1. Attitude is a mental structure or framework that includes motivational, perceptual, emotional and cognitive reaction of a person to his environment, other person and objects are based on his attitudes.
2. Attitude is a permanent disposition of a person towards an object, subject or thought that tends him to react in accordance with his interests.
3. Attitudes are the manifestation of a person's concepts, thoughts or imaginations, which direct his behaviour towards a specific direction.
Attitudes consist of three components:-
1. Cognitive
2. Affective
3. Behavioural
1. Cognitive:- This components refers to beliefs held in the mind of a person which are developed on the basis of knowledge or information collected from books, newspaper or from other. Personal experience also contributes in the formation of beliefs.
For example:- Belief of Indians towards the English people is based on the independence movement studied in history books.
2. Affective:- Every belief is loaded with certain emotional feelings, which may be pleasurable or painful. Whenever some belief is activated individual experience that emotions associated with that belief.
For example:- This knowledge that the English people made us slave for several years and had done various atrocities with us resulted into a belief that these people are cruel and it is associated with the feelings of hatred and anger towards the English people.
3. Behavioral:- It refers to reaction part of the attitude. First two components determine the behavioral reaction of a person. If belief and emotions associated are positive then the behavior will also be positive, but if negative then the behavior will also be same.
For example:- Belief towards the English people and feeling of anger will direct the behavioral reaction as less co-operative and cold towards the English.
But is does not happen always that the behavioral reaction will be in accordance to the first two components. Sometimes a gap has been observed in the attitudes and behavioral.
For example:- An Indian may report negative attitude towards the English people but in actual confrontation with them he may behave very warmly. It has been observed that situational factors also play an important role in determining the behavioral reaction of a person.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ATTITUDE:-
1. Attitude are related to the needs and problems of the person.
2. Unconscious mind plays an important role in the formation of attitudes.
3 A series of emotional experience is attached to attitudes.
4. The reaction of a person towards an object, issue or environment can be predicted by knowing his attitudes.
5. Attitudes are related to some thoughts, images and external objects.
DEVELOPMENT OF ATTITUDES
Formation of attitudes is a development process. It starts development, nature of attitudes change from liquid to solid form. These can be divided into three stages:
1. Childhood
2. Adoloescence
3. Adulthood
1. Childhood:- Formation of attitudes in childhood is especially based on the attitudes held by parents. On various issue particularly on politics and religion attitudes of children are acquired from parents. The parents approve the children, when they express same attitudes as parents have. Thus children learn attitudes primarily from parents in this stage of development. Studies also show a very high correlation in attitudes of parents and children. Parents as "My dad says or My mother etc." on various issue. However attitude acquired from parents may be similar but some degree of difference may be there. Attitude of children may be less conservation or more liberal than parents.
For example:- Children will have attitude on religion as parents are having but children may be little bit more liberal than parents on certain issue of religion.
2. Adolescence:- It is most critical period of life and also for the development of attitude. In this stage, children start to move away from the influence of parents. Up to now the attitudes are in semi liquid from and so the chances of change in attitude are high during this period of life. Children have more access to information from source. The sources of information at this stages are: Media, friends and education.
Media is very strong source of information in this, when there is such fast change in technology, Newspaper, internet, mobiles, computer are so many strong impact on the attitudes of children. Not only it help in developing new attitudes, but it can also modify already held attitudes acquired from the parents in childhood.
Most close member at this stage are friends. Friends can also strongly influence the attitudes of children. To be the member of friends club it is necessary to acquire the attitudes held by the friends.
Education also strongly influences the acquisition of attitudes. It is found that the level of education makes the attitudes more liberal. It is found that educated people are more liberal than illiterate individuals. As the level of education rises it results into making attitudes more and more liberal.
3. Adulthood:- In this stage solidification of attitudes takes place and is most difficult to change in attitudes after solidification. In other stages the chance of attitude is there but n this stage crystallization makes the attitude unchangeable. This solidification process can be explained with two factors i.e. commitment and cognitive dissonance.
In this age of adulthood person wants stability in life at different areas of like in job, in marriage, in religion and in politics etc. Individual can not afford change in the life. So mostly a commitment is made in these areas of life and it solidified the attitudes.
