OB Week # 5

What is Attitude!

An attitude is a positive, Negative and mixed assessment of an individual or

object, which is expressed at some level of intensity. It is an expression of a
favorable or unfavorable assessment of a person, place, object or event. These
are fundamental determinants of our perceptions and actions towards all aspects
of our social environment. The approach involves a complex organization of
evaluative beliefs, feelings and tendencies for certain actions. How much we like
or dislike something. Determines our behavior towards. We want to interact with
the things we like or stay connected to. We avoid things we don't like. For
example if somebody has a positive attitude about changes, He is friendly and has
a good attitude, He was showing some attitude during practice today. , So the
coach refused them, I like my friends, which means that I am expressing my
attitude towards my friends,

Attitude is the manner, temperament, emotion and condition, especially in

relation to a person or thing tendency or orientation.

Characteristics Of Attitude

Attitude is describe as a tendency to react positively or negatively to a person or

situations. Thus the two main elements of the attitude are the tendency and the
direction of the approach. It is defined as the mental state of readiness, Organize
through experience that has a directive or dynamic effect on responses. These can
be explicit and implicit. Explicit attitudes are those, we consciously know the
clearly influence of our behaviors and beliefs. . Implicit attitudes are unconscious,
but still have an impact on our beliefs and behaviors. according to psychologists
Thomas, who limits the tendency of one level attitudes as positive and negative, is
associated with the object of psychology. Object psychology has included
symbols, words, slogans, people, institutions, and ideas.
There are following Characteristics of Attitude.
Attitude is a complex combination of things that we call personality, beliefs,
values, behaviors and motivations. All people, regardless of their status or
intelligence, Attitude is present in every person's mind. Which define our identity,
guide, our actions, and influence. how we assess people. the sense and belief
component of attitudes is intrinsic to a person, we can change a person's
perspective. Can be seen by his or her behavior. attitude helps us to define how
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we see situations, as well as to define it. it behave towards situation or object we

can offer an inner feeling, belief and thoughts about people and goods. attitude is
consciously aware of an implicit attitude that is unconscious, but still has an effect
on our behavior. attitude based on direct experience predicts future behavior
more accurately. personality has certain aspects such as interests, appreciation,
and social conduct. It represents the total sum of a man's inclination and
emotions.

Components of Attitudes

There are three components of an attitude, which affect the behavior, which are
Cognitive Component.
Affective Component.
Behavioral Component.

Cognitive Component

The cognitive component of an attitude descibe to the beliefs, ideas, and

characteristics, that we associate with an object or person. Attitude relates to a
person's general knowledge. They usually come to light in generally or
stereotypes.

Affective Component

The affective component is the emotional segment of an attitude. It is related to

the statement, that affects another person. It is related to the feelings or
emotions, that are brought to the surface about something, such as fear or hate.

Behavioral Component

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The behavioral component has the tendency of a person to behave in a particular

way towards an object. It refers to the part of the attitude, that reflects a person's
intentions in the short term or long term.

Factors Influnces Attitudes

There are following main factors, which influence attitude.

Social Factors.
Direct Instruction.
Family..
Personal Experience.
Media.
Educational and Religious Institutions.
Physical Factors.
Economic Status and Occupations.

Social Factors

There are a majority of people in every society who like to live a harmonious life.
They try to avoid unnecessary confrontation with people. Naturally, they are
inclined to develop positive attitudes towards most people and issues. Our
attitudes positively facilitate our relationships with members of valued groups.
And can maintain. Social roles and social norms more influence on attitudes.
Social norms include rules of society considered appropriate for behavior.

Direct Instruction

In general, the attitude of the people is important. Sometimes direct instruction

can affect the formation of attitude. A person gives information about the
usefulness of a fruit. Based on this information, we can develop a positive or
negative view of that fruit.

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Family

The family is the main source for the formation of attitudes. Parents, older
brothers or sisters provide information about various things. An individual
developed approach, whether positive or negative is the result of family
influence, which is very effective and difficult to change.

Personal Experience

To form the basis of attitudes, personal experiences have left a strong impression.
Therefore, when personal experience involves emotional factors, the attitude will
become more easily. In situations involving feelings, appreciation is more deeply
experienced and The trace will be longer.

Media

Communication, mass media such as television, radio have a major influence in

shaping people's opinions and beliefs. new information on something by the
media, that provides the basis for the emergence of new cognitive attitudes
towards it.

Educational and Religious Institutions

These Institutions have strong influence in shaping attitudes, as they lay the
foundation for understanding and moral concepts within the individual.
Understanding the good and the bad, the dividing line between something, Which
can and cannot get from the center of education and religious institutions.

Physical Factors

Health clinical psychologists have generally recognized that physical, health, and
vitality are important factors of adjustment, and it has often been found that
malnutrition or disease or accidents have interfered so severely with normal
development, that severe disturbances behavioral of individual.

