Question.
Discuss the functions of attitude.
( UPPSC, UP PCS Mains General Studies-4 2019, 8 Marks)
Answer:
Attitudes are evaluative beliefs, feelings, and behaviors that people hold towards other people, objects, events, or their environment.
Attitude can also defined as negative or positive or neutral feelings towards a person, object, ideas, environment, etc. An unimportant situation generates a neutral attitude.
For example, I hate the idea of cheating.
Here, it shows the negative attitude toward the cheating idea.
The attitude of a person can be shaped by various factors such as personal experiences, cultural values, and social influences. Attitude plays a crucial role in individuals' behaviors or decision-making processes, especially in civil servants.
The following are some functions of attitude;
- Knowledge function
- Value expressive function or social identity functions
- Ego defensive functions
- Utilitarian function
Knowledge function of attitude;
Attitudes can help persons to organize and structure their knowledge about the world. Positive or negative attitudes toward a particular subject help individuals acquire knowledge.
For example, if you like programming then you will participate in the programming workshop.
A negative attitude towards maths makes people weak in maths.
Value expression functions or social identity functions;
Attitude can also influence an individual's behaviors by determining the actions they take in response to a given situation. These attitudes play an important function in expressing their individual image. For example, a positive attitude towards honesty will make someone more likely to act in an honest manner, and a person would also work in a transparent manner. Someone who has a positive attitude toward environmental conservation may be known as an environmentalist.
Ego defensive functions:
Positive or negative attitudes are also used to protect their own limitations or images. Many people use attitude to justify their decision not to engage in it.
For example, Ramesh does not know how to play Chess, but when someone asked to play chess, he said I do not like chess. Through this attitude, Ramesh is hiding their own limitations.
Utilitarian function of attitude:
Attitudes can help individuals to maximize rewards and minimize punishment. For example, if someone has a positive attitude towards health, they are more likely to engage in physical activities and avoid unhealthy foods.
In conclusion, we can say attitudes serve many functions in daily life in individuals, attitude can influence our knowledge, decision-making, building positive or negative images, or various utilitarian functions.
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