The Nature of Attitudes

Enthusiasm is contagious. Is your attitude worth catching?

An attitude is an evaluative reaction to a person, object or event. A dislike of broccoli is an attitude, as is a preference for liberal Democratic candidates. A neutral'attitude' is a contradiction in terms: to be 'neutral' about something - neither positive nor negative - is equivalent to having no attitude about it.

Meaning of Attitudes
Most simply put, attitudes are likes and dislikes. Social psychologists have given various definitions of the concept. Most of them view attitudes as inclinations or predispositions. Having reviewed the literature on the topic, Gordon W Allport defined an attitude to be a mental and neural state of readiness, organised through experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual's response to all objects and situations with which it is related. Later on, Milton Rokeach defined it as a relatively enduring organisation of beliefs around an object or situation predisposing a person to respond in some preferential manner.

Our response to an object is often in line with what we believe about and how we feel toward that object. Attitudes are, thus, said to have a knowledge/belief (cognitive) component, an emotional or affective component and a conative or behavioral component.

Having an idea or belief about the object is the minimum condition for having an attitude with regard to it. When the object of which you have an idea becomes associated with pleasant or unpleasant events or with your aspirations and goals, you attach a corresponding affect or an emotional tinge to that object. This affected belief energises and directs your response with regard to the object. An attitude may thus be understood as an idea or belief charged with emotion predisposing an individual to act in a particular way to persons, things, situations, issues, etc.

Attitudes, Values and Opinions 

An attitude is more specific than a value. One might value freedom in general but have a positive attitude about the Bill of Rights. Values are more general and abstract than attitudes, which tend to be more focused and concrete. 

Many researchers use the term 'attitude' interchangeably with 'opinion'. Social psychologists use the more precise term attitude to connote the several components attitudes involve.

It's your attitude, not your aptitude that determines your altitude.