Economic Status and Occupations

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Our economic, business and occupation situation also contributes to the attitude.
They determine, in part, our attitude towards unions and management and we
believe that some laws are 'good' or 'bad'. Our socio-economic background
influences our current and future perspectives. positive or negative evaluations
include other characteristics, such as importance, certainty, access, and
associated knowledge. Attitudes important in the study of social psychology Are
because they affect the amount of attention and a person has a specific vision.
Shapes can influence the type of decision. Generally, we recognize that people
behave according to their behavior. However, social psychologists have found
that attitudes and actual behaviors are not always fully aligned.

Different JOB ATTITUDES

Six different attitudes that could be found in and around the workplace.
Throughout all the research that was done on these different attitudes, their
relation to overall job satisfaction was a theme that continued to show itself in
each of the different attitudes. Some of them are intertwined in other ways as
well. Below is a overview of how they are all connected.

Connection between Job Satisfaction and Turnover

When dealing with the issue of turnover within an organization, job satisfaction is
essentially what causes employees to initialing begin evaluating how they feel
about their job. Job satisfaction can be considered what causes employee’s to
begin to question their job and whether they would like to leave.  The sooner
organizations make an attempt to improve employee job satisfaction levels the
more likely they can prevent employees from questioning their current job

Connection to Organizational Commitment

In comparison to the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover, other
research suggests that job satisfaction is indirectly related in the decision to leave
an organization.  Rather recent research is suggesting that job satisfaction directly
influences the employee’s level of organizational commitment and based on their
commitment level they will then make a decision to stay or leave an
organization.  Therefore job satisfaction is indirectly related to the turnover
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process and organizational commitment is directly related.  Basically employees

evaluate aspects of their job which causes them to evaluate aspects of the
organization.  After evaluating their role in the organization as a whole they then
decide whether they want to leave or stay with the organization

Connection to Job Involvement

In the research, it is sometimes difficult to tease apart job involvement from job
satisfaction or organizational commitment.  When these constructs are
operationalized though, it is clear to see they have different consequences for the
individual versus the organization.  Nevertheless, continuously throughout the
literature it can be seen these constructs are either antecedents or outcomes of
job involvement.  This suggests that job satisfaction and organizational
commitment are highly related, but can also be thought of as distinct constructs.
While not  specifically presented in this website, one can see job satisfaction is
related to job involvement because it consists of general affect toward an
individual's job.  Such affect often needs to be present for individuals to become
engaged with their work, which is a portion of the definition of job involvement.
Furthermore, for an individual to become committed to the organization it may
be beneficial if an individual is engrossed in his/her job.   

Connection to Perceived Organizational Support

Research on POS began in 1986. POS reduces absenteeism. Compared to affective
commitment and continuance commitment, POS may be a better predictor of
employee organizational citizenship behaviors. One meta-analysis found that POS
has a strong, positive effect on organizational commitment and job
satisfaction. Affective organizational commitment also has been researched as a
predictor of POS, and is positively correlated with the construct.  

Connection to Perceived Coworker Support

A multiple regression analysis done by Bateman (2009) supports the notion that
co-worker alliances do in fact have a significant influence on job satisfaction.  This
helps in demonstrating that the higher amount of co-worker support that an
employee perceives they are receiving, the more of an impact that perception will
have on overall job satisfaction, i.e. a higher level of perceived support equals

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higher levels of job satisfaction.  Thus, there is evidence in the literature that
backs the idea that perceived coworker support has the potential to raise job
satisfaction.

Connection to Complacency
Complacency is the only job attitude that does not directly relate back to job
satisfaction. Based on the definition of complacency this makes sense because
complacency relates more strongly back to motivation rather than satisfaction.
Additionally, it is the only attitude that is not a desired state for an individual
employee, work-teams, and organizations as a whole.  This means organizations
would like to counter individuals becoming complacent with their jobs.
Organizations are so concerned with this because complacency highly relates to
low performance.  

Self-Perception Theory (Bem)

Self-perception theory describes the process in which people, lacking initial

attitudes or emotional responses, develop them by observing their own behavior
and coming to conclusions as to what attitudes must have driven that behavior.
Self-Perception Theory
Self-perception theory is counterintuitive. Common knowledge would have us
assume that a person’s personality and attitudes drive their actions; however,
self-perception theory shows that this is not always the case. In simple terms, it
illustrates that “we are what we do.” According to self-perception theory, we
interpret our own actions the way we interpret others’ actions, and our actions
are often socially influenced and not produced out of our own free will, as we
might expect

In everyday life, people observe other people’s actions and behaviors and make
inferences about others’ attitudes based on what they observe. When people see
how another person acts in a particular situation, they often attribute the
behavior to the person’s traits and attitudes. For example, if you view someone in
a park recycling a plastic water bottle rather than throwing it in the garbage, you
might infer that the individual is concerned about the environment. Similarly, if
you witness a school child scowling at her teacher, you might infer that she is

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upset or angry with the teacher. Interestingly, sometimes people also observe
their own behavior, much as an outsider might do, and make similar inferences
about their own attitudes based on their behavior. According to self-perception
theory, when people are unsure of their own attitudes, one way to infer them is
by looking at their behaviors. Daryl Bem proposed self-perception theory in 1967
when he argued that people sometimes analyze their own behavior in the same
fashion as they would analyze someone else’s behavior.

