An attitude is a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and

behavioural tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events

or symbols.

It is a learned predisposition to respond in a consistently favourable or

unfavourable manner with respect to a given object.

It is an expression of evaluation toward a person, place, thing or event. It

will always have a positive and negative element and have a tendency to
behave in a certain way.

Attitudes are formed primarily based on underlying values and beliefs.

While attitude is the predisposition to act in a particular way towards an

object or situation, opinion is the expression of the judgment of an
individual about a particular set of facts.

It is an evaluation of the circumstances presented to an individual.

Beliefs are acquired through real experiences but the original experience
related to a particular belief is mostly forgotten.

It affects the quality of our work and relationships because we experience

what we believe and it is not based on reality. They are an important part of
our identity.

They may be religious, cultural or moral.

Beliefs reflect who we are and how we live our lives. It is composed of
multiple factors tending to family, society and the structure of life. It is the
trust that something is true and good without any doubt.

It is an internal feeling that something is true, even though that belief may
be unproven or irrational.

I believe that walking under a ladder brings bad luck.

Attitudes vs. Behavior

Attitude refers to feelings, beliefs and behavior predispositions directed
towards people, groups, ideas or objects.

It influences the behavior of the individuals. It decides how to act or behave

in a particular situation.

Attitude is a kind of habit. It is the usual way of doing things.

Everything in an organization will get better if the attitude of everyone gets

better. Successes and failures in life depend upon the attitude of the
individuals.

If attitudes are positive, then human relations will be positive. It is internal

and very difficult to change.

Behavior is the way a person responds to his attitude. This response is

either positive or negative, depending on how that views his position.

For example, an employee who disagree?

With his supervisor may ignore office protocol.

In addition, an employee who dislikes another co-worker or has little

respect for a co-worker may display this attitude by speaking harshly to this
individual.

Behavior can be influenced by a number of factors beyond attitude,

including preconceptions about self and others, monetary factors, social
influences, and convenience.

It is the actions or reactions of a person or animal in response to external or

internal stimuli. It indicates the manner in which something functions or
operates.

Components of Attitudes:
Attitudes comprise of three basic components: emotional,
informational and behavioural.

These three components are described below:

1. Informational or Cognitive Component:
The informational component consists of beliefs, values, ideas and
other information a person has about the object. It makes no
difference whether or not this information is empirically correct or
real. For example, a person seeking a job may learn from his own
sources and other employees working in the company that in a
particular company the promotion chances are very favourable. In
reality, it may or may not be correct. Yet the information that
person is using is the key to his attitude about that job and about
that company.

2. Emotional or Affective Component:

The informational component sets the stage for the more critical
part of an attitude, its affective component. The emotional
components involve the person’s feeling or affect-positive, neutral
or negative-about an object. This component can be explained by
this statement.” I like this job because the future prospects in this
company are very good”.

3. Behavioural Component:
The behavioural component consists of the tendency of a person to
behave in a particular manner towards an object. For example, the
concerned individual in the above case may decide to take up the
job because of good future prospects. Out of the three components
of attitudes, only the behavioural component can be directly
observed. One cannot see another person’s beliefs (the
informational component) and his feelings (the emotional
component). These two components can only be inferred. But still
understanding these two components is essential in the study of
organisational behaviour or the behavioural component of attitudes.

The components are illustrated in the following table:

Functions of Attitudes
Attitudes serve four major functions for the individual: (1) the adjustments
function, (2) the ego defensive function, (3) the value expressive function (4)
the knowledge function. Ultimately these functions serve people’s need to
protect and enhance the image they hold of themselves. In more general
terms, these functions are the motivational bases which shape and reinforce
positive attitudes toward goal objects perceived as need satisfying and / or
negative attitudes toward other objects perceived as punishing or threatening.

Adjustment Function

The adjustment function directs people toward pleasurable or rewarding

objects and away from unpleasant, undesirable ones. It serves the utilitarian
concept of maximizing reward and minimizing punishment. Thus, the attitudes
of consumers depend to a large degree on their perceptions of what is needed
satisfying and what is punishing. Because consumers perceive products,
services and stores as providing need satisfying or unsatisfying experiences,
we should expect their attitudes toward these objects to vary in relation to the
experiences that have occurred.
Ego Defensive Function

Attitudes firmed to protect the ego or self-image from threats help fulfil the
ego defensive function. Actually, many outward expressions of such attitudes
reflect the opposite of what the person perceives him to be. For example, a
consumer who has made a poor purchase decision or a poor investment may
staunchly defend the decision as being correct at the time or as being the
result of poor advice from another person. Such ego defensive attitude helps
us to protect out self-image and often we are unaware of them.

Value expression function

Whereas ego defensive attitudes are formed to protect a person’s self-image,

value expressive attitudes enable the expression of the person’s centrally held
values. Therefore, consumers adopt certain attitudes in an effort to translate
their values into something more tangible and easily expressed. Thus, a
conservative person might develop an unfavourable attitude toward bright
clothing and instead be attracted toward dark, pin striped suits.

