BELIEFS VALUES ATTITUDES

NOTES PREPARED BY Dr.B.RAVI BABU,

Values are stable long-lasting beliefs about what is important to a person.

They become standards by which people order their lives and make their
choices. A belief will develop into a value when the person's commitment to it
grows and they see it as being important.

Beliefs are basically assumptions that we make about the world and our
values stem from those beliefs. Our values are things that we deem
important and can include concepts like '“equality, honesty, education, effort,
perseverance, loyalty, faithfulness, conservation of the environment and many,
many other concepts.

The diagram below illustrates the influences on us that result in our behaviour
and whether that resulting behaviour is ethical. The diagram first outlines the
sources of our beliefs. It then shows the relationship between the beliefs and
values to our attitudes and our resulting behaviour.
What is a belief?
A belief is an idea that a person holds as being true.
A person can base a belief upon certainties (e.g. mathematical principles),
probabilities or matters of faith.
A belief can come from different sources, including:
 a person’s own experiences or experiments
 the acceptance of cultural and societal norms (e.g. religion)
 what other people say (e.g.education or mentoring).
A potential belief sits with the person until they accept it as truth, and adopt it
as part of their individual belief system.

Each person evaluates and seeks sound reasons or evidence for these potential
beliefs in their own way.

Once a person accepts a belief as a truth they are willing to defend, it can be
said to form part of their belief system.

What is a personal value?

Values are stable long-lasting beliefs about what is important to a person. They
become standards by which people order their lives and make their choices.

A belief will develop into a value when the person’s commitment to it grows and
they see it as being important.

It is possible to categorise beliefs into different types of values – examples

include values that relate to happiness, wealth, career success or family. 

A person must be able to articulate their values in order to make clear,

rational, responsible and consistent decisions.

What is an attitude?

Attitudes are the mental dispositions people have towards others and the
current circumstances before making decisions that result in behaviour. People
primarily form their attitudes from underlying values and beliefs.

However, factors which may not have been internalised as beliefs and values
can still influence a person’s attitudes at the point of decision-making. Typical
influences include the desire to please, political correctness, convenience, peer
pressure, and psychological stressors.

NOTE
 The potential for these influences to sway attitudes will be greater if the person has
not clearly thought through their beliefs and values. This process includes considering
the principles by which they might reconcile or prioritise competing values.
The belief system of a person or society is the set of beliefs that they have
about what is right and wrong and what is true and false.

Let's put things into perspective — Here are some examples of core beliefs
that many people think and feel in society today;
 Murder is wrong.
 Love is good.
 You should help people in need.
 You shouldn't lie.
 You should brush your teeth.
 You should be nice to people.
 Giving it better than receiving.
 Stealing is bad.
Why is belief system important?
As mental structures, they influence the way we perceive the world around us
and the values we accept or reject. As social structures, they provide a
supporting network and a sense of belonging. In many cases, religions have
become the basis of power structures and have become intertwined with it.

How do belief systems work?

Beliefs are developed as stimuli received as trusted information and
stored in the memory. These perceptions are generalized and established into
belief. These beliefs are involved in the moral judgment of the person. Beliefs
help in decision-making.

Some common synonyms of belief are credence, credit, and faith. While all
these words mean "assent to the truth of something offered for acceptance,"
belief may or may not imply certitude in the believer.

What is the difference between believe and belief?

So, 'believe' (with a v) is a verb. It means to have confidence in the
truth. Then, 'belief' (with an f) is a noun. It means a religious faith or the
feeling of being certain that something is true.
How does belief system benefit a person?
Having a belief system can offer a sense of comfort, purpose and connection
to others. This is especially true during challenging times. Beliefs may affect
the healing process and improve quality of life. For some, sharing thoughts and
feelings can make adjusting to cancer easier.

What makes up our belief system?

Beliefs are generally formed in two ways: by our experiences, inferences and
deductions, or by accepting what others tell us to be true. Most of our core
beliefs are formed when we are children. When we are born, we enter this world
with a clean slate and without preconceived beliefs.

What are the three types of beliefs?

