The trustworthiness of mobile nodes is considered as the principal parameter for ensuring significant data dissemination in a Mobile Ad hoc NETwork (MANET). However, the selfish behaviour of nodes minimizes the trust by dropping a considerable amount of data packets in the network. The significant dropping of data packets by the selfish node introduces huge data overhead with increased latency and energy consumption, thus increasing the number of retransmissions. In this paper, Selfish Node Detection Scheme based on Bates Distribution Inspired Trust Factor (SNDS-BDITF) is propounded for predominant detection of selfish behaviour by investigating multiple levels of factors that contribute towards effective selfishness detection. The proposed SNDS-BDITF approach is also potent in enhancing the detection rate of selfishness by multi-perspective analysis of each monitored node’s forwarding characteristics considering the benefits of other cooperating mobile nodes. The simulation results of the propounded SNDS-BDITF method are enhanced on an average by 16% and 14% when compared to the existing selfish node segregation mechanisms prevalent in the literature.