Attitude, its components and functions

Attitude

"For success Attitude is as important as Ability"

• Background of Attitude
• Description of Attitude
• Understanding of Attitude
• Prediction
• Control (Social influence + Persuation)
• Concept of Attitude
• Characteristic features of Attitude
• Components/Structures of Attitude
• Function of Attitude
• Need function
• Knowledge function
• Ego defensive function
• Value expressive function
• Attitude-behaviour link

Attitude - 

• It reflects readiness of psyche to act/react in certain way.
• It is about positive and negative evaluation of people/object/events/ideas etc.
• It reflects the lasting evaluation of various aspects of social world.

Belief, Value & Attitude 

There are two types of belief - Peripheral beliefs & Core beliefs (which are long lasting).

When this core belief denotes preference with respect to desirability or undesirability, it is known as value.

And when this value is tied with some object which result into specific behaviour, it is Attitude (i.e., specific determinant of behaviour).

Types of Attitude - 

1. Bureaucratic Attitude - Bureaucratic values when applied to an object, it is known as bureaucratic attitude.
2. Democratic Attitude - Democratic values when applied to an object, it is known as democratic attitude.
3. Patriarchal Attitude - Patriarchal values when applied to an object, it is known as patriarchal attitude.

Characteristics features of Bureaucratic attitude -

• Neutrality
• Impersonality
• Rule-orientation
• To-down approach
• Anonymity
• Accountability and responsibility

Characteristics features of Democratic attitude -

• Fluid/flexible interaction
• People centric
• Bottom up approach
• Participative/consultative

Merits of bureaucratic attitude -

1. Adherence of strict rules so no partiality
2. Quick decision making
3. Easy to fix the responsibility

Demerits of bureaucratic attitude -

1. Rigid
2. Status quoism
3. Apathy towards the people
4. Red-tapism
5. Alienation of common man from the administration

Merits of democratic attitude -

1. People consultative and people centric
2. Takes every one into consideration
3. More flexibility
4. Better acceptance of policies by the people
5. More efficiency and target based approach
6. Internalisation of policies
7. Inclusive planning 
8. Constructive criticism is welcomed

Demerits of democratic attitude -

1. Lack of consensus building
2. Delay in decision making
3. Lack of informed participation
4. Fear of majoritarianism

Way forward/Suggestions -

• When there is a large human interface on field, democratic attitude is suitable.
• But for day to day decisions, quick decisions and decisions at micro framework; bureaucratic attitude (which is based on bureaucratic guidelines) is suitable.
• Planning at macro level should be bureaucratic but implementation at micro level must be democratic (i.e., flexible).
• So there has to be a robust combination of both for better efficiency.

Question for practice 

Two different kinds of attitude is exhibited by the public servant towards their work, have been identified as bureaucratic and democratic attitude.

1. Distinguish between these two and write their merits and demerits.
2. Is it possible to balance the two to create a better administration.

Problems with bureaucracy in India 

• Political leaders are temporary
• Bureaucrats are permanent executive (Steel frame of India).

But bureaucrats are bound to follow the dictates of political leaders. They are not allowed to act according to their personal discretion/personal value. 

        That's why bureaucrats are often termed as 'Iron Cage'.

C. Wright Mill says that the problem with the bureaucracy is that all your life you have to act in a rule based manner. So, your personal discretion takes back seat and for a very long time, if you act according to other's rule rather than your own true self. Then it results into self alienation.

        And for that he used the term "Prostitution of personality".

Characteristics features of the Attitude 

1. It is enduring (lasting over a period of time).
2. They are acquired or learned as a result of socialisation.
3. Attitudes are held because they perform some function for the holders.
4. Attitude are evaluative judgement.
5. Attitude can be expressed verbally or non-verbally.
6. They conform to the principle of consistency.

