Attitude

-

 

Attitude

Definition of Attitude:

·         A person's positive or negative favorable or unfavorable pro or con a person feels towards an object.

·         Attitudes are learned predispositions to respond to an object in a consistently favorably or unfavorable way.

 

 Attitude is made up of three components: cognitive (knowledge), affective (emotional), and conative (behavioral tendency) components.

 

 A person's overall attitude is a function of

1.    The strength of each of a number of beliefs the person holds about various aspects of an object.

2.    The evaluation given to each belief.

 

Characteristics of Attitude 

1. Attitude has an object: An attitude has an object, which is liked or disliked, favored or disfavored; or evaluated as negative or positive. The object can be a thing, an idea, a person, or a situation.

 

2. Attitudes are learnt: Attitude is not an inborn phenomenon. Attitudes are learnt through social interactions and experiences. We interact with others, experience many things and acquire information about things, which leads to the formation our negative or positive attitude towards different things.

 

3. Attitudes are predispositions: An attitude is a predisposition - a prior determined or learnt view of a thing or tendency to act in a specific way towards a thing. An individual has a view which is already formed in his mind.

 

4. Attitudes are relatively stable phenomena: An attitude is not a momentary feeling but a long-held view of something. Though attitudes can be changed from time to time but It is a relatively stable phenomenon that persists for a period of time.

 

5. Attitude has an emotional component: It has emotional aspect of liking or disliking in relation to an object.

 

6. Attitudes influence human behavior: A positive attitude towards a thing will influence human behavior towards the thing favorably.

 

 

 

Functions of Attitude

Attitudes serve a variety of functions for individuals in social psychology. Here are some of the key functions of attitudes:

 

 

Utilitarian function: Attitudes serve a utilitarian function by helping individuals maximize rewards and minimize punishment. For example, someone may have a positive attitude towards studying because they believe it will lead to good grades and future success.

 

Knowledge function: Humans have a need for a structured and orderly world. They seek consistency, stability, understanding. Attitudes serve a knowledge function by helping individuals organize and simplify their understanding of the world, what we need to know or not know.

 

Social adjustment function: Attitudes serve a social adjustment function by helping individuals fit in with their social environment and meet social norms. For example, someone may have a positive attitude towards a particular sports team because it is popular among their social group.

 

Ego-defensive function: Attitudes serve an ego-defensive function by helping individuals protect their selfesteem and defend against feelings of vulnerability or anxiety. For example, someone may have a negative attitude towards a certain type of food because they had a bad experience with it in the past.

 

Value-expressive function: Attitudes serve a value-expressive function by allowing individuals to express their values and beliefs to others. For example, someone may have a positive attitude towards environmental conservation because they value sustainability and want to express their commitment to protecting the planet.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Evolution of Management Thought (3): Quantitative Approach & Contingency Approach

-
  Quantitative Approach to Management What is the Quantitative Approach to Management? The quantitative approach applies statistics, optimization models, information models, computer simulations, and other quantitative techniques to the management process. Central to the quantitative approach is the principle that organizations are decision-making units. These decision-making units can be made more efficiently using mathematical models that place relevant factors into numerical terms. The primary branches of quantitative management include: 1. Management Science 2. Operations Management 3. Management Information Systems 4. Total Quality Management Some of the primary techniques applicable to Quantitative Management include: 1. Theory of Probability, 2. Sampling Analysis, 3.Correlation / Regression Analysis, 4. Time Series Analysis, 5. Ratio Analysis, 6. Variance Analysis, 7. Statistical Quality Control, 8. Linear Programming, 9. Game Theory, 10. Network Analysis, 11. Break-Even Ana...
Read more

Evolution of Management Thought (1) - Classical & Neo-Classical

-
    Topics Covered I.              Classical Approaches-   1. Scientific Management - FW Taylor, Henry L. Gantt, Frank & Lillion Gilberth 2. Administrative Management - Henry Fayol, L. Urwick, 3. Bureaucracy - Max weber   II.            Neo Classical Approaches. - 1 . Human Relations Movement - Hawthorne Experiment by Elton mayo & Colleagues.   Over the last couple of centuries many stalwarts have contributed to the development of management thoughts. The management thoughts have been classified in many ways. A simple way these can be classified is the following.  I.  Classical Approaches-  1. Scientific Management - FW Taylor, Henry L. Gantt, Frank & Lillion Gilberth 2. Administrative Management - Henry Fayol, L. Urwick, 3. Bureaucracy - Max weber II. Neo Classical App...
Read more

Management: Definition, Nature, Functions, Importance, Skills, Roles, Levels

-
Image
    Topics Covered Management: ·         Definition ·         Nature ·         Functions ·         Importance ·         Management and Administration ·         Skills ·         Roles ·         Levels   Definition of Management •           Management is the accomplishment of results through the efforts of other people. (Lawrence. A. Appley). •           Management is the art of getting things done through and with the people in formally organized groups. (Koontz. H).   Introduction to Management   •      ...
Read more