question, not only the course code, before using a solution.
About MSW-013: Introduction to Psychological Basis of Counselling
MSW-013 gives social-work learners a psychological foundation for the helping process. It explains how behaviour may be studied scientifically, how personality develops, how people influence one another in groups and how emotional or behavioural difficulties can affect functioning. The course then connects those ideas with practice in substance-use services, dementia care, child and family support and other counselling settings.
The official Self Learning Material is organised into four blocks:
| Block | Title | Central concerns |
|---|---|---|
| Block 1 | General Psychology | Psychological methods, personality, therapeutic approaches and personality theories |
| Block 2 | Social Psychology | Group dynamics, social diversity, attitudes, stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination |
| Block 3 | Abnormal Psychology-I | Normality and abnormality, childhood disorders, anxiety and mood disorders |
| Block 4 | Abnormal Psychology-II | Psychosis, substance abuse, dementia and dissociative disorders |
The paper moves repeatedly between theory and application. A strong response therefore defines the psychological construct, explains its mechanism and then shows how it changes assessment, counselling, referral or social support. Medical diagnosis and prescribing remain outside a social worker’s professional role.
Where MSW-013 Fits in PGDCOUN
IGNOU places MSW-013 in Year 1 alongside courses on the origins of social work, life-course characteristics, social case work, counselling basics and fields of counselling, plus supervised practicum. MSW-013 supplies the concepts needed to understand a client’s personality, developmental task, group environment and possible mental-health concern before an intervention is planned.
How the MSW-013 Assignment Is Structured
| Question | Required choice | Marks | Question character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | One of two alternatives | 20 | Psychology and its branches, or personality and the Five Factor Model |
| Question 2 | One of two alternatives | 20 | Substance-use management, or Erikson’s psychosocial theory |
| Question 3 | Any two of four | 2 × 10 = 20 | Methods, dementia, childhood disorders and group dynamics |
| Question 4 | Any four of six | 4 × 5 = 20 | Focused explanations of personality, mood and therapy concepts |
| Question 5 | Any five of eight | 5 × 4 = 20 | Short notes on disorders, learning, stress and social attitudes |
The solved file covers every printed alternative so that learners can compare options. A submission should contain only the number of answers requested by the booklet and should total 100 marks.
Marks and Recommended Answer Length
| Question group | Marks per answer | Printed length | Useful structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Questions 1 and 2 | 20 | Maximum 600 words | Definition, organised explanation, application and conclusion |
| Question 3 | 10 | About 300 words | Brief opening, developed points, examples and closing insight |
| Question 4 | 5 | About 150 words | Accurate concept plus significance or application |
| Question 5 | 4 | About 100 words | Definition, key features and one practice detail |
Questions 1 and 2 use a firm ceiling rather than a target to exceed. The challenge is to compress enough theory and application into 600 words without repetition. The later questions test whether the same subject vocabulary can be scaled down accurately.
What You Get in This Solved Assignment
- All 22 printed alternatives answered, allowing you to study each option before selecting the prescribed combination.
- Four developed 20-mark responses on psychology, personality, substance-use practice and psychosocial development.
- Practice-linked mental-health explanations that distinguish social-work responsibilities from diagnosis and medical treatment.
- Accurate conceptual contrasts, including id-ego-superego, ABC theory, the therapeutic triad and the trait clusters used for personality disorders.
- Childhood and later-life coverage through examples of neurodevelopmental conditions, dementia care and caregiver support.
- Ethical language that avoids stigma, blame and casual diagnostic labels.
How to Use the MSW-013 Solved Assignment
- Match the paper line by line. Check the admission cycle, course title and every alternative in your booklet.
- Select the permitted options. Choose one response each from Questions 1 and 2, followed by two, four and five responses in the remaining groups.
- Read the relevant SLM unit. Note how IGNOU defines the concept and which classification vocabulary it uses.
- Study the answer architecture. Observe how a theory answer differs from a practice answer on dementia or substance use.
- Rewrite in your own words. Add a suitable school, family, health-care or community example where it strengthens the explanation.
- Check professional boundaries. Avoid presenting social workers as medical diagnosticians or prescribers.
- Review length and presentation. Begin each answer on a new page and leave a blank line between paragraphs.
If handwriting is the main obstacle, explore IGNOU Handwritten Assignments prepared in the prescribed format.
Assignment Writing Tips for Psychology and Counselling
- Define before applying. State what a construct means before explaining what a counsellor does with it.
- Separate description from diagnosis. A short answer may describe signs, but diagnosis requires qualified assessment and functional evidence.
- Use a person-in-environment frame. Connect cognition and emotion with family, poverty, discrimination, health, school or work.
- Do not moralise about addiction. Discuss risk, motivation, treatment, family support, rehabilitation and relapse prevention.
- Show both sides of a theory. Explain its contribution and one limitation, especially for stage or trait models.
- Use non-stigmatising language. Refer to a person with a condition, not a person reduced to a label.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Writing every optional answer in the submitted assignment instead of following the choice pattern.
- Exceeding the 600-word maximum for Questions 1 and 2.
