Attitude(psychology)..doc

Attitude (psychology) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search An attitude is a hypothetical construct that represents an individuals degree of like or dislike for something. Attitudes are generally positive or negative views of a person, place, thing, or event— this is often referred to as the attitude object. People can also be conflicted or ambivalent toward an object, meaning that they simultaneously possess both positive and negative attitudes toward the item in question. Attitudes are judgments. They develop on the ABC model (affect, behavior, and cognition)[1]. The affective response is an emotional response that expresses an individuals degree of preference for an entity. The behavioral intention is a verbal indication or typical behavioral tendency of an individual. The cognitive response is a cognitive evaluation of the entity that constitutes an individuals beliefs about the object.[citation needed] Most attitudes are the result of either direct experience or observational learning from the environment. Contents [hide] 1 Attitude formation 2 Attitude change 2.1 Emotion and Attitude Change 2.2 Components of Emotion Appeals 3 Implicit and explicit attitudes 4 Jungs definition 5 MBTI definition 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading [edit] Attitude formation Unlike personality, attitudes are expected to change as a function of experience. Tesser (1993) has argued that hereditary variables may affect attitudes - but believes that they may do so indirectly. For example, consistency theories, which imply that we must be consistent in our beliefs and values. The most famous example of such a theory is Dissonance-reduction theory, associated with Leon Festinger, although there are others, such as the balance theory. [edit] Attitude change Main article: Attitude change Attitudes can be changed through persuasion and we should understand attitude change as a response to communication. Experimental research into the factors th