First, we hold beliefs about ourselves. Second, we hold beliefs about
others. Lastly, we hold beliefs about the world around us. Our beliefs in
each of these areas shape our perceptions and perspectives which ultimately
shape our reality.28-Feb-2018
How do our values and beliefs influence our behavior?
Values influence your behavior because you use them to decide between
alternatives. Values, attitudes, behaviors and beliefs are cornerstones of who
we are and how we do things. They form the basis of how we see ourselves as
individuals, how we see others, and how we interpret the world in general.
How can beliefs affect your life?
Beliefs are the assumptions we hold to be true. They stem from real life
experiences. As human beings, our values and beliefs affect the quality of our
life, our work, and our relationships. Since what we believe is what we
experience, we tend to think that our beliefs are founded on reality.

How do our values and beliefs influence our behavior?

Values influence your behavior because you use them to decide between
alternatives. Values, attitudes, behaviors and beliefs are cornerstones of who
we are and how we do things. They form the basis of how we see ourselves as
individuals, how we see others, and how we interpret the world in general.

Where do values and beliefs come from?

People's values, beliefs and attitudes are formed and bonded over time through
the influences of family, friends, society and life experiences. So, by the
time you're an adult, you can hold very definite views on just about everything
with a sense of “no one is going to change my mind”.

How values and beliefs affect helping relationships?

By knowing our own values and beliefs it helps to realise that others have
different values and beliefs, and to have a positive helping relationship.
They have to respect everyone's values and beliefs. The counsellor has to
remain non-judgmental and non- bias

What is the power of belief system?

The power of belief resides in its ability to do four things: Belief creates
vision; Belief creates strength of will; Belief creates resilience; and Belief
ignites and activates.

Personal Values and Beliefs

Personal Values Definition
Personal Values are “broad desirable goals that motivate people’s actions
and serve as guiding principles in their lives". [1] Everyone has values, but
each person has a different value set. These differences are affected by an
individual's culture, personal upbringing, life experiences, and a range of
other influences. [2]

Personal values are desirable to an individual and represent what is

important to someone. The same value in different people can elicit different
behaviours, eg if someone values success one person may work very hard to
gain success in their career whereas someone else may take advantage of
others to climb the career ladder.
A person can have many values with an individual assigning more
importance to some values over others. It has been shown that the values
that are most important to you often guide your decision making in all
aspects of your life such as career, religion, social circles, self-identity etc [1].
A personal value is a broad concept and one particular value can be applied
to various situations [1]. For example, if an important value to you is loyalty
this could be applied to your family, friends or work environment.

Schwartz in 1992 presented 10 motivationally distinct types of values as

listed below [1]. These values have been researched in many countries and
have been found to be universal in cross-cultural applications. [3][4]
 1. Self-direction eg freedom, creativity
2. Stimulation e.g. exciting life, daring
3. Hedonism e.g. pleasure, self-indulgent
4. Achievement e.g. ambitious, successful
5. Power e.g. wealth, authority
6. Security e.g. social order, family security, cleanliness
7. Conformity e.g. politeness, self-discipline, respect
8. Tradition e.g. respect for traditions, modest, humble, devout
9. Benevolence e.g. loyal, responsible, helpful, forgiving
10. Universalism e.g. equality, wisdom, world of peace, social
justice, protecting the environment
Lists of personal values can be indefinite but research has shown a value
will generally fit into one of those 10 types. There is no set of ideal values
and everyone will have their own list of values with unique importance
assigned to each one. [3] [5]

Personal values may and may not correlate with a person’s behaviour. Some
values may be practised by an individual and executed in daily life. A
personal value may be important to someone, but they are not
implementing it in their daily life, and they would like to implement it. And
an individual may have a set of personal values that is not in line with their
behaviour. 

Personal Beliefs Definition

“Core beliefs are defined as fundamental, inflexible, absolute, and
generalised beliefs that people hold about themselves, others, the world,
and/or the future” [7]. We use beliefs to help us understand the world around
us. A person’s beliefs will guide them in their decision making and response
to situations. Beliefs are usually formed in childhood or any other
significant formative experience.

