10.1
Attitudes
Attitude is our evaluation of a person, an idea, or an object. We have attitudes for many things ranging from products that we might pick up in the su…
People may hold different outlooks toward life, depending on their attached associations to something. For example, someone might be in a negative mood: it’s raining outside, and she relates that to being sad. When she turns on the television, she sees a bunch of players, expressing happiness: they are about to win a coveted title as team.
Both of these situations describe attitudes—a set of emotions, beliefs, and behaviors that result from a positive or negative evaluation of a person, place, object, or event. Here, the attitudes are explicit—consciously known and outwardly stated.
Luckily, the interactions between peoples’ attitudes and how they act upon them can be reciprocal. That is, attitudes can affect actions—the happy football team knows that they’re joyful and will continue to win more games—and actions may impact attitudes—the woman can do her workout routine indoors to feel optimistic again.
However, sometimes, individuals aren’t aware of their true attitudes or want to admit to them, especially if they are socially unacceptable or controversial, as is the case with racial biases and sexuality, for example. Such evaluations are considered implicit—they are not verbally or overtly expressed; they occur outside of conscious awareness and control.
Even so, people may express unprejudiced views but still harbor negative attitudes. Fortunately, resources exist to examine the pervasiveness and strength of implicit attitudes and bring them into conscious awareness!
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Q1: What are the three components that make up an attitude?
Attitudes consist of three interconnected components: an affective component involving feelings and emotions, a behavioral component reflecting how the attitude influences actions, and a cognitive component encompassing beliefs and knowledge. For example, a positive attitude toward recycling includes feeling good about it, actually recycling regularly, and believing recycling benefits the environment.
Q2: How do explicit attitudes differ from implicit attitudes?
Explicit attitudes are consciously known and outwardly stated, like openly expressing happiness about winning. Implicit attitudes, by contrast, occur outside conscious awareness and control—people may not admit to them, especially if socially unacceptable. Someone might express unprejudiced views while harboring negative implicit biases they don't consciously recognize or acknowledge.
Q3: Can attitudes and actions influence each other?
Yes, the relationship between attitudes and actions is reciprocal. Attitudes can affect actions—someone who feels joyful will continue positive behaviors. Conversely, actions can impact attitudes—performing a workout indoors can shift a person from sadness to optimism. This bidirectional relationship means changing either attitudes or behaviors can influence the other.
Q4: What role do external and internal forces play in shaping attitudes?
Attitudes are influenced by both external situational pressures and internal factors under personal control. While external circumstances like weather or social context can temporarily affect mood and attitudes, people can consciously change their attitudes and thoughts through their own free will, independent of situational pressures.
Q5: How does an attitude toward a behavior like recycling manifest across all three components?
A positive recycling attitude generates affective responses like feeling good or satisfied, behavioral outcomes such as regularly recycling, and cognitive beliefs like "recycling is environmentally responsible." These three components work together—the feelings motivate action, the action reinforces beliefs, and the beliefs sustain the positive attitude.
Q6: Why is understanding implicit attitudes important in social psychology?
Implicit attitudes reveal genuine evaluations people hold but may not consciously acknowledge or express, particularly regarding sensitive topics like racial bias or sexuality. Understanding these hidden attitudes is crucial because they influence behavior outside conscious control. Resources exist to measure implicit attitudes and bring them into conscious awareness for potential change.
Q7: What determines whether an attitude is favorable or unfavorable?
Attitudes are fundamentally evaluations—positive or negative assessments of a person, idea, or object. The evaluation depends on associated emotions, beliefs, and past experiences. For instance, relating rain to sadness creates a negative attitude toward rainy weather, while associating a sports team with happiness creates a positive attitude toward their success.