Attitude and Attitude Change – Social Psychology – UGC NET – Notes

Introduction

• Attitude has been a core issue of study in social psychology since its inception. It is generally used to explain our feelings, thoughts, and behaviours toward other people, objects, issues, events, and situations. Attitudes play a crucial role in shaping how we respond to the world around us.
• In everyday life, the concept of attitude is widely used in common expressions. For example, when we say, “I do/don’t like Rohan,” we are expressing a personal evaluation or feeling toward an individual. Similarly, saying “I have positive or negative feelings and ideas about dogs as a pet” reflects our attitudes toward a particular object or category.
• When we say, “Anand, as a colleague, has an attitude problem,” we are referring to a consistent pattern in behaviour or disposition. Statements such as “I favour capital punishment for sexual offences” or “I support atomic non-proliferation at the global level” reflect attitudes toward broader social issues and policies.
• All these examples highlight that attitudes involve a combination of emotional reactions, beliefs, and behavioural tendencies, making them an essential part of how individuals interpret and interact with their social environment.

Meaning and Definition of Attitude

• Although attitude is a common term frequently used in daily conversations, social psychologists define it in a more precise and systematic way. One of the pioneers of social psychology, Gordon Allport (1935), defined attitude as a “mental and neural state of readiness, organized through experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual’s response to all objects and situations with which it is related.” This definition is still considered one of the most comprehensive definitions of attitude.
• The definition highlights three important aspects of attitudes. Firstly, Allport describes attitudes as mental and neural states of readiness. This means that attitudes exist internally within an individual and cannot be directly observed by others. They are personal in nature, and any attempt to measure attitudes is usually done through indirect measures, such as questionnaires or behavioural observations.
• Secondly, the definition emphasizes that attitudes are formed and organized through experience. This suggests that our attitudes toward people, events, and issues develop from our interactions within family, peer groups, workplace, and society. However, this view may place too much emphasis on social learning while underestimating the possible influence of biological or genetic factors.
• Finally, Allport points out that attitudes have a directive influence on behaviour. This means that attitudes do not just involve feelings or beliefs but also guide how individuals respond to different situations. In other words, attitudes help predict behaviour, as they influence how a person is likely to act toward particular objects, people, or events in the future.

Structure of Attitudes

• An attitude is comprised of three interrelated components: cognitive, affective, and behavioural components.
• The cognitive component of attitude refers to the beliefs, ideas, and thought processes associated with the attitude object. It guides how we process information related to that object. During the initial stage of attitude formation, individuals often evaluate the pros and cons of an object and, based on these evaluations, develop either a favourable or unfavourable attitude. Once formed, this component influences how we interpret, store, and use information from the environment.
• The affective component involves the emotional aspect of attitude. It reflects the positive or negative feelings a person has toward the attitude object. These feelings lead to emotional responses such as liking or disliking, pleasure or discomfort, which strongly influence how a person reacts to the object.
• The behavioural component refers to the tendency or readiness to act in a certain way toward the attitude object. It means that attitudes are not just thoughts or feelings but are also expressed through actions. A person is inclined to behave in a manner consistent with their attitude.
• Although these three components are distinct, they function in an integrated and interrelated way. They tend to remain consistent with one another. For example, if a person has a negative attitude toward polythene bags, they may seek information that supports this belief (cognitive), feel dislike toward products packaged in them (affective), and avoid using them (behavioural).
• Each component influences the others, and a change in one component can lead to changes in the others. This interaction makes attitudes dynamic, allowing them to evolve over time based on new experiences and information.