Sources of Beliefs

 Evidence - logical and rational formation of belief based on evidence that

proves causation
 Tradition - family and societal traditions
 Authority - normally developed from a parent but could also be a
religious leader, teacher or any other person in authority
 Association - beliefs can be formed through people or groups we
associate with
 Revelation - beliefs that are formed through ‘divine intervention” a
hunch, inkling or sixth sense
Types of Beliefs – Enabling and Limiting
Beliefs can be seen as enabling (positive) or limiting (negative).
Enabling beliefs are ones that are optimistic and show good self-efficacy or
the belief in yourself that you can achieve something.

Examples of enabling/ positive beliefs

 I am intelligent
 I am worthy
 I always try my best
 I am hardworking
Negative beliefs are thought as limiting and they often hold one back in life.
Limiting beliefs are often seen in absolutes and are often inaccurate and
unhelpful. People with limiting beliefs can often be judgmental of oneself or
of others. [8]
Examples of limiting/ negative beliefs

 I am weak
 I am boring
 I am stupid
 I always fail
 I am worthless
Beliefs, positive or negative, are not always true and this can lead a person
to make poor decisions based on inaccurate beliefs. Research shows that
people with inaccurate negative beliefs about themselves can present with
symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Categories of Beliefs
Beliefs can be categorised into beliefs about one’s self, about others, about
the world and the future. These beliefs can either be positive (enabling) or
negative (limiting).
1. Self
 “I am worthy of love and happiness”
 “I am flawed and unlovable”
2. Others 
 “Others like me and value my opinion”
 “People are generally hurtful and disloyal”
3. The World 
 “The world is my oyster!” 
 “The world is a dangerous place”
4. The Future
 “The future is bright, and opportunity awaits”
 “There is no hope – things will never get better”

Identification of Beliefs
It is not always an easy task to identify one’s core beliefs. It can require a
great amount of introspection and some people may need the facilitation
from a therapist to unlock their core beliefs.
Modification of Core Beliefs
Once limiting beliefs have been identified modification of these beliefs will
help to reframe them into enabling beliefs. Reframing beliefs is not a simple
task as negative beliefs are often deeply rooted. Again, the need for
psychological therapy may be necessary for deeply ingrained beliefs. Wenzel,
2012 [8] describes various strategies that can be applied to modify core
beliefs.

1. Define the core belief

 Explore how the belief fits into every aspect of your life
2. Examine the evidence
 Critical examination of the evidence that led you to develop the
initial belief. 
3. Advantages – Disadvantages analysis
 Review the advantages and disadvantages of a belief to help see
the usefulness of the belief in one’s life
4. Behavioural experiments
 Beliefs result in particular behaviour eg if you believe “people don’t
care what I think” you may not contribute when asked about a
project at work. By changing your behaviour e.g. contributing to a
discussion, you may change your belief by discovering that people
do care about what you think. 
  Behavioural experiments are used in Pain management
programmes where you would use graded exposure in someone
with fear avoidance to show them that their belief that movement
will make them worse may not be true. 

5. Acting “as if”

 Similar to a behavioural experiment, you would act in opposition
to your negative belief.
6. Cognitive continuum
 Critical analysis of reframing all or nothing beliefs by using a
comparative scale with regards to other people
7. Historical tests
 Examine past incidents where one has implemented a negative
core belief and re-evaluate what actually happened. for example, if
a belief was “I am unimportant” you may look back at a time when
your parents prioritised your sibling over yourself, but on critical
evaluation, you realise that at that stage in life your sibling needed
more help from your parent rather than you are less important to
them. 
8. Restructuring early memories
 Psychologists can be helpful in restructuring early memories to
reframe beliefs
9. Defining the “new self”
 Identify who they would like to be
10. Soliciting social support and consensus
 Use social support to help them 
11. Time Projection
 Imagine what life will be like if with their “new” beliefs

The Relationship Between Beliefs, Values, Attitudes and

Behaviours
 MOHAN KUMAR JUN 25, 2022
https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Teaching-and-Assessing-Attitudes

Attitudes are a construct of internal beliefs and value systems.