At the time, Bem was proposing something that was counter to how people’s
attitudes and behaviors were thought of. Most people would agree, for example,
that a person who perceives himself or herself as interested in road biking may, as
a result of that interest, buy bicycling equipment and go on long cycling rides.
That is, the person’s attitudes and self-perception influence his or her behavior.
Bem, however, reversed this relation by suggesting that it is also possible that
people understand their attitudes and interests because they have made
inferences based on their behavior. Thus, this person could infer that he or she is
interested in road biking on the basis of frequent cycling trips and lavish spending
on a nice road bike.

Self-perception theory provides a similar explanation for emotion by suggesting

that people infer their emotions by observing their bodies and their behaviors. In
other words, people’s emotions and other feelings come from such actions as
facial expressions, postures, level of arousal and behaviors. In this way, feelings
are consequences of behavior rather than the other way around. People are
angry because they scowl and are happy because they smile—this is the self-
perception effect.

Everyone has experienced the self-perception effect. Imagine for a moment that
you have had a terrible day—several things have gone wrong and you feel very
irritable and grouchy. However, you have made previous plans to meet up with
some friends for a small social gathering that evening. When you arrive, you smile
and elicit warm, polite behavior. When others at the gathering greet you with “Hi,
how’s it going?” you respond with “Fine, how are you?” It is challenging to scowl
and maintain your irritability at a party with friends. So, you smile instead and—in
effect—pretend to be happy. For most of us, our original feelings of irritability
decrease after smiling and exhibiting “happy” behavior. Our behavior changes our
attitude.

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Even the way people walk can affect the way they feel. Test this with yourself.
When you get up, walk back and forth across the room, shuffling with your
shoulders hunched and your eyes looking down at the floor. What do you feel?
Similarly, imagine sitting slouched over all day, sighing when people speak to you
and talking in a really low voice. You probably feel a bit down or depressed. Now
try walking across the room taking long strides, swinging your arms high, and
smiling. These different behaviors can elicit a different emotional experience.

Theory of Cognitive dissonance:

Cognitive dissonance is a theory in social psychology. It refers to the mental

conflict that occurs when a person’s behaviors and beliefs do not align.

It may also happen when a person holds two beliefs that contradict one another.

Cognitive dissonance causes feelings of unease and tension, and people attempt
to relieve this discomfort in different ways. Examples include “explaining things
away” or rejecting new information that conflicts with their existing beliefs

The psychologist Leon Festinger published his theory of cognitive dissonance in

his 1957 book, A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance.

Festinger proposed that people experience discomfort when they hold conflicting
beliefs or when their actions contradict their beliefs.

Since then, cognitive dissonance has become one of the most influential and

researched theories in social psychology.

People will try to reduce this dissonance to relieve the discomfort. The drive to
resolve dissonance is called the “principle of cognitive consistency.”

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It is important to note that cognitive dissonance is not automatic when a person

holds opposing beliefs. They must have an awareness of the inconsistency to feel
discomfort.

Not everyone experiences cognitive dissonance to the same degree. Some people
have a higher tolerance for uncertainty and inconsistency and may experience
less cognitive dissonance than those who require consistency.

Other factors that affect the degree of cognitive dissonance that a person
experiences include:

 The type of beliefs: Beliefs that are more personal lead to more significant
dissonance.
 The value of the beliefs: Beliefs that people hold in high regard tend to
cause greater dissonance.
 The size of the disparity: A substantial disparity between conflicting and
harmonious beliefs will result in more dissonance.

Effects

Cognitive dissonance has the immediate effect of causing feelings of discomfort

and unease.

As people generally have an innate desire to avoid this discomfort, cognitive

dissonance has a significant effect on a person’s:

 behaviors
 thoughts
 decisions
 beliefs and attitudes

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 mental health

People experiencing cognitive dissonance may notice that they feel:

 anxious
 guilty
 ashamed

As a result, they may:

 try to hide their actions or beliefs from others

 rationalize their actions or choices continuously
 shy away from conversations or debates about specific topics
 avoid learning new information that goes against their existing beliefs
 ignore research, newspaper articles, or doctor’s advice that causes
dissonance

Avoiding factual information can allow people to continue maintaining behaviors

with which they do not fully agree.

Of course, cognitive dissonance may prompt some people to change their

behavior so that their actions align with their beliefs. In this way, it provides
people with an opportunity to examine their values and actions and achieve
cognitive consistency.

As a result of cognitive dissonance, many people confront problematic attitudes

and actions.

They may make positive changes in their lives, such as addressing unhealthful
eating habits, addiction, or anger issues.

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Cognitive dissonance affects everyone, and it plays a role in many of a person’s

daily judgments and decisions.

Although cognitive dissonance may seem like a negative effect, it can also help
people change and grow in positive ways.

Through awareness of conflicting beliefs and actions, people can address their
habits and bring their behaviors in line with their values.

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