ATTITUDE FORMATION AND CHANGE.

WHAT IS AN ATTITUDE?An attitude is a hypothetical construct that represents an individual's degree of like or dislike for something. Attitudes are generally positive or negative views of a person, place, thing, or eventThe attitude is the status-fixing behavior.Social psychologists define an attitude as an enduring evaluation, positive or negative, of people, objects, or ideasAttitudes are relatively enduring.Attitudes are situation-related.Attitude is a mental position relative to a way of thinking or being.

DEFINITIONAttitude denotes the sum total of mans inclinations and feelings, prejudice, or bias, pre conceived notions, ideas, fears, threats about any specific topicThurstoneAn attitude is a mental or neutral set of readiness exerting directive dynamic influence upon the individuals response to all objects and situations with which it is relatedAllport

TERMINOLOGYFavourability: the positive or negative evaluation of the object or event

Intensity: the strength with which one can hold an attitude

Confidence: the degree to which one believes their attitude is right

NATUREAttitudes are not inborn traits ,we acquire them through social interactions. So attitudes are learned.Family plays a major role in moulding our attitudes.Attitudes are re-actively enduring states of readiness.Attitudes have motivational affective characteristics.Attitude have subject object relationshipOpinions are expressions of ones attitudes.Attitude depends on knowledge.Attitude always arouses ones feelings and sentiments.Attitudes are multidimensionalThey are susceptible to change or modifications.Attitudes ranges from positive extremes to negative extremes though a neutral zone.Attitudes are numerous and varied as the stimuli to which they respond.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ATTITUDEObject baseThe object of attitude may be anything including a person, group, political or social event, issue or even an intimate objectSpecific directionAttitude guides the behavior of an individual in a particular directionStability Attitude is something which persists over a period of time

CHARACTERISTICS OF ATTITUDEMotivational propertiesIt denotes readiness to act in a particular mannerLearnedOne is not born with attitudes , these develops with our experiences in dealing with people and objectsManifest in behaviorIt operate at our sub conscious level i.e. people hold attitudes without being aware of itBi-polar traitIt is a position towards an object either positive or negative

CHARACTERISTICS OF ATTITUDEIt is integrated with the organized system and cannot be changed easilyIt varies from culture to culture or society to societyIt is overt or covert and based on individual differencesA person forms positive attitudes towards the objects, human groups, institutions, associations, etc. which are instrumental in his achievement

CHARACTERISTICS OF ATTITUDEAttitudes are judgements. They develop on the ABC model (affect, behavior, and cognition). The ABC's of attitudes. A: Affective (liking, feeling for)B: Behavioral (how you behave toward object in question)C: Cognition (your beliefs/thoughts about object in question)All components are in harmony with each other for eg. If you like (affective) a particular teacher very much and hold him in respect (cognitive) then you will try to attend all his classes(behavioral)

Attitudes structure can be described in terms ofthree componentsAffective component: this involves a person's feelings / emotions about the attitude object. For example :I like public speakingBehavioural component: the way the attitude we have influences how we act or behave. For example I will grab every opportunity to speak in publicCognitive component : this involves a person's belief / knowledge about an attitude object. For example I believe public speaking is important for my career.

WHATS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT ATTITUDES?Attitudes

Guide our thoughts (cognitive function)

Influence our feelings (affective function)

Affect our behavior (connative function)

FEW BENEFITS OF POSITIVE ATTITUDEConstructive thinkingCreative thinkingExpecting success Optimism.Improves quality Makes a congenial environmentBreeds loyalty. Believing in yourself and in your abilities. Displaying self- esteem and confidence. Looking for solutions. Seeing opportunities.

Increase profitsReduces stress Helps a person become contributing member of a family & society. Becomes an asset to their country. Makes a pleasant personalityMotivation to accomplish your goals. Being inspired. Choosing happiness Not giving up. Looking at failure and problems as blessing in disguise

TIPS TO DEVELOP POSITIVE ATTITUDEChoose to be happy. Look at the bright side of life. Choose to be and stay optimistic. Find reasons to smile more often. Repeat affirmations that inspire and motivate you. Learn concentrate and meditation. Associate yourself with happy people

Have faith in yourself and in the power of the Universe. Contemplate upon the futility of negative thinking and worriesRead inspiring quotesRead inspiring stories.Visualize only what you want to happen. Learn to master your thoughts.