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter
their lives by altering their attitudes of mind."
— William James

What Are Beliefs, Values and Attitudes?

In our various roles, our beliefs, values and attitudes are constantly interacting
with those of our peers, friends, family or teachers. We seem to instinctively
'like' the individuals who share our core values and beliefs. Harmonising our
value systems is what makes a relationship successful, be it personal,
educational or professional.

Proponents of adult learning state that in order to achieve competence and

excellence, one needs to be able to teach and assess not only knowledge and
skills, but attitudes, as well. To achieve excellence, we must be able to identify
the core values and belief systems that underpin attitudes.

Performance improvement can only come from learning the appropriate

knowledge and skills. Possessing the right value and belief systems may
influence our motivation, intention and engagement with a specific task.

We may come across individuals who seemingly possess

the knowledge and skills to do a task, but only with a
positive attitude towards the task will there be motivation, engagement and
intention to complete the task.

The 'iceberg' diagram below shows the relationship between our hidden values
and belief systems and our outward behaviours. However, there are two factors
displayed that directly influence behaviours—one is the attitude that underpins
the behaviour, and the other is the capability to express the expected
behaviour.
iceberg demonstrating implicit and explicit bias.

WHAT DO YOU DO EXTERNAL/

BEHAVIOUR CONSCIOUS
WHAT ARE YOU CAPABLE CAPACITIES
OF
 WHAT IS YOUR OPINION CONVICTIONS

WHAT DO YOU FEEL INTERNAL/

BELIEFS UNCONSCIUOS
WHAT DO YOU WANT

WHAT DRIVES YOU

VALUES
WHO ARE YOU
IDENTITY

'The power of knowledge to organise, select, learn and judge comes from
values and beliefs as much as, and probably more than, from information
and logic'
— Thomas Davenport and Laurence Prusak (2000) Working Knowledge

Attitude: Description and Significance

Almost all educational theories encompass teaching and assessment
of knowledge, skills and attitudes. While we find it easier to define knowledge
and skills, definitions of attitudes vary.

Attitudes have been described as hypothetical constructs that represent a

person's like or dislike for anything. Attitude is a judgment made on the
'attitude object' (a person, place, task, event, skill, etc.). Judgments from
attitude can range from positive, negative or neutral.

Attitudes arise from an inner framework of values and beliefs, developed over
time. Carl Jung, in his essay on psychological types, defines attitude as "the
readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way,"
The Three Components of Attitude
Attitudes are comprised of three components: emotions, behaviours and
thoughts. These three components can also be described as the 'ABC' model:
affective, behavioural and cognitive.

The 'affective' response is one's emotional response to a task or an entity. The

'behavioural' response is the displayed verbal or behavioural tendency to a task
or entity, whereas the 'cognitive' response is the cognitive evaluation of the
entity based on an internal belief system.

There is considerable overlap in the semantics of beliefs, values and attitudes,

however, these are also distinct constructs (as illustrated above).

Attitude: Based on the Behaviours of Ourselves and Others

One of the key lessons to be learned is that we are at the mercy of expressed
behaviours. Both in ourselves and in others, we ‘assume’ attitudes based on
observed behaviour.

For example, someone who regularly arrives late may be considered not very
punctual or organised. However, this same person may spend time caring for
somebody who is very ill, and their personal time delivering this care may
interfere with their prompt arrival to work or lessons. With this new
information, they may be viewed from a different perspective.

Our attitudes toward observed behaviour will also tint our judgements. For
example, if a person arrives shoddily dressed for an interview, we may feel they
have not taken the time to prepare. However, if the said person believes their
talent and skills are what should be recognised and not their appearance—this
mindset influences their attitude toward dressing ‘smart’ and thus influences
their behaviour.

Behaviours may also be ‘false’. A person may display false obeisance and
ritualistic behaviour when they need a favourable review, or feel they are being
observed for performance. This may indicate a certain attitude, but the
observer needs to delineate the difference between a true attitude and a false
behaviour implying an attitude. A person who is constantly fawning and
agreeing to everything their superior says may not necessarily be in agreement,
but may fawn in order to carry favour.

