Texas A&M University (TAMU) ENGR102 Engineering Lab I - Computation Practice Exam

The 'self' keyword serves a crucial role in defining class methods in Python, where it specifically refers to the instance of the class that is currently being worked with. When a method is called on an object (an instance), 'self' allows access to the attributes and methods associated with that specific instance. This feature enables the differentiation of data and behavior among various instances of the same class.

For instance, if you have multiple objects created from the same class, each object can maintain its own state and respond to method calls in a way that is relevant to that individual object. When you use 'self' within a method, you are effectively saying, "This operation pertains to the instance of the class that invoked the method.”

This understanding is integral to object-oriented programming, as it supports encapsulation and keeps the data organized within the object that owns it. This specificity provided by 'self' is what makes it a critical part of defining class methods in Python.