Second way to explain solidification is by cognitive dissonance. Two opposite attitudes produce stress in the mind of person because of dissonance in the opposite attitudes. To reduce this dissonance usually people accept only that information which in the favour of held attitude and reject or ignore those that are against. This process of neglecting that information which can change the held attitude makes the attitudes more and more solidified.
For example:- A person having favourable attitude towards a particular political party will not give any attention to the news against that party or will reject any such information and will view the favourable points more highlighting.
Attitude change from liquid state in childhood to semi liquid in adolescence and solid in adulthood.
CHANGE IN ATTITUDE
Attitude once developed are difficult to be change after solidification of adulthood. However, it is not that all the attitudes are desirable in every situation. Sometimes changed situation of life demand change in the attitude. Also there are various agencies like government or commercial agencies, political parties uses different ways to change the attitude serving to their interests. It is always a question that what are the change of change in attitudes and what factor can make it possible.
1. Credibility:- The credibility of the sources person, who is delivering message to change the attitude is very important. When the massage is delivered by a person who seems to know what they are talking about and to have all the facts do carry more weight than other persons. It increase the credibility of the source and the chances of change in attitude are high. This is why television commercials often show laboratory-coated "experts".
2. Attractiveness:- It is also observed that attractiveness can have strong impact on the attitudes of other people and has the power to change it. That is why in advertisement attractive models are used to deliver the message.
3. Power:- A person, who is in position is more likely to persuade us than one who is not. However we must distinguish between private acceptance and superficial or pubic compliance. Powerful people may get us to go along with them publicly. But privately we may strict to our original opinion.
4. Designed messages:- The massage that do not appear to be designed to change our attitudes, are often more successful in this respect than once that seem intended to reach the goal. In other words, we do not trust those people who deliberately persuade us.
For example:- We do not trust Life Insurance Agents many times for the attractive explanation of policies.
5. Attention:- People are some times more disposed to get influenced for change in attitde when they are distracted by some extraneous events then, they paying full attention to what is being said to them.
6. Low Self-esteem:- People who are low at self-esteem can easily be persuaded for change in attitude than those high on self-esteem. However sometimes the low esteem person feels withdrawn and thus pays no attention to message delivered to him for changing the attitude.
7. One sided v\s two sided message:- Messages can be designed as one sided or two sided.
For example:- Message telling against smoking is one sided, but if it contain both pro and against views than it is two sided. It is found that if person is having neutral attitude then one sided message are very effective and if the person is already having attitude towards one particular direction then two sided messages work effectively.
8. Speed or Speaking:- People, who speak rapidly are often more persuasive in changing the attitude. Reason behind this is that people believe that rapidly speaking person has knowledge on the issue of speech.
9. Emotions:- Messages that arouse strong emotions particularly are found very effective in changing the attitude.
For example:- Such message like "speed thrills but kills" on highways. Such fear provoking messages seem to be especially effective in changing health one related attitudes and behaviours.
ATTITUDE IN HEALTH/SICKNESS
It is rightly said that health is wealth. A person who is physically and mentally fit enjoys the happiness of life otherwise life become hell. However to remain fit and healthy requires a lot of commitment to oneself.
For example:- To exercise regularly, to take care of eating habits, to avoid unnecessary stressful condition etc. It depends upon the attitude of a person's health. More the attitude is strong for keeping ones If fit and healthy more will be commitment. Pessimistic attitude towards health makes a person prone to be sick. Thus health and sickness are two sides of same coin depending upon the attitude toward health.
Even if a person is suffering from some sickness then also positive attitude towards health helps the person to make a speedy recovery. Negative attitude will increase the suffering from sickness. Attitude towards health professionals also determined certain behavioural reactions towards treatment. A person with negative attitude towards doctors will avoid going to them and will rely more on self medication. Such self medication can sometimes deteriorate the health conditions of a person. Positive attitude will help the person to take treatment in time thus avoids unnecessary complication of health.
There are also present various system of treatment like Ayurvedic, Naturepathy, Acupuncture, Homeopathy and the modern English. Which treatment a person prefers depends upon the attitude of a person. Favourable attitude towards a particular treatment system determines the preference of person.
Attitude towards medicine also determines in take of medicine in sickness. Positive attitude will let the person to follow the in take of medicine as strictly suggested by doctor but negative attitude will make the person to miss various doses. Thus positive attitude will help the person to recover fast.