In assessing behaviour, one needs to be aware of capability. There have been

situations where a particular person may be considered ‘rude’ due to a raised
voice or lack of clear idioms and phraseology, such as saying 'thank you' and
'please'. Yet, if the person or persons observed have never received any training
to modulate their speech pattern or learn the idioms and phraseology of the
language they are communicating in, they may not have the capability to
express the right behaviour for the situation. This, in turn, may be perceived as
a ‘bad attitude’ by those that have the capability to express a more appropriate
behaviour.
"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its
successful outcome."
— William James
Provide Feedback on Behaviours, not Attitudes

Positive attitudes are needed in an individual in order for them to be motivated

and engaged in a task. Attitudes arise out of core values and beliefs we hold
internally. Beliefs are assumptions and convictions we hold to be true based
on past experiences. Values are worthy ideas based on things, concepts and
people. Behaviours are how these internalised systems (attitudes, beliefs and
values) are expressed.

These factors heavily influence the ability to learn and organise knowledge and
skills. In order to influence performance in a learning context or an
organisation (or even at home!), one needs to be aware of the key differences
between these constructs.
 Feedback on attitudes will always be perceived as judgemental as it is about
others' behaviour filtered through our value systems. It is better, therefore, to
provide feedback on behaviours. It is even better to determine ideal behaviours
for an organisation, situation or learning environment and set the scene before
the behaviours are being assessed. This way, feedback can be contextualised
on behaviour that is observed and factual. This reduces the potential for
conflict and low morale.

 Attitudes are not the same as behaviours.

 Attitudes are a construct of internal beliefs and value systems.
 Attitudes, capabilities or circumstances influence observed behaviour.
 Use caution when assessing attitudes and use behaviours as examples.
 Feedback and behaviour management can change attitudes.
 Changing attitudes can also change values and beliefs and vice versa.
 An understanding of these constructs helps personal and organisational
management.
"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it."
— Lou Holtz
Difference Between Values and Beliefs

Values vs Beliefs

Knowing the difference between your beliefs and values can be a little
confusing. People use both to guide their actions and behavior and to form
their attitudes towards different things, but they are essentially different.

Beliefs are the convictions that we generally hold to be true, usually without
actual proof or evidence. They are often, but not always connected to religion.
Religious beliefs could include a belief that God created the earth in seven
days, or that Jesus was the son of God. Religions other than Christianity also
have their own set of beliefs. Non religious beliefs could include: that all people
are created equal, which would guide us to treat everyone regardless of sex,
race, religion, age, education, status etc with equal respect. Conversely
someone might believe that all people are not created equal, which results in
racist and sexist values and attitudes.

Beliefs are basically assumptions that we make about the world and our values
stem from those beliefs. Our values are things that we deem important and can
include concepts like ‘“ equality, honesty, education, effort, perseverance,
loyalty, faithfulness, conservation of the environment and many, many other
concepts.

Our beliefs grow from what we see, hear, experience, read and think about.
From these things we develop an opinion that we hold to be true and
unmovable at that time. From our beliefs we derive our values, which can
either be correct or incorrect when compared with evidence, but nonetheless
hold true for us.

It is possible for our beliefs and values to differ over time as we encounter
evidence or have experiences that challenge our previously held views.
Conversely our beliefs and values can also be strengthened by experience or
evidence. For example, someone who believes in God might have that belief
confirmed when they see a loved one recover from cancer and see it as a
miracle delivered from God. However, a person might have their belief in the
essential goodness of human beings shaken and changed if they have a truly
terrible experience.

Everyone has an internalized system of beliefs and values that they have
developed throughout their lives. These may stem from religion or may develop
separately to religion.

Summary
1.Beliefs are concepts that we hold to be true.
2.Beliefs may come religion, but not always
3.Values are ideas that we hold to be important.
4.Values govern the way we behave, communicate and interact with others
5.Beliefs and values determine our attitudes and opinions.