How Psychologists Define Attitudes: Social Psychology
How Psychologists Define Attitudes: Social Psychology
How Psychologists Define Attitudes: Social Psychology
toward a particular object, person, thing, or event. Attitudes are often the
result of experience or upbringing, and they can have a powerful influence over
behavior. While attitudes are enduring, they can also change.
Overview
What's your opinion on the death penalty? Which political party does a better
job of running the country? Should prayer be allowed in schools? Should
violence on television be regulated?
Chances are that you probably have fairly strong opinions on these and similar
questions. You've developed attitudes about such issues, and these attitudes
influence your beliefs as well as your behavior. Attitudes are an important topic
of study within the field of social psychology. But what exactly is an attitude?
How does it develop?
How Psychologists Define Attitudes
Psychologists define attitudes as a learned tendency to evaluate things in a
certain way. This can include evaluations of people, issues, objects, or events.
Such evaluations are often positive or negative, but they can also be uncertain
at times. For example, you might have mixed feelings about a particular person
or issue.
Researchers also suggest that there are several different components that
make up attitudes.
The components of attitudes are sometimes referred to as CAB or the ABC's of
attitude.
Attitude Formation
There are a number of factors that can influence how and why attitudes form.
Experience
Attitudes form directly as a result of experience. They may emerge due to direct
personal experience, or they may result from observation.
Social Factors
Social roles and social norms can have a strong influence on attitudes. Social
roles relate to how people are expected to behave in a particular role or context.
Social norms involve society's rules for what behaviors are considered
appropriate.
Learning
Attitudes can be learned in a variety of ways. Consider how advertisers use
classical conditioning to influence your attitude toward a particular product. In
a television commercial, you see young, beautiful people having fun on a
tropical beach while enjoying a sports drink. This attractive and appealing
imagery causes you to develop a positive association with this particular
beverage.
Operant conditioning can also be used to influence how attitudes develop.
Imagine a young man who has just started smoking. Whenever he lights up a
cigarette, people complain, chastise him, and ask him to leave their vicinity.
This negative feedback from those around him eventually causes him to
develop an unfavorable opinion of smoking and he decides to give up the habit.
Finally, people also learn attitudes by observing the people around them. When
someone you admire greatly espouses a particular attitude, you are more likely
to develop the same beliefs. For example, children spend a great deal of time
observing the attitudes of their parents and usually begin to demonstrate
similar outlooks.
Attitude Change
While attitudes can have a powerful effect on behavior, they are not set in
stone. The same influences that lead to attitude formation can also create
attitude change.
Positive Attitude
Individuals who have a positive attitude will pay attention to the good,
rather than bad in people, situations, events, etc. They will not consider a
mistake or failure as a hurdle, but as an opportunity. They learn from
mistakes, and move forward in life.
~ Confidence
~ Optimism
~ Cheerfulness/Happiness
~ Sincerity
~ Sense of responsibility
~ Flexibility
~ Determination
~ Reliability
~ Tolerance
~ Willingness to adapt
~ Humility
~ Diligence
Negative Attitude
People with a negative attitude ignore the good, and pay attention to the
bad in people, situations, events, etc. Also, they are likely to complain
about changes, rather than adapting to the changing environment. Also,
they might blame their failure on others.
~ Anger
~ Hatred
~ Pessimism
~ Frustration
~ Doubt
~ Resentment
~ Jealousy
~ Inferiority
Neutral Attitude
People with a neutral attitude don't give enough importance to situations
or events. They ignore the problem, leaving it for someone else to solve.
Also, they don't feel the need to change. Their traits include:
~ Complacence
~ Indifference
~ Detachment
~ Feeling of being disconnected
~ Unemotional
A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE
"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it (the heart) are found the
issues of life. For as a man thinketh in his heart so is he." Proverbs 4:23,
Proverbs 23:7
If we be a faithful Christian, we can not have a negative attitude. I am
Charles Burke. Let me reveal a negative attitude so that we can learn
more about the Divine Blessings of New Testament Christianity.
