ATTITUDE

ATTITUDE
ATTITUDE DETERMINES ALTITUDE OF LIFE
EDWIN LOUIS COLE
 Attitude
Definition of Attitude
Attitude is a convenient and efficient way of explaining
consistent patterns in behavior. It often manages to summarize,
explain and predict behavior (Baker, 1992)
Attitudes are a conscious or unconscious mental state in
response to a stimulus, combined with emotion
The way you behave towards somebody/something explains
how you think and feel about it
Attitude is a favorable or unfavorable evaluative reaction
toward something or someone, exhibited in ones beliefs,
feelings, or intended behavior (Myers, p. 36).
A mental state that manifests through behaviuor
Theories of Attitude Formation
Functionalist Theory
 The functionalist theory was proposed by Daniel Katz
 He believes that attitudes are determined by the function they serve
 People hold certain attitudes because attitudes help them achieve
their basic goals
Theories of Attitude Formation (continue)
Need Satisfaction
 We tend to develop favourable attitudes toward things which help us
satisfy our needs
 The desire to achieve something prepares the whole body mechanism
to generate energy and hope towards the attainment of that goal. This
is done through generation of positive feelings , thoughts and
emotions
 A negative mindset would equally generate negative feelings,
thoughts, emotions towards something
Social Learning
Process of learning affects the development of attitude and the
way an individual learn other forms of behavior
 Classical Conditioning:
According to classical learning, a neutral stimulus comes to
elicit an unconditioned response when repeatedly paired with
an unconditioned stimulus. For example, when a child
repeatedly listens from parents who say that people from
Manicaland can make lighting or Varoyi and Ngan’a come
from Chipinge. The child gradually develops a negative
attitude towards these people
Instrumental or Operant conditioning
Instrumental Conditioning:
 The theory states that people have a tendency to learn those responses
that are rewarded and show an increased probability of repeating such
responses. However, we tend not to repeat responses that are punished.
Studies reveal that children develop attitudes maintained by their
parents simply because holding such attitudes is rewarding. Exhibition
of attitudes and behaviour similar to parents is often met with reward
and praise from parents and dissimilarities or deviation is met with
punishment. Thus children soon learn that holding attitudes similar to
that of parents is instrumental in getting (Albert Bandura:1977)
Observation Learning
Observational learning:

 A number of behaviours are learned by watching the activities of others and the outcome
of such activities. Children growing often watch parents and significant others in the
family and society doing things which they follow without questioning the wisdom or
logic behind these activities. They follow without question only because they trust in the
wisdom of their parents and significant others in the family and society

 Critique the attitudes which children develop towards a father who beats his wife
regularly in the presence of the children
Cultural Factors

Cultural Factors:

 Cultural factors also affect the development of attitudes. Every society has its
culture and every culture has its traditions, norms, values, religion etc. Thus
socialisation of every person is affected by the cultural factors of that society.
Studies reveal that people reared in different cultures exhibit different attitudes
while people reared in the same culture show similarity of attitudes.

 Critique the attitudes which Shona culture instill in males towards women?
Factors affecting formation of Attitude
• Family plays an important role in attitude formation
• Neibhourhood and culture
• Mass communication
• Associations
• Teachers and peers
• Direct personal experience
• Economic status
Personality Factors

Personality Factor:

 Personality traits also have an important role to play in the formation and
development of attitudes. Attitudes which are in consonance of personality
traits are acquired easily.

 A study conducted found out that people with low IQ and literacy level are
usually conservative, suspicious, hostile and has a tendency to attribute their
failures to others
Stereo types

Stereotypes:

 Every society is characterized with some stereotypes. Stereotypes are

simple generalized expectations about people of other groups. For
example, it is believed that women can not lead big organizations. It
leads to development of certain attitudes towards women.
Components of Attitude
can be examined by considering the following three
aspects

Affective aspect
 This refers to how one feels about something, someone, or an idea
 These are feelings or emotions that something evokes eg fear,
sympathy, hate etc for example, if someone says, there is an in-class
test tomorrow, tomorrow is pay day etc
Components of Attitude Continues
Behavioral /Conative aspect
 It refers to how one acts , behaves towards something , someone or
an idea
Cognitive aspect
• It refers to how one thinks about someone, something or an idea
Importance of Attitude

• Your attitude at work can determine the quality of your professional relationships,

affect your productivity level and determine your overall success, including having
an impact on factors such as potential pay raises and promotions

• Having a positive attitude can help you form important professional connections
and succeed in your career. You can overcome professional obstacles more easily,
and you may feel more motivated to set and reach goals. Exuding positivity can
also enhance your reputation within your industry
Importance of Attitude

 Attitude determine actions

 Attitude determine altitude

 Attitude can be used to predict behavior towards something

 Attitude can used to predict success of a given task

 Attitude determine the type of work to be delegated to us

Benefits of Having a Positive Attitude
• A positive attitude helps to identify and seize opportunities 
• You can view failures as opportunities for improvement and use them
as motivation to keep striving for your goals. Sometimes failing at one
thing can allow you to prepare for something better or teach you
something new about yourself
• A positive mindset helps to overcome obstacles, giving you the
motivation to progress forward when you encounter adversity.
• You are satisfied with life and enjoy it more
• You inspire others in a way
Benefits of Having A Positive Attitude
Continues
• A positive attitude helps you see opportunities in every situation

• It keeps pushing until you succeed

• A positive attitude is a recipe for success

• It helps you create more friends than enemies and becomes a likeable
character in the community
Developing A Positive Attitude

Use Positive Language Always (There is power in words)

• On a regular basis, try using positive language to describe yourself, your

experiences, your aspirations and the other people in your life. Exuding this
energy can help promote positivity in all realms of your professional and
personal life. Not only will purposefully using positive language make it
easier for you to transform your outlook internally, but it can also encourage
others to view you positively, too.
Developing A Positive Attitude

Avoid Gossiping

• Gossip exists as a standard social activity in many workplaces. Despite this,

it's not a healthy or positive behavior to engage in rather, gossiping leads to
higher stress situations where others may feel unstable or unsafe. To maintain
a positive attitude, you should avoid getting involved in gossiping. Not only
will this keep you from contributing to a negative work environment, but it
will give you the ability to focus more on your own work.
Developing A Positive Attitude

• On a regular basis, take time out of your day to reflect on the things and
people you are grateful for. From here, try to acknowledge your gratitude
by telling others how you feel. Increasing the amount of appreciation you
express toward others in your life can be a great way to bolster your
positivity. When you visualize and describe the factors of your life that
help you experience joy, you can more easily develop a healthy outlook
and maintain it throughout your day.
Developing A Positive Attitude
 Interact with positive people and positive environments always
 Always act with a purpose
 Take actions without expecting rewards
 Use setbacks to improve your skills
 Forgive others
 Never let your mind concentrate on past failures
 Go beyond the limit