- Confusing introversion with anxiety or a personality trait with a disorder.
- Listing Erikson’s stages without explaining the conflict, strength or counselling relevance.
- Presenting substance use as weak character rather than a biopsychosocial concern.
- Using outdated or judgemental descriptions of autism, dementia or mental illness.
- Treating empathy as sympathy or unconditional positive regard as approval of harmful conduct.
- Copying a model answer without understanding the terms or adapting the example.
Submission Rules for the MSW-013 Assignment
- The assignment carries 30% weightage in the course evaluation.
- Write the answers by hand, sign the work and submit it to the allotted Study Centre.
- Begin each answer on a fresh page and leave one blank line between paragraphs.
- Use an introduction, subtitles, a developed body and a conclusion for long and medium answers.
- The printed due dates are 31 March 2027 for the July 2026 cycle and 30 September 2027 for the January 2027 cycle.
University extensions may change the effective submission date. Verify any extension through IGNOU or the relevant Regional Centre.
Where to Download the Official MSW-013 Question Paper
Use the official IGNOU assignment download page to verify the paper for your cycle. Programme placement and credits can be checked on the official PGDCOUN programme page, while the course blocks are available through eGyanKosh.
Academic Integrity Note
This resource is independent study-support material prepared by Shri Chakradhar Publication. It is not an official IGNOU answer key and is not approved or endorsed by the university. Use the model answers to understand structure, depth and application, then rewrite the selected responses in your own language with reference to the official learning material.
Reviewed and Published By
Expert-reviewed | Last updated: August 2026
BK Sahni (Bhavya Kumar Sahni) is the Founder of Shri Chakradhar Publication Private Limited and of ignouproject.com, and has been working with IGNOU distance-learning students since 2010. He is an author and publisher whose work focuses on structured, course-aligned study support for IGNOU learners, and his published research is indexed under ORCID iD 0009-0005-8092-459X. This page and the accompanying MSW-013 answers were reviewed against the official IGNOU assignment booklet, the IGNOU Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work Counselling programme details and the MSW-013 Self Learning Material published on eGyanKosh, for clarity, subject relevance and factual accuracy.
Course, programme and assignment details on this page are drawn from official IGNOU sources. Assignment questions, validity periods and submission dates change from session to session, so please confirm current details from IGNOU before you submit. Found an error or an outdated detail? Contact us so the page can be reviewed and corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions About the IGNOU MSW-013 Solved Assignment
What is the IGNOU MSW-013 Solved Assignment?
It is a set of independently prepared model answers for MSW-013, Introduction to Psychological Basis of Counselling, in PGDCOUN. It covers every alternative in all five question groups, including long essays, 300-word responses, focused explanations and short notes. It is study support, not a university answer key.
Which sessions are listed for MSW-013?
The product lists 2026-27 and 2025-26. The complete English file prepared here matches the supplied 2026-27 PGDCOUN booklet. The 2025-26 paper contains different questions and therefore needs a separate session-specific solution file.
How many answers should I submit?
Submit one answer from each OR pair in Questions 1 and 2, any two parts of Question 3, any four parts of Question 4 and any five parts of Question 5. This combination totals 100 marks.
What are the word limits for MSW-013?
Questions 1 and 2 must not exceed 600 words each. Question 3 expects about 300 words per answer, Question 4 about 150 words and Question 5 about 100 words. Stay relevant instead of padding an answer.
Why does MSW-013 include both personality theory and mental disorders?
Counselling requires an understanding of ordinary individual differences as well as clinically significant difficulty. Personality and developmental theories explain patterns of coping, while abnormal psychology helps learners recognise when impairment, risk or specialist referral may be involved.
Can a social worker diagnose a psychiatric disorder from these answers?
No. The assignment teaches concepts and practice roles, but diagnosis requires qualified assessment and appropriate professional authority. A social worker can observe concerns, assess psychosocial needs, identify risk, coordinate care and make referrals without applying a casual label.
What is the therapeutic triad in this paper?
In the person-centred context, it refers to congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy. These conditions create a relationship in which the client can explore experience with less fear of judgement, while professional boundaries and safety responsibilities remain intact.
Are these official IGNOU answers?
No. Shri Chakradhar Publication prepared them independently as study-support model answers. IGNOU has not published, approved or endorsed the resource. The official documents are the assignment booklet, programme page and Self Learning Material.
Should the assignment be handwritten?
Yes. The booklet instructs learners to submit handwritten, duly signed answers to the Study Centre. Begin each response on a new page, leave a blank line between paragraphs and organise longer answers with subtitles.
Related IGNOU MSW-013 Study Resources
- IGNOU MSW-013 Help Books — useful for revising the four psychology blocks and distinguishing closely related personality and disorder concepts.
- IGNOU MSW-013 Solved Guess Papers — useful for practising how recurring counselling themes appear in Term-End Examination questions.
- IGNOU MSW-013 Handwritten Assignment — suitable when the selected answers need to be prepared in the prescribed handwritten format.
- IGNOU MSW-013 Solved Previous Year Question Papers — helpful for testing personality, social psychology and abnormal-psychology concepts under examination conditions.
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