Sample Material of Our IAS Mains GS Online Coaching Programme
Subject: General Studies (Paper 4 - Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude)
Topic: Attitude
Attitude
Whenever we interact with others it seems that we are involved in finding out what each other thinks, in telling each other our opinions and beliefs or in trying to change someone else’s. If we know someone’s attitude about something, we feel we are in a better position to predict and explain what they will do, feel or think in a given situation. An attitude is “a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events or symbols.” An attitude is an expression of favor or disfavor toward a person, place, thing, or event (the attitude object). Prominent psychologist Gordon All port once described attitudes lithe most distinctive and indispensable concept in contemporary social psychology. Attitude can be formed from a person’s past and present. Attitude influences the behavior of the individuals. Attitude is a usual way of doing things. Successes and failures in life depend upon the attitude of the individuals. If attitudes are positive, then human relations will be positive. And positive human relations are necessary for a successful life.
Attitude is a disposition to approach an idea, event, person, or an object. It is a tendency to act in one was or the other toward an ‘attitude object’ or something CT (i.e. idea, event, person, object, food, Steps of colour. and furniture. virtually everything). It is easy to see therefore that the study of attitudes is central to the study of people in social situations. How you see others stereotyping, prejudices, attraction, voting, which subjects you study, your hobbies and interests, which TV programmes you watch, religious views, political views, who your friends are, whether you attribute blame/ responsibility to someone, how you make decisions in a group-all of these are areas of social psychology and all of them reflect attitudes that you hold.
Structure of Attitudes
Attitudes structure can be described in terms of three components.
Affective component: this involves a person’s feelings/ emotions about the attitude object. For example: “I am scared of spiders”.
Behavioral (or conative) component: the way the attitude we have influences how we act or behave. For example: “I will avoid spiders and scream if I see one”.
Cognitive component: this involves a person’s belief/ knowledge about an attitude object. For example: “I believe spiders are dangerous”.