THE CONCLUSION
I. We should not have a negative attitude because we can develop a
positive attitude.
II. Let us keep our heart with all diligence because of it are found the
issues of life.
Most of us can easily identify bad attitudes when they are displayed outwardly
in our words or actions, such a negativeness, criticalness, rebellion, defiance,
impatience, uncooperative, apathy, discouragement, independence,
presumption, arrogance, self-centeredness, rudeness and such like. These are
examples of bad attitudes which Christians should reject. However, keep in
mind, attitudes are inner dispositions of the heart and thoughts — they are the
hidden intentions which will eventually serve as the basis for our actions. "For
as he thinks in his heart, so is he." (Prov. 23:7). In reality, no one else really
knows the thoughts of your heart, except you and God. Consequently, attitude
is something that only you and God can work out — a change which must take
place inwardly.
An example of a bad attitude is seen in George Brown. He went to church
cheerfully as long as his business continued to prosper — as long as
everything went well for him. He sang joyfully in the choir, he rarely missed a
service. But when hard times set in George began to drop away. He became
resentful toward God, even critical of other Christians.
The right attitude to have when difficulty comes is to persevere in faith and
draw nearer to God — to fall at the feet of Jesus. The Bible makes it clear that
God works all things together for our good when we love Him, and the testing of
our faith is for our benefit. Trouble will never defeat the person with a right
attitude.
Another bad attitude can be seen in Sally Smith. She had been a Christian for
nearly two years. She loved the lord and was growing as a Christian, but was
still battling sins of the flesh — and occasionally fell back into the temptation of
drunkenness. One evening the pastor and his family were entering a restaurant,
when he noticed Sally slouching at the distant bar, obviously intoxicated. The
next Sunday after service, the pastor and his wife took Sally aside privately, and
warned her gently about the sins of drunkenness.
The pastor read scripture from Galations chapter 5. "Now the works of the flesh
are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of
which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who
practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21).
The pastor encouraged Sally to repent of this activity and prayed with her, but
she was deeply offended by the pastor’s forthrightness. She immediately
changed churches and afterward would often be heard "bad-mouthing" that
church and pastor.
The better attitude would have been for this woman to be humble and
submissive toward the pastor’s loving correction of sin, which was based upon
God’s Word (2 Tim. 4:2, 1 Cor. 5:11-13, Gal. 5:19-21, Gal. 6:1). As a general rule,
persons who have a bad attitude toward authority figures, always have a
problem with God.
Good Attitudes
According to scripture, your attitude toward life, your circumstances, or toward
other people should always be like the Lord’s — as is defined by scripture.
Good attitudes are generally demonstrated in being positive, encouraging,
loving, humble, teachable, cooperative, considerate, selfless, loyal, persevering
and so forth (Gal. 5:22-23).
To God — Our attitude should be reverence, submission, love, trust,
humbleness, obedience, worshipful, and prayerful. (Psa. 111:10, Mark 12:30,
John 14:15, Jas. 4:7, 1 Sam. 15:23)
To God’s Children — Our attitude should be love, forgiveness, consideration,
caring, encouragement, kindness, humility, unselfishness, respectful, and
impartial. (John 13:34-35, 15:12, Rom. 12:10, 13:10, 15:7, Jas. 2:9, Eph. 4:2, 4:32,
Col. 3:16, 1 Thes. 5:11, Heb. 3:13, 1 Cor. 13:4-8).
To Authority — Our attitude should be respectful, cooperative, accountable,
humble, helpful, encouraging, loyal. Not resentful, defiant or disrespectful.
