Attitudes and Behavior
Attitudes and Behavior
By Saul McLeod updated 2018
Structure of Attitudes
Attitudes structure can be described in terms of three components.
o على سبيل. الطريقة التي يؤثر بها الموقف الذي نُؤثر عليه في كيفية تصرفنا أو تصرّفنا:)مكون سلوكي (أو ُم َكنّي
"سأتجنب العناكب وأصرخ إذا رأيت واحدة:"المثال.
One of the underlying assumptions about the link between attitudes and behavior
is that of consistency. This means that we often or usually expect the behavior of a
person to be consistent with the attitudes that they hold. This is called the principle
of consistency.
The principle of consistency reflects the idea that people are rational and attempt
to behave rationally at all times and that a person’s behavior should be consistent
with their attitude(s).
Whilst this principle may be a sound one, it is clear that people do not always
follow it, sometimes behaving in seemingly quite illogical ways; for example,
smoking cigarettes and knowing that smoking causes lung cancer and heart
disease.
There is evidence that the cognitive and affective components of behavior do not
always match with behavior. This is shown in a study by LaPiere (1934).
Attitude Strength
The strength with which an attitude is held is often a good predictor of behavior.
The stronger the attitude the more likely it should affect behavior. Attitude
strength involves:
كلما كان الموقف أقوى كلما كان من المرجح أن يؤثر على.القوة التي يتم عقد موقف غالبا ما يكون مؤشرا جيدا للسلوك
قوة الموقف ينطوي على.السلوك:
If an attitude has a high self-interest for a person (i.e. it is held by a group the
person is a member of or would like to be a member of, and is related to a
person's values), it is going to be extremely important.
As a consequence, the attitude will have a very strong influence upon a person's
behavior. By contrast, an attitude will not be important to a person if it does not
relate in any way to their life.
Attitudes based on direct experience are more strongly held and influence
behavior more than attitudes formed indirectly (for example, through hear-say,
reading or watching television).
Knowledge
Attitudes provide meaning (knowledge) for life. The knowledge function refers to
our need for a world which is consistent and relatively stable.
Knowing a person’s attitude helps us predict their behavior. For example, knowing
that a person is religious we can predict they will go to Church.
Self / Ego-expressive
The attitudes we express (1) help communicate who we are and (2) may make us
feel good because we have asserted our identity. Self-expression of attitudes can
be non-verbal too: think bumper sticker, cap, or T-shirt slogan.
Therefore, our attitudes are part of our identify, and help us to be aware through
the expression of our feelings, beliefs and values.36.
Adaptive
If a person holds and/or expresses socially acceptable attitudes, other people will
reward them with approval and social acceptance.
For example, when people flatter their bosses or instructors (and believe it) or
keep silent if they think an attitude is unpopular. Again, expression can be
nonverbal [think politician kissing baby].
Attitudes then, are to do with being apart of a social group and the adaptive
functions helps us fit in with a social group. People seek out others who share their
attitudes, and develop similar attitudes to those they like.
Ego-defensive
The ego-defensive function refers to holding attitudes that protect our self-
esteem or that justify actions that make us feel guilty. For example, one way
children might defend themselves against the feelings of humiliation they have
experienced in P.E. lessons is to adopt a strongly negative attitude to all sports.
People whose pride has suffered following a defeat in sport might similarly adopt
a defensive attitude: “I’m not bothered, I’m sick of rugby anyway…”. This function
has psychiatric overtones. Positive attitudes towards ourselves, for example, have
a protective function (i.e. an ego-defensive role) in helping us reserve our self-
image.
The basic idea behind the functional approach is that attitudes help a person to
mediate between their own inner needs (expression, defense) and the outside
world (adaptive and knowledge).
The basic idea behind the functional approach is that attitudes help a person to
mediate between their own inner needs (expression, defense) and the outside
world (adaptive and knowledge).
Hogg, M., & Vaughan, G. (2005). Social Psychology (4th edition). London: Prentice-
Hall.
Further Information
Behavior
Unconscious Attitudes<
Attitudes