Attitude
Dr Tabassum Alvi
Assistant Professor Psychiatry
Majmaah University
Learning Objectives
• Define the term ‘attitudes’?
• Describe how attitudes affect behavior?
• Discuss whether attitudes can be changed?
How important is your attitude to
success?
• A Harvard Business School study found that 85% of the
reasons for success, accomplishments and promotions are
related to attitude while only 15% are related to technical
expertise*.
• Unfortunately 90% of our education is dedicated acquiring
facts and figures – only 10% is dedicated to developing
positive attitudes.
• So we’re spending 90% of our education time and dollars
developing the 15% that is responsible for our success.
‘Your attitude is more important than your aptitude’
Definition
A favorable or unfavorable evaluative reaction
toward something or someone.
Attitude Functions
• Knowledge function
– attitudes help organize and evaluate information
• Self-expression function
– attitudes help people express central values or beliefs
• Self-esteem function
– attitudes help people build and maintain self-esteem
Attitude…
• It’s everything…
• It’s who and what you are
Attitude…
• With a bad attitude you can never have a
positive day…
• With a positive attitude you can never have a
bad day…
Attitude…
In simpler terms…
• Attitude is our mental response to people,
places, things and/or events in our life.
• All people irrespective of status, intelligence or
circumstance hold attitudes.
What Are Attitudes?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A way of valuing life; belief
A viewpoint /mind set
A guide to choices throughout life
A way of judging
A determinant of purpose and direction
Relatively constant
Played or acted out through behavioral style
Components of Attitudes:
Cognitive
Affective
Attitude
Behavioral
11
Attitude Structure
Gun Control
Affect: “Guns make me sick!”
Behavior: “I vote for gun control
whenever possible.”
Cognition: “Guns in the house
increase the likelihood of children
accidentally shooting themselves.”
Behavior
Factors that Determine Attitudes…
3 E’s of Attitude…
• Experience
• Education
• Environment
Describe how attitudes affect behavior
?
• Attitude and behavior are two quite different
things.
• Attitude is a person's inner thoughts and
feelings while behavior is usually an outward
expression of attitude, but the two are not always
related.
Attitudes Influence on Behavior
• Attitudes can positively or negatively affect a person's behavior.
• A person may not always be aware of his or her attitude or the
effect it is having on behavior.
• If a person has a positive attitude, then it is difficult to upset
them. They are usually bright and cheerful and see most things in
a positive light.
• On the other hand, if a person has a negative attitude then that
attitude will be reflected through behavior.
• Attitudes can be infectious and can influence the behavior of
those around them.
Predicting Planned Behaviors
Theory of Planned Behavior
(Ajzen & Fishbein)
Behavioral
Intention
Behavior
17
Predicting Planned Behaviors
Theory of Planned Behavior
Specific
Attitude
Subjective
Norms
Perceived
Behavioral
Control
Behavioral
Intention
Behavior
18
Predicting Planned Behaviors
Theory of Planned Behavior
Specific
Attitude
Subjective
Norms
Perceived
Behavioral
Control
Behavioral
Intention
Behavior
19
Predicting Planned Behaviors
Theory of Planned Behavior
Specific
Attitude
Subjective
Norms
Perceived
Behavioral
Control
Behavioral
Intention
Behavior
20
Will Rachel attend the COLDPLAY Concert?
Specific
Attitude
Subjective
Norms
Perceived
Behavioral
Control
21
Predicting Planned Behaviors
Theory of Planned Behavior
Specific
Attitude
Subjective
Norms
Perceived
Behavioral
Control
Behavioral
Intention
Behavior
22
Summary
• Several factors moderate the link between
attitudes and behaviors.
• Situational constraints may prevent us from
expressing our attitudes.
• We often engage in activities that allow us to
express our attitudes.
• Attitudes influence behavior through several
mechanisms.
Attitude Formation
- Social learning- acquire attitudes from others
a)
Classical conditioning: learning based on association
b) Operant conditioning:
The consequences of behavior lead to learning.
– Positive reinforcement.
– Negative reinforcement.
- Observational
learning- learning by observing actions of
others and exposure.
Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon
4.6
Attitude Formation (con’t)
- Social comparison- Compare ourselves to others to
determine if our view of reality is correct
– attitudes are shaped by social information from others we like or
respect
• Genetic factors- Inherited general dispositions (e.g., see
world in a positive or negative light)
– highly heritable attitudes and gut-level preferences (music) are
especially influenced
Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon
4.7
How attitude can be changed
?
George Kelly--• Kelly's said that construct of a person is based on the
idea that each individual looks at the world through his
or her own unique set of preconceived notions about it
(i.e. constructs).
• These constructs change and adapt as the individual is
exposed to new and different situations.
• At the heart of Kelly's theory is the idea that
individuals can seek new experiences and practice and
adapt new behaviors in order to change their attitudes
(or constructs) towards the world.
