What is Attitde?

What is Attitde?

A predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person, or situation. Attitude influences an individual's choice of action, and responses to challenges, incentives, and rewards (together called stimuli).

Major Components Of Attitude

Four major components of attitude are:L
(1) Affective: emotions or feelings.
(2) Cognitive: belief or opinions held consciously.
(3) Conative: inclination for action.

(1). Cognitive Attitude - 

Cognitive Attitude our thoughts, beliefs, and ideas about something. When a human being is the object of an attitude, the cognitive component is frequently a stereotype, e.g. "welfare recipients are lazy" 

(2). Affective Attitude -

Affective Attitude feelings or emotions that something evokes. e.g. fear, sympathy, hate. May dislike welfare recipients. 

(3). Conative, or behavioral Attitude- 

Behavioral Attitude tendency or disposition to act in certain ways toward something. Might want to keep welfare recipients out of our neighborhood. Emphasis is on the tendency to act, not the actual acting; what we intend and what we do may be quite different.

How Do Attitudes Influence Behavior?

We tend to assume that people behave in accordance with their attitudes. However, social psychologists have found that attitudes and actual behavior are not always perfectly aligned. After all, plenty of people support a particular candidate or political party and yet fail to go out and vote.

Researchers have discovered that people are more likely to behave according to their attitudes under certain conditions:

• When your attitudes are the result of personal experience.

• When you are an expert in the subject.

• When you expect a favorable outcome.

• When the attitudes are repeatedly expressed.

• When you stand to win or lose something due to the issue.

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