Marketers should develop an understanding of what values consumers wish to

express about themselves and they should design products and promotional
campaigns to allow these self-expressions. However, not all products lend
themselves to this form of market segmentation. Those with the greatest
potential for value expressive segmentation are ones with high social visibility.
Cross pens, Saks Fifth Avenue clothes. Ferrari automobiles and Bang &
Children stereo systems are examples.

Knowledge function

Humans have a need for a structured and orderly world, and therefore they
seek consistency stability definition and understanding. Out of this need
develops attitudes toward acquiring knowledge. In addition, the need to know
tends to be specific. Therefore, an individual who does not play golf, nor wish
to learn the sport is unlikely to seek knowledge or an understanding of the
game. This will influence the amount of information search devoted to this
topic. Thus, out of our need to know come attitudes about what we believe
we need or do not need to understand.

In addition, attitudes enable consumers to simplify the complexity of the real

world. That is, as was pointed out in the chapter information processing, the
real world is too complex for us to cope with which is why we develop
mechanisms to simplify situations. We saw that this involves sensory
thresholds and selective attention and it also involves attitudes. Attitudes
 allow us to categorize or group objects as a way of knowing about them.
Thus, when a new object is experienced, we attempt to categorize it into a
group which we know something about. In this way the object can share the
reactions we have for other objects in the same category. This is efficient
because we do not have to spend much effort reacting to each new object as
a completely unique situation.

Factors influencing attitude are beliefs, feelings, and action tendencies

of an individual or group of individuals towards objects, ideas, and
people.

Quite often persons and objects or ideas become associated in the minds
of individuals and as a result, attitudes become multidimensional and
complex.

Attitudes involve some knowledge of a situation.

However, the essential aspect, of the attitude is found in the fact that some
characteristic feeling or emotion is experienced and, as we would
accordingly expect, some definite tendency to action is associated.

Subjectively, then, the important factor is the feeling or emotion.

These are the factors influencing attitude;

 Social Factors.

 Direct Instruction.

 Family.

 Prejudices.

 Personal Experience.

 Media.

 Educational and Religious Institutions.

 Physical Factors.
 Economic Status and Occupations.

Social Factors

Every society has the majority of people who prefer to lead a harmonious
life. They try to avoid unnecessary friction of conflicts with people.

Naturally, they are inclined to develop positive attitudes towards most of

the people and issues.

Our attitudes may facilitate and maintain our relationships with members of
positively valued groups. Social roles and social norms can have a strong
influence on attitudes.

Social roles relate to how people are expected to behave in a particular role
or context. Social norms involve society’s rules for what behaviors are
considered appropriate.

Direct Instruction

In general, the individual being conformist or the direction of the attitude

of the people it deems important. Sometimes direct instruction can
influence attitude formation.

For example, somebody gives information about the usefulness of some

fruit.

On the basis of this information, we can develop a positive or negative

attitude about that fruit.

Family

The family is the most powerful source for the formation of attitudes. The
parents, elder brother or sister provide information about various things.

Attitudes developed by an individual, whether positive or negative are the

result of family influence, which is very powerful and difficult to change.
Prejudices

An attitude may involve a prejudice, in which we prejudge an issue without

giving unbiased consideration to all the evidence.

Prejudices are preconceived ideas or judgments where one develops some

attitudes toward other people, objects, etc.

If we are prejudiced against a person, who is, accused of a crime, we may

regard him as guilty regardless of the evidence. We can also be prejudiced
in favor of something.

Personal Experience

In order to be the basis of attitudes, personal experiences have left a strong

impression.

Therefore, the attitude will be more easily formed when personal

experience involves emotional factors.

In situations involving emotions, appreciation will be more in-depth

experience and longer trace.

Media

As a means of communication, mass media such as television, radio, has a

major influence in shaping people’s opinions and beliefs.

There is new information on something that provides the foundation for

the emergence of new cognitive attitudes towards it.

Educational and Religious Institutions

As a system, educational and religious institutions have a strong influence

in shaping attitudes because they lay the foundation of understanding and
moral concepts within the individual.

Understanding the good and the bad, the dividing line between something
that can and cannot do is obtained from the center of the educational and
religious institutions.
Physical Factors

Clinical psychologists have generally recognized that physical, health and

vitality are important factors in determining adjustment, and frequently it
has been found that malnutrition or disease or accidents have interfered so
seriously with normal development that serious behavioral disturbances
have followed.

Economic Status and Occupations

Our economic and occupational positions also contribute to attitude

formation.

They determine, in part, our attitudes towards unions and management and
our belief that certain laws are ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Our socio-economic
background influences our present and future attitudes.

Attitudes reflect more than just positive or negative evaluations: they

include other characteristics, such as importance, certainty, accessibility,
and associated knowledge.