Definition of Attitude
The term “attitude” frequently used in describing people and explaining their behavior. For example: “He
has a poor attitude”. “I like her attitude’.
More precisely, an attitude can be defined as a persistent tendency to feel and behave in a particular way
toward some object. For example George does not like working in the night shift. This shows that he has a
negative attitude toward his work assignment.
Attitudes can be broken down into 3 basic components:
· Emotional
· Informational
· Behavioral
EMOTIONAL COMPONENT:
The emotional component includes the person’s feelings or effect about an object, i.e. positive or negative.
Positive Attitudes: When an attitude towards a situation or subject is positive, then the person tends to be
receptive and he makes an effort to understand.
Negative Attitudes: In these types of attitude the person develops barriers and filters, accept data and
ideas selectively. The person rejects, ignores, minimizes some things and exaggerates others and criticizes
destructively. This is because of previously accepted ideas with which the new ideas are incompatible.
INFORMATIONAL COMPONENT
It consists of beliefs and information the individual has about the object. It makes no difference whether or
not this information is empirically real or correct. For example: a supervisor may believe that two weeks
of training is necessary before a worker can operate particular equipment. In reality, the average worker
may be able to operate the machine successfully after only four days of training. Yet the information the
superior is using (that two weeks are necessary) is the key to his attitude about his training.
BEHAVIORAL COMPONENT
It consists of a person’s tendency to behave in a particular way toward an object. For example: the
supervisor in the above paragraph may assign two weeks of machine training to all his new employees. It
is important to note that out of the three components of attitudes; only the behavioral component can be
directly observed. One cannot see another person’s feelings and informational component.

ATTITUDE FORMATION
Attitudes are the results of beliefs. If employee believes that the current job will provide them with
experience and training necessary to be promoted, the resulting job attitude will be positive. As a result the
employee will want to stay with the organization (behavioral component) and will be as productive as
possible (actual behavior).
FACTORS THAT DETERMINE OUR ATTITUDE
· Environment · Experiences · Education
Environment
This consists of home, school then the work place which creates a culture for us. Parents who respect each
other and create healthy atmosphere, leads to the upbringing of children with a healthy mind and a positive
attitude towards life. Media, traditions and social environment also influence a person’s outlook on life.
Experiences
Events in life determine individual’s behavior changes. Positive experiences with an individual make our
attitude positive towards him. Failures in life make us shy and introvert.
Education
True education teaches us not only how to make a living but also how to live. Both formal as well as
informal education has an impact on the individual. It opens to us the doors of positive living.
What the person is inclined to do towards the object.
Types of Attitude
POSITIVE ATTITUDE:
Positive attitude helps to cope more easily with the daily affairs of life. It brings optimism into your life,
and makes it easier to avoid worry and negative thinking. If you adopt it as a way of life, it will bring
constructive changes into your life, and makes them happier, brighter and more successful. With a positive
attitude you see the bright side of life, become optimistic and expect the best to happen. It is certainly a
state of mind that is well worth developing and strengthening.
Positive attitude manifests in the following ways:
· Positive thinking.
· Constructive thinking.
· Creative thinking.
· Expecting success.
· Optimism.
· Motivation to accomplish your goals.
· Being inspired.
· Choosing happiness.
· Not giving up.
· Looking at failure and problems as
blessings in disguise.
· Believing in yourself and in your
abilities.
· Displaying self-esteem and
confidence.
· Looking for solutions.
· Seeing opportunities
NEGATIVE ATTITUDE:
In these types of attitude the person develops barriers and filters, accept data and ideas selectively. The
person rejects, ignores, minimizes some things and exaggerates others and criticizes destructively. This is
because of previously accepted ideas with which the new ideas are incompatible. The negative world of
our imagination creates a negative world that is real and one that we are forced to live in. A negative
attitude is self-defeating. We won’t find solutions to life’s problems by looking for someone or something
to blame. . The constant stress that flows from a negative attitude also saps one’s energy, focus, and
motivation. It is hardly a formula for success. Also of great concern is the fact that those who refuse to
work on improving their negative attitude may slide into depression, self-pity, and hopelessness.
Additionally, negative people not only harm themselves; they harm the world. They cease to make a
contribution to it. Instead of helping, they spread gloom and misery everywhere.
NEUTRAL ATTITUDES:
It tends to be indifferent and though it accepts and rejects according to whether the things are compatible
or consistent with each other.
CONSEQUENCES OF NEGATIVE ATTITUDES
Negative attitude is the type of attitude in which the person develops barrier and filter, accepts data and
order selectively. The negative attitudes against some idea may lead to a positive attitude this may lead to
the invention and fantasy.
Our life is an obstacle course and we become our own biggest obstacle by having a negative attitude.
People with a negative attitude have a hard time keeping friendships, jobs marriage and relationships.
Their attitude leads to
· Bitterness
· Resentment
· A purposeless life
· Ill health
· High stress levels for themselves and others
They create a negative environment at home and work and become liability to the society. They also pass
their negative behavior to others around them and to future generations.
When we became aware of negative attitudes why don’t we change?
Human nature generally resists change. Change is uncomfortable. Regardless of its positive or negative
effects change can be stressful. Sometimes we get so comfortable with our negativity that even when the
change is for the positive we don’t want to accept it we stay with the negative.
Charles Dickens wrote about a prisoner who stayed for many years in a dungeon. After serving his
sentence, he got his freedom. He was brought out from his cell into the bright day light of open world this
man looked all around and after a few minutes was so uncomfortable with his newly acquired freedom that
he asked to brought back to his cell into confinement. To him the dungeon, the chains and the darkness
were more secured and comfortable than accepting the change of freedom and the open world.