Attitude Definition Psychology

What is Attitude?

Attitude refers to a term which describes a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviours towards certain situations, persons, or object. Attitudes can be positive or negative all this could influence and affect way of living and to perceive or interact with the world around us. It is extensively used by psychologists, sociologists to interpret the mental behaviour of a person.

What Does Psychology Say About Attitude?

According to psychology, attitude is kind of a construction of a person's mental and emotional entity that inspires the character, approach to solve a problem and views of a person on a particular situation.

Types of Attitudes

There are 3 basic types of attitudes.

1. Positive Mental Attitude

This is a kind of attitude which is found in an organizational behaviour. For a person to keep working and moving this kind of attitude is the most needed trait. A positive mental attitude refers to keeping a positive mindset and thinking about the future good circumstances. Benefits from a positive mental attitude-

• Looking and interpreting a situation in a positive way.
• Being free with overthinking about the hurdles of life.
• Maintaining everything in a good way.
• Being aware about their mistakes and trying to improve them.
• Being confident.
• Ability to adapt.
• Flexibility.
• Optimism.

2. Negative Mental Attitude

A kind of attitude where people ignore the good and think about the negative or bad scenarios of everything. Due to this they only see bad in people and all they absorb is toxicity from the people around them. Their aura also tends to become negative and hence they may not realise this but all they spread is negativity wherever they go. This kind of attitude has got no benefits and so all it got are disadvantages-

• Anger
• Hatred
• Pessimism
• Frustration
• Doubt
• Jealousy
• Inferiority
• Insecurities.

3. Neutral Mental Attitude

People with this kind of attitude don't give enough importance to situations or events. They ignore and try to run from their problems and wait for others to solve it. But majorly people with this attitude reflect a poor metal health and are almost tired of the problems they get. They don't feel the need to change. Traits of a person with a neutral attitude-

• Complacence
• Indifference
• Detached from the outer world.
• Disconnected
• Unemotional

Introversion and Extroversion

According to Carl Jung's defination of attitude there are two opposite sides of attitude: Introversion and Extroversion. People who belong to the introversion side of attitude tend to focus on the inward circumstances. While on the other hand, people with extroversion side of attitude are totally the vice-versa of the people on introversion. Introverted people have the tendency to self-reflect more and being happy in their own company while extroverted persons get comfortable focusing outwardly and interact with the world at a large scale.

Using Psychology to Determine the Attitude of Person

Factors that can be used are:

1. Ideas: The ideas of a particular person can be a major factor to determine the type of attitude that person have. As it could reflect about how the person interprets a problem or a situation and think of ideas to it. For instance, if a person thinks an idea to how to escape a problem or just not think about even one there are high chances that person have a neutral mindset.
2. Values: Values are those ideals which lead a person's life without having to think about it. These can vary person to person as they are different and sometimes conventionally to different types of persons having any type of attitude. However, how a person follows or interprets their values reflect their attitude.
   For instance- if a person follows his values which may be sometime a hurdle to them in their future, but they take or execute them in a positive way, high chances are that they have positive attitude.
3. Beliefs: Mass media plays a vital role in shaping a person's beliefs and opinions with extensive use of television, radio and social media. Educational institutes have a strong influence on shaping one's attitude, understanding of moral concepts.
4. Perception: A trait that is the major factor of determining one's attitude as it identifies "optimism" as one of the cofactors in all.
5. Views: Can also be influenced by the norms, values, and traditions of our culture. Our opinions towards various racial or ethnic minority groups, customs, or practises can be influenced by our cultural heritage.
6. Cognitive Processes: Our attitudes can also be influenced by our cognitive processes, which include perception, memory, and reasoning. For instance, we might adopt unfavourable sentiments towards a group of people if we believe they are dangerous or menacing.

Advantages of Attitude

• Improve Mental Health: The one with the positive attitude results in high mental growth compared to people with negative views, are more likely to be in better bodily and mental health. Positive attitudes can improve overall health outcomes and are linked to decreased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.
• Better Relationship: When one approaches others with a positive outlook, they are more likely to be open-minded, empathetic, and understanding, which may improve communication and lead to more enjoyable interactions.
• Improved Decisions: The positive attitude can also make a high difference in decision which is very important in today's world. People are more likely to weigh all their options, make wise selections when they approach situations with an optimistic outlook.

Finally, having a positive outlook on life might result in more satisfaction and fulfilment. People who have a positive outlook on life are more likely to appreciate the time at hand, be appreciative of what they have, and have hope for the future. Greater overall life satisfaction may result from this.

Disadvantages of Attitude

• Prejudice and Discrimination: Attitudes can be founded on biases and preconceptions, which can result in prejudice and discrimination towards specific people or groups.
• Close-Mindedness: People with strong attitudes may be receptive to new ideas, viewpoints, or information that challenges their preconceived notions.
• Rigidity: It can be challenging to adjust to novel circumstances or experiences when attitudes are rigid and resistant to change.
• Conflict: Individuals or organisations with divergent views, values, or perspectives may clash due to attitudes.
• Accuracy: Sometimes attitudes are founded on insufficient or wrong information, which can result in misunderstandings and incorrect conclusions.

Conclusion

Attitudes are intricate psychological concepts with both benefits and drawbacks. Personal experiences, social influence, culture, cognitive processes, and personality traits are only a few of the things that have an impact on them. While attitudes can aid us in navigating our social and physical environments and help us behave predictably, they can also be based on preconceptions and biases, which can breed prejudice and other forms of discrimination as well as conflict. It is critical to be conscious of the potential negative effects of attitudes and work towards a fair and unbiased view of our views and thoughts.