PERSONALITY,

ATTITUDES AND
BELIEFES, VALUES
z
z
 z
PERSONALITY

 Personality encompasses a person’s relatively stable feelings,

thoughts, and behavioural patterns.

 Each of us has a unique personality that differentiates us from

other people, and understanding someone’s personality gives us
clues about how that person is likely to act and feel in a variety of
situations.
 PERSONALITY TRAIT
z
z ATTITUDES

It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than

anything else, will affect its successful outcome.”
 — William James

 What is an attitude?

 Attitudes are the mental dispositions people have towards

others and the current circumstances before making decisions
that result in behaviour. People primarily form their attitudes from
underlying values and beliefs.
z

Attitudes are composed of three main components as affective,

behavioural and cognitive. It is known as the ABC model of attitudes.

Affective – refers to the part of attitudes that drives a person’s feelings

Behavioural – refers to the behaviour a person displays or how one

actually reacts in accordance to their attitude in a particular situation.
 Cognitive – refers to a person’s opinion, beliefs or thought about a
subject matter or a person.
z
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ATTITUDE
AND BEHAVIOR
Attitudes are not the same as behaviours.

Attitudes are a construct of internal beliefs and value systems.

Attitudes, capabilities or circumstances influence observed behaviour.

Use caution when assessing attitudes and use behaviours as examples.

Feedback and behaviour management can change attitudes.

Changing attitudes can also change values and beliefs and vice versa.
 An understanding of these constructs helps personal and
organisational management.
z
BELIEFES

A potential belief sits with the person until they accept it as

truth, and adopt it as part of their individual belief system.

A belief is an idea that a person holds as being true.

A person can base a belief upon certainties (e.g. Mathematical

principles), probabilities or matters of faith.

A belief can come from different sources, including:

a person’s own experiences or experiments

the acceptance of cultural and societal norms (e.g. religion )

 what other people say (e.g.education or mentoring).
 z
VALUES

Values are stable long-lasting beliefs about what is important to a

person. They become standards by which people order their lives
and make their choices
 A belief will develop into a value when the person’s commitment
to it grows and they see it as being important.
z