(Heb. 13:17, 1 Pet. 2:13-15)
To Hard Circumstances — Our attitude should be patience, thankfulness,
persevering, believing. (Rom. 8:28, Gal. 1:9)
To Our Church — Our attitude should be respectful, faithful, cooperative,
helpful, willingness, dependable, participating, encouraging. (1 Cor. 10:32, 1
Cor. 14:12, Heb. 2:12)
To Duty — Our attitude should be faithfulness, responsibleness, obedience,
cooperation, endurance. (Luke 16:10, 1 Cor. 4:2)
To Unfairness — Our attitude should be patience, humility, confident in God’s
justice. (Rom. 12:19, Luke 18:7)
To Disappointment or Tragedy — Our attitude should be humility, submission
to God, prayerful, confidence in God’s fairness. (Psa. 62:5, Jer. 17:5, Deut. 32:4,
Job 13:15, Rom. 8:28)
To the Lost — Our attitude should be compassionate, forgiving, encouraging,
helpful, reconciling them to God. (2 Cor. 5:18, 2 Pet. 3:9, Matt. 18:11-14)
To Sin — Our attitude should be uncompromising, unaccepting, intolerant,
unsympathetic, yet compassionate and reconciliatory for the repentant. (Matt.
18:8-9, Gal. 6:1)
To Success — Our attitude should be humble, grateful, God-glorifying, not self-
exalting or forgetful to God. (Jas. 4:6, 10, Prov. 16:18)
To Misunderstanding — Our attitude should be peacemaking, reconciliatory,
patient, forgiving. (Col. 3:13, Matt. 5:9, Phil. 2:14)
How To Develop GoodAttitudes
1. Identify and Repent of Bad Attitudes
Acts 8:22 "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps
the thought of your heart may be forgiven you."
2. Submit Your Attitudes to God
Bring your attitudes into obedience to God’s Word. Apply discipline to your
thought life — submit your thoughts to those of Christ’s. A good attitude is a
matter of faith, disregarding your feelings, with a determination to embrace
God’s outlook and disposition.
2 Corinthians 10:5 "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ..."
3. Equip And Feed Your Attitudes
Dwell on the things that God’s word tells us to — those good and virtuous
things. If you dwell on the negative, your attitude will reflect the same.
Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are
noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are
lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is
anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things."
John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
The Christian life is an overcoming life. Even though we will definitely have problems and
personal struggles in this life, we will be able to overcome because of Jesus. Because of Him, we
have victory over the world, including sinful habits, bitterness, loneliness, guilt, fear, and
discouragement.Dear reader, God wants you to live an overcoming life! Please read the
followinglesson with faith, not in yourself, but in God.
Matthew 5:7
James 2:13
Introduction
In Matthew 5:7, Jesus blesses those who overlook faults, forgive failures, and show mercy to
those who have fallen. This type of people can see the good in every situation, even when that
situation has hurt them personally. They see the glass as half full instead of half empty. The
Bible says Christians ought to be these type of positive and encouraging people—not because we
are unrealistic or blind to the facts, but because we believe in a god who can turn around bad
situations and forgive the most heinous betrayal.
Some people always see things in a negative light. In every situation, they will have some
complaint or find some fault. They lack mercy in their judgments of themselves and others.
Definitely, it is helpful to carefully consider ourselves and situations. But if we fall into deep
negativity, we will eventually harm ourselves and those around us. What are the dangers of a
critical attitude?
A critical attitude tears down but doesn’t build up
If we have a critical attitude, we are playing judge, jury, and executioner all at once. This type of
criticism is not constructive, but destructive. In 2 Corinthians 13:10, Paul said that God gave him
authority for the purpose of building people up, not tearing
them down. Even though Paul was passing judgment on the Corinthians in the letter by pointing
out their wrong attitudes, he was
warning
condemning
them. He used his authority to pass judgment on them (judge), with the hope they would decide
his judgment true and repent (jury), and he would not have to exercise his authority to discipline
(execute). If Paul, an apostle who wrote 13 books of the Bible and pioneeredChristianity
throughout the Roman empire, was so careful to use his criticism to build people up, how much
more careful should we be!
A critical attitude is like a disease. Some people know they have a critical attitude but can’t
change. We may find some small satisfaction in passing judgment on this or that, but that
satisfaction is short-lived. A more lasting satisfaction comes from recognizing improvement and
celebrating success. People want to be around positive people, not critical people.
