Attitude - Definition, Types, Formation, Change, Challenges, Lessons

Attitude:

Definition: Attitude is a psychological response expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favour or disfavour.

Attitude is the readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way. Jung

Structure: Attitude has the following three components:

1.   Cognitive:  The cognitive component is that part of attitude which is based on thinking, beliefs etc. 

2. Affective: It is that part of the attitude which is based on feelings/emotions.

3.    Behavioural: It is the product of our past reaction towards an attitude or object or reaction to an experience. 

Types of Attitude

Positive (Optimistic) – A person with positive attitude always sees the bright side of things. He is able to see a ray of hope even in an otherwise dark scenario. He believes that even a hopeless situation may prove to be an opportunity if it is tackled boldly and intelligently.

Negative (Pessimistic) – A person with a negative attitude is in the habit of looking at the dark side of things and ignoring the bright one. He does not realize that a situation which appears to be hope less to him has another side also and, if tackled intelligently and courageously, may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.        

Realistic (Balanced) – A person with a balanced attitude sees both sides of the picture. He is neither unduly optimistic nor unduly pessimistic. He looks both at the challenges that a situation poses as well as the opportunities that it offers.

The realistic attitude is the best attitude for us to adopt. A man with a negative attitude may happen to lose an opportunity that comes his way. On the other hand, a man with an unduly positive attitude may rush in where even the angels fear to tread and invite ruin upon himself and his organization. The best way for an individual as well as an organization is ti weigh both the risks and the opportunities so that he may be prepared to meet the challenges while trying to take advantage of the opportunities.

Conscious – Conscious attitude is the attitude that we are aware of. We know very well that we have this kind of attitude.

Unconscious – Unconscious attitude is attitude that we are not aware of. We have it without knowing that we have it.

Extrovert – The attitude that we claim to have before others.

Introvert – The attitude we feel in our heart of hearts that we have. It may be different from the extrovert attitude.

Rational – It is the attitude which is based on reason and logic. We can logically justify and prove that it right attitude. Rational attitude is based on thinking and feeling.

Irrational – It is attitude that we can logically justify to be correct. It is based on sensing and intuition.

Individual – It is the attitude that you have as a person. It has nothing to do with the people around you.

Social - Social attitude is the collective attitude of the society of which you are a member. It is the attitude which a vast majority of your society accepts as the right attitude. As an individual, you may or may not agree with it. Many of the social attitudes are isms.

Formation of Attitude

Factors that influence attitude

1.            Family: The members of our family – our parents, brothers, sisters, elders and our relatives play an important role in shaping our attitude. Their example as well as their words influence our attitude to a great extent. Even the stories of our forefathers whom we may never have seen influence our attitude.

2.            Society: The society that we live in is another important factor that moulds our attitude. The culture, the traditions, the religion, and even the famous personalities of the present and the past influence our attitude towards life and its problems.

3.            Company: The circle of friends including our colleagues, with whom we spend most of our time also play a role in shaping our attitude. We cannot remain unaffected by their attitude.

4.            Education: The education we get is another major factor influencing our attitude. The nature and attitude of our teachers and the kind of thinking and ideas they expose us to leave a permanent imprint on our attitude.

5.            Reading:  he books, magazines and newspapers that we read also determine our attitude to some extent. Their contents leave an everlasting mark on our mind. We become what we read.

6.            Past Experiences – Our past experiences also shape our attitude to a very great extent. Unhealthy experiences tend to make our attitude negative whereas happy experiences tend to make it positive.

7.            Economics: Our income, our social status and the work we do also affect our attitude. People in a comfortable financial position and having a high and secure source of income generally have a positive and optimistic outlook whereas those who live in poverty have a negative outlook. Similarly those with a high social status tend to have a positive attitude and those having a low social status generally have a negative attitude. Likewise, people engaged in honouable and pleasing work are normally found to have a positive attitude and those who have to do menial tasks like scavenging tend to have a negative attitude.

8.            Exposure: Repeated exposure to an object leads to a positive attitude towards that object. Familiarity with things generates a positive attitude.

9.            Heredity (Genetic Influence) – To some extent, our attitude is also shaped by the genes that we have inherited from our forefathers. Just as we inherit some physical characteristics from our ancestors, we also inherit a part of our psychological make-up from them. That is why we say – Like father, like son.

Changing Attitude

Change: Attitude can be changed through persuasion. Results depend on response to communication

Factors affecting the power of persuasion of a message:

1.            Target Characteristics:  The characteristics of the person whose attitude we are trying to change are very important in this respect.

A.           Intelligence: Success in changing the attitude of a person is in inverse proportion to his intelligence. The more intelligent a person is, the more difficult it is to change his attitude.t

B.           Self-esteem: A person with a medium self-esteem can easily be persuaded to change his attitude.  On the other hand, people with a high or low self-esteem respond very slowly to our efforts.

2.            Source Characteristics: The characteristics of the person who is trying to change somebody’s attitude are also important.  

A.           Expertise or skill of the communicator – We easily believe when an expert tells us to think or behave differently whereas we are unwilling to follow a person in whose competence we do not have any faith. The skill with which such a person also is important. A master in the art of counselling can work wonders while an expert lacking in this quality may fail in spite of his expertise.