ORIGINS OF ATTITUDESOne of our earliest agents of attitude formation are our parents, later followed by our peers and the mediaFour major sources of attitude formation are: classical conditioning: associating behaviors and attitudes as "good" or "bad" (i.e. it's good to tell the truth, it's bad to steal) operant conditioning: being rewarded or punished for behavior and attitudes (i.e. being praised for telling the truth or being punished for stealing something) cognitive appraisals: weighing logical arguments in determining your attitude observational learning: learning attitudes through peer behavior and the media

HOW ARE ATTITUDES FORMED?ConditioningLearning can occur from repeated exposure to stimuliWe are more likely to develop a positive attitude towards behaviour that continually brings rewardsModellingDevelop attitudes by watching others that we trust or respectCognitive LearningInvolves problem solving or reaching logical conclusions based on information

Theories of attitude formationMere ExposureAssociative LearningObservational Learning of AttitudesThe Self-perception TheoryThe Functional Theory of Attitude Formation

MERE EXPOSURE

The mere exposure effect postulates that people tend to develop a liking for something if they are frequently exposed to it. The more often a song is heard or the more time is spent with a person, the more appealing the song or person will appear to be.

ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING

The reinforcement theory seems to offer the most logical explanation when explaining why our attitudes are formed. In short, when we respond to a stimulus in a certain way and then get positive reinforcement for that response, we tend to repeat that response and adopt that as our attitude. The reverse is likewise true. For example, if I said I like Senator Snort, but always got criticized by family and friends for that response, its likely I would change my attitude.

OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING OF ATTITUDES

In Social or Observational Learning, attitudes are formed as a result of our everyday interaction with others. We observe the behaviors and expressions of attitude of others and tend to learn vicariously from the reinforcements which they receive. The learning of attitudes through observation can be clearly demonstrated as we watch television. Our attitudes toward fashion, and certain minority groups, to name a few, can all be influenced by what is portrayed in the television media.The tendency to adjust our attitudes is greater when our reference group consists of individuals whose opinions we value and with whom we can identify.

THE FUNCTIONAL THEORY OF ATTITUDE FORMATION The functional theory states that attitudes are formed in order to satisfy certain psychological needs. We believe things not necessarily because they are true but because they are useful to us.

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THEORY

Cognitive dissonance happens when an individual experiences two conflicting or inconsistent beliefs which cause a state of discomfort and tension. Dissonance is also created when a persons behaviour is incompatible with his thoughtsThe strength of the dissonance depends on how important the subject is to us, how conflicting and incompatible the beliefs and thoughts are, and our ability to rationalize and justify our behaviour.

To illustrate further, someone who smokes but believes that smoking is a danger to ones health, will experience dissonance. The strength of the dissonance depends on how much the individual likes to smoke and how dangerous he believes smoking is. The greatest dissonance will occur if both alternatives appear equally In order to eliminate the dissonance, the individual can stop smoking, which is usually the most difficult alternative, or justify his behaviour by convincing himself that he is not such a heavy smoker, or that life is short and we all must die anyway.or the smoker could remind himself that he is only human, with weaknesses like everyone else.

POSSIBLE WAYS OF CHANGING ATTITUDESProviding New Information. Sometimes a dramatic change in attitude is possible only by providing relevant and adequate information to the person concerned. Scanty and incomplete information can be a major reason for brewing negative feeling and attitudes. Use of Fear. Attitudes can be changed through the use of fear. People might resort to change their work habit for the fear of fear of unpleasant consequences. However, the degree of the arousal of fear will have to be taken into consideration as well.

Resolving Discrepancies. Whenever people face a dilemma or conflicting situation they feel confused in choosing a particular course of action. Like in the case where one is to choose from between two alternative courses of action, it is often become difficult for him to decide which is right for him. Even when he chooses one over the other, he might still feel confused. If some one helps him in pointing out the positive points in favour of the chosen course of action, he person might resolve the his dilemma.

Influence of friends and peers. A very effective way of changing ones attitude is through his friends and colleagues. Their opinion and recommendation for something often proves to be more important. If for example, they are all praise for a particular policy introduced in the work place, chances are high that an individual will slowly accept that even when he had initial reservations for that.

Co-opting. If you want to change the attitude of some body who belongs to a different group, it is often becomes very effective if you can include him in your own group. Like in the case of the union leader who are all the time vehemently against any management decision, can be the person who takes active initiative in implementing a new policy when he had participated in that decision making process himself.

*When discussing terminology relating to attitudes, we need to be familiar with these terms.Attitudes can be positive or negative, strong or weak, and the degree of confidence has been shown to reinforce the link between attitude and behaviour. This is important if the marketer is attempting to change an attitude with the marketing strategy. (See page 333.) HELPS A PERSON BECOME CONTRIBUTING MEMBER OF A FAMILY & SOCIETY. BECOMES AN ASSET TO THEIR COUNTRY.