Satan is famously critical. He has the worst attitude in the universe and wants us to share in his
misery. He always is able to see the downside of every situation, plan, or action. Satan used to be
a powerful angel in heaven, and many Christians believe he was thrown down out of heaven
because he found fault with God and rebelled. If we have an acritical attitude, we resemble Satan
more than we resemble God.
Past experiences.
If our parents emphasized guilt and punishment, we may use harsh standards to judge ourselves
and others. This type of past experience makes it hard for us to compliment others.
Physical tiredness.
If we are too tired or are sick, we may become easily annoyed and judgmental.
Negative company.
Who we hang around with often shapes our outlook and the way we talk. If we are always
around negative people who enjoy criticizing others, we are likely to pick up on that.
Some people may criticize and judge because they have a strong sense of right and wrong. Even
if they do not say things out loud, they may pass judgment in their mind.
Pride.
At the root of our critical attitude is pride. We put others down because it feeds our pride.
Sometimes, our pride is without shame. It will cause us to to criticize those who in nearly all
respects are better people than ourselves. We enjoy pointing out their weaknesses and failures.
Luke 18:27
If God is sovereign, omniscient, and loving, then logically we should also expect that God will
work out everything for the good of His people. We have no reason to be negative because God
is in control. Even if we suffer some difficult situation or learn some painful lesson, God must
have a good purpose in it.
James 1:2-4
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because of you know
that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that
you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
We are in a spiritual war, where we are battling to save souls from a ruthless enemy. In this war
against sin and Satan, we will face opposition and trouble. We should remember that even Jesus
paid a high price in this war—and we are not exempt from the fight. However, we have hope
because we know God will win. In the end, no sacrifice or suffering we face for the sake of Jesus
and the gospel will be in vain.
Matthew 5:11-12
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against
you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for, in the same
way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
A powerful antidote to a critical attitude is humility before God. When we recognize our own sin
and humble ourselves before God, it is very difficult to have an acritical attitude toward others.In
Galatians 6, Paul is telling the very fractious Galatian church how to live according to the Holy
Spirit. The Galatians were caught up in proving their holiness byoutward actions, and as a result,
became prideful and judgmental of one another. InGalatians 6:3-5, Paul says that everyone
should examine themselves as to whether theylive up to God’s standards, not how they compare
to someone else.
Galatians 6:3-5
If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test
his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,
for each one should carry his own load.
We need to realize that we entirely dependent on the grace of God in our lives. If anyone else
fails at any point, we should realize that we are no better than they are. JohnBradford, a 16
th
century reformer that was imprisoned and eventually martyred byEnglish church authorities, saw
a group of prisoners being led to their execution for their crimes. Realizing that he was no better
than those criminals in terms of sin, he said,“There, but for the grace of God, goes John
Bradford.” We need to have the samehumility before God when considering the sins of others.
Throughout the New Testament, there are warnings not to judge others. We needto let God
judge. People are born with a sense of right and wrong, but our justice isimperfect. Moreover, we
are sinners in need of forgiveness ourselves—we have no rightto receive God’s grace in our own
lives when we do not extend that grace to others.
Matthew 7:1-3
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be
judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck
of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your owneye?”
James 4 says that when we judge our brother or sister, we put ourselves above thelaw of God. In
effect, we are saying that God is not doing His job and that we need tostep in and deliver our
own judgment. Our job is to obey God—we should leave the judging to Him.
James 4:11-12
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judgeshim
speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,but sitting
in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is ableto save and destroy.
But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
Conclusion
When we become a Christian, our outlook on life should change. We should trustGod to take
care of injustice, consider ourselves with humility, and anticipate God willcause good things to
come from difficult situations. Moreover, we understand that acritical attitude is dangerous
spiritually because it harms others, poisons our relationships,and prevents us from receiving
God’s forgiveness for our own sin.
Discussion Questions
2.After reading this lesson, how will you change in terms of judging yourself or others?
3.Describe how God has been merciful and gracious in your life?4.Talk about one person that is
merciful, kind, and gracious.