B.           Interpersonal Attraction – The relationship of the target with the persuader is also very important. If we love a person or hold him in high regard, we tend to follow his advice more easily. But if we do not like him or have no regard for him, we are more likely to ignore his advice.

C.            Credibility of the source of information: The effect of counselling also depends on the credibility of the counsellor. If the target has full faith in his competence, the response will positive and quick. We always consider the credentials of the counsellor. Is the person qualified to give advice? Is the source reliable? Information from a medical journal is more likely to influence us than information we find on the social media.  We believe more in the advice of a specialist than that of a quack.

3.         Message characteristics:

A.           Presenting both sides of the matter is more effective than presenting just one side. The target feels that something is being hidden from him.

B.           Number of arguments in favour or against the change also counts. The more numerous and eighty the arguments, the more they are likely to succeed in bringing about the desired change.

4.            Cognitive Routes:

A.            Central Route: The target is presented with the data and asked to draw his own conclusions. This route is more likely to succeed because the target feels that he is making an informed choice.

B.           Peripheral Route: In this method, the target is encouraged to look not at the data but at the source of information – doctors for medical issues, film stars for cosmetics, financial experts for financial matters. He may be unwilling to follow the advice because he feels that he is being shown only one side of the picture.

C.            Emotional Route: This route tries to exploit the emotions of the target. We try to arouse jealousy, ambition, disgust, fear, anger, revenge etc. in order to bring out the desired change in his attitude. It may work well in some cases but in others, the target may suspect that he is being emotionally blackmailed

      Therefore, we must be careful not to use an overdose of emotional appeal. We must know how much of it is enough.  Too little of it will not work. Too much of it may boomerang or paralyse the target and fail.

Challenges to Good / Positive Attitude

1.            Failures – Repeated failures are a challenge to positive attitude. It is easy to cope with an occasional failure but repeated failures break one’s heart and generate a negative attitude.

2.            Over-expectation   – Sometimes over-expectation also leads to negative attitude. When we have too high an expectation and that expectation is not fulfilled, we tend to lose heart started thinking negatively.

3.            Biting more than you can chew – There is a limit to what a person is capable of doing. Sometimes, we burden ourselves with too many responsibilities. Due to our limitations, we are unable to discharge them efficiently. The resultant failure breeds negativity in us.

4.            Lack of appreciation – When we make an achievement but do not get any appreciation from our seniors, we feel discouraged. As a result, we develop a negative attitude.

5.            Pessimism – Some people are pessimistic by nature. They are incapable of seeing a ray of hope even where it is present. Such people can never have a positive attitude.

6.            Worrying about the future – If we worry too much about the future. As a result, we are unable to focus on the task in hand and cannot perform it well. Our failure makes us develop a negative attitude in us.

7.            Hanging on to the past and regretting – Everybody makes mistakes. But we should not hang on to them for long. When we keep thinking of our past mistakes all the time and keep regretting our mistakes, we are unable to focus on the present job. Continuous regretting consumes much of our energy and time. We fail and failure creates a negative attitude in us.

8.            Criticism – Undue and undeserved criticism also upsets us and leads to negative attitude. We lose focus and are unable to give our best. We are unable to concentrate on the job in hand. Our failure to perform well further complicates the situation.

9.            Not enjoying what you have but keeping craving for more – There are some people who are never satisfied with what they have. Instead of enjoying what they have, they keep craving for more. They do not see what they have. They see only what they do not have. Consequently, they develop a negative attitude.

10.        Failure to keep going / Leaving things unfinished / Changing plans halfway through – Some times, we get too impatient to see the results of our efforts. When the results are delayed a bit, we are unable to keep going. We leave things unfinished. Our impatience makes us doubt our planning. We start thinking that it is wrong. So we change our plan before it is fully executed. The consequent failure depresses us and leads to negative attitude.

11.        Not forgetting unpleasant experiences – Sticking to the bitter experiences of the past is another cause that gives rise to negative attitude. It is best to forget them as soon as possible, concentrate on the present and look to the future.

Lessons to be learnt for keeping a positive attitude

1)           Wake up with a smile in the morning. It helps to stay happy and positive throughout the day.

2)           Live life one day at a time. Do not have too much planning about the future.

3)           Be optimistic all the time whatever the circumstances may be. Even in the midst of the worst circumstances, hope that things will take a turn for the better. Every coin has two sides. Look at the good one and ignore the bad one.

4)           Enjoy life. Enjoy what you have got instead of craving for more. Whatever may happen, have fun.

5)           Do not hang on to the past. Forget the unpleasant experiences of the past, the wrong decisions, and the wrongs done to you by others. Learn to forgive and forget.

6)           In spite of all the odds, keep pushing. Do not give up when you encounter opposition or obstacles in the way. Hold on to your determination to take things to their logical end.

7)           Change a decision if you are convinced that it is wrong.

8)           No second guesses. Once you have decided to do something, stick to it. Do not waver. Do not keep changing directions like a weathercock.

9)           Live in the present moment. It has a calming effect. Do not keep regretting the past. It won’t come again. Worry not about the future. It will take care of itself when it does come.

10. Be nice, good, compassionate, helpful, and sympathetic to others. It will bring tremendous rewards to you in the form of inner joy and peace.

11. Say and be rid of it. If someone has done something bad to you and it keeps haunting you, just tell him so and then forget it. But do not argue if he does not apologize or make amends. Just unburden your mind and feel light.