Behavioral Approach to Attitude Change
Cognitive DissonanceUnpleasant state resulting from inconsistency between attitudes and
behavior
• Dissonance can occur in a number of ways
Eg: Selecting between two reasonably attractive
alternatives
Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon
4.15
Changing Entrenched Attitudes
• As we progress through life it is usually necessary for us
to change some of our attitudes in order to adjust to
changing circumstances.
• Sometimes we have no choice: the process of abreaction
inflicts change automatically.
• At other times we can choose ; for example, for career
reasons.
• Attitudes can be changed either by experiencing different
consequences of established behaviour or by changing
our beliefs.
• Shallow attitudes are easy to change.
• Feeling is of three kinds: the positive feeling, the negative one
and the neutral one.
• The factor of feeling means that we can define attitudes as our
likes and dislikes.
Where does change of attitude come within the general
process of change?
•
•
1.
2.
3.
Three levels with different intensities to the process of change.
These psychological levels;
Beliefs
attitude
character traits /motivation.
1b). Change in Beliefs
Change is moderate.
The new belief comes before the old is discarded.
Mind is the focus of attention.
2b). Change in Attitudes
Change is major.
The new and the old attitude may be simultaneously
present.
Feeling is the focus of attention.
3b). Change in Traits and Motivation
Change is deep and extensive, and often occurs dramatically.
The old has to be discarded before the new can arise.
Will is the focus of attention.
Emotion and Attitude Change
• Emotion is a common component in persuasion, social
influence, and attitude change.
•
Emotion works hand-in-hand with the cognitive process, or the
way we think, about an issue or situation.
• Emotional appeals are commonly found in advertising, health
campaigns and political messages.
• Recent examples include no-smoking health campaigns and
political campaign advertising emphasizing the fear of terrorism.
Attitude Axioms
• Our attitude determines our approach to life
• Often, our attitude is the only difference between
success and failure.
• Our attitude at the beginning of a task will affect its
outcome more than anything else.
• Our attitude can turn our problems into blessings.
• Our attitudes determine our relationships with
people.
• Our attitudes can give us an uncommonly positive
perspective.
How to improve your attitude:
• Evaluate your present attitude.
• Realize faith is stronger than fear.
• Write a statement of purpose / values / mission
statement.
• Set goals.
• Take action toward achieving your goals each day.
• You must desire to change and embrace the challenge
of change and watch the desire grow.
• Live one day at a time.
• Change your thought patterns.
• Develop good habits.
• Continually choose to have a right attitude.
Changing Attitudes
• Attitude transformation takes time, effort, and determination,
but it can be done.
• It is important not to expect to change a person’s attitudes
quickly.
• Attitudes are formed over a lifetime through an individual’s
socialization process.
• An individual’s socialization process includes his or her
formation of values and beliefs during childhood years,
influenced not only by family, religion, and culture but also by
socioeconomic factors.
• This socialization process affects a person’s attitude toward work
and his or her related behavior.
Changing Attitudes
(Step-by-Step Process)
1. Assessment of Attitudes
a) Identification – Recognize common workplace/school attitude
problems
b) Environment - Identify challenges in the environment
• Participants are introduced to common examples of “attitudechallenged” workers/students.
• Group activities help identify and role play how to handle different
types of attitude challenges.
• Focus is to assess the impact of negative attitudes on
workers/students, management, and patients/ customers, and
identify the causes of problems.
Changing Attitudes
2
Adjusting Attitudes
a) Listening, coaching, and providing feedback are the tools
for attitude change.
b) Role play to practice how to use coaching and provide feedback
with staff.
c) Identify payoffs and rewards
Changing Attitudes
3. Common Management Mistakes
a) How to be realistic and patient with attitude change.
b) Why scolding does little to stop the problem.
c) How to stop the culture of complaining and work to positively.
Effect attitude change.
• Group activities include examples of common management
mistakes and exercises to practice more realistic and positive
ways to provide feedback, facilitate group discussion, and role
play the best methods for confronting negative attitudes.
Changing Attitudes
4. Resolving Conflict
a) The need to confront so that negative behaviors will not
continue
b) Expectations and coping strategies of employees/students to
stress and management directives
c) Recognizing personal conflict styles and how to deal with them
Exercises include ways to analyze communications to identify styles,
planning the meeting and working collaboratively to discover
Win/Win solutions.
Changing Attitudes
5. How to Work with Problem Behaviors and
Attitudes
a) Analyze the cause of the problem
b) Privately confront with a calm, non defensive professional
demeanor
• Participants role play with their preferred style for handling
difficult people. (Managers and employees exchange roles and
must reprimand or confront problem behaviors)
6. The Last Resort:
• Employee Termination/breakup of relationship and Legal Issues
Changing Attitudes
7. Creating a Positive Work Environment
a) Evoke a positive, collaborative team environment
b) Top Motivators include non-monetary rewards
c) Characteristics of managing motivation in the workplace/studies
• Exercises include engaging workers into teams, providing
recognition awards for employees/students.
Your attitude is one of the most important choices you
make in life…
• “Everything can be taken from a person but one
thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose
one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances,
to choose one’s own way.
Victor E. Frankl
Assignment
• Write a learning agreement showing how
understanding of attitudes can be applied to
daily practice