Component/Structure of the Attitude 

1. Belief (Cognitive)
2. Emotion (Affection)
3. Action (Behaviour tendency)

Beliefs generate emotions, which generates behaviour tendency (but it does not guarantee to carry out that action; it depends on the impediments).

Stereotype - When belief is rigid, irrational, overgeneralised and does not take not of individual differences, then it is known as stereotype.

When belief turned into stereotype, attitude will turn into prejudice.

Prejudice - Prejudices are the example of negative attitude towards a particular group. 

It is based on stereotype about that specific group.

The cognitive component of prejudice is accompanied by dislike or hatred, i.e., the affective component.

Prejudice some time gets translated into discrimination, i.e., behavioural component.

History contains numerous examples of discrimination based on race, caste, class, etc. For example - Genocide committed by Nazis in Germany against the Jewish people is an extreme example of prejudice and discrimination.

In our society also, there are examples of atrocities against dalits, violence against women, exodus of migrants, communal clashes, etc.

In many cases, the behaviour is controlled or curbed by laws.

For example - Prevention of Atrocity Act, Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, Domestic Violence Act, etc.

But the cognitive and emotional component of the prejudice is difficult to change. Hence, the specific strategies are required to handle prejudice such as -

1. Minimize the opportunities for learning prejudice.
2. If such attitude exists, then it needs to be changed.
3. De-emphasising the narrow social identity based on the ingroup (who has a stereotype against the out group/other group).
4. Discouraging the tendency towards negative behaviour among the victims of prejudice, which re-enforce the prejudice.

"Hatred can't be the answer to hatred,

Love is the answer of all the hatred"

These goals can be accomplished through following means -

1. Education and information dissemination for correcting the stereotype related to a specific target group and tackling the problem of strong ingroup biasness.
2. Increasing intergroup contact which allows for direct communication, removal of mistrust and even discovery of positive qualities in the outgroup.
3. Highlighting individual identity rather than group identity. Thus, weakening the importance of group as the bias of evaluating the other person.

Question for practice 

Many of the present social conflict arises due to prejudice and discrimination. Illustrate what can be done to curb discrimination and handle prejudice?

Functions of Attitude 

• Functional theory is provided by Daniel Katz.
• He gave a functional perspective to the attitude, that attitude is held by an individual because it is performing certain function.
• There are 4 types of functions performed by the attitude.
1. Need function
2. Knowledge function
3. Ego-defensive function
4. Value expressive function

Need function 

• Need ⇒ to maximise the rewards and minimise our punishments (economic, political, cultural, philosophical, etc.)

Many attitudes are formed as a result of the rewards and punishment attached with it. We develop a favourable attitude towards a particular thing if it maximises our rewards.

For example - 

• Corporate house positively disposed towards a political party since it will advance their economic reward.
• A common man is having a favourable attitude towards a political party on caste or religious lines due to caste or religious ideologies.

Once these attitudes are formed, they continue to be useful in helping us achieving our goals.

We will continue with a certain attitude only till our needs are getting fulfilled. The day it stops fulfilling the needs, we will abandoned the attitude and replace it with new one.

The attitude also changes if the individual is convinced that the new attitude will help him in serving the existing need better.

For example - The dominant class (who were initially Agricultural community, who were dominating socially, politically and economically), but due to agricultural distress and lack of opportunity with respect to education, their hegemony was threatened. 

        Therefore their need to restore hegemony (through economical means by securing government jobs) arisen. That's why they started demanding reservation.

Therefore, to change this attitude we have to change their need or provide alternative attitude which will serve their existing needs.

How need can be changed?

Make aware them that the security does not lie in jobs, it lies in 'Skill'. Reservation is a means not the end (Amartya Sen concept of Capability Approach - Making human capable rather than human resource).

"Rather than giving a fish, tell the person how to fish"

Or this can be done by providing alternative attitude by making the agriculture lucrative again (by providing knowledge of new technologies and innovation with respect to agriculture).

"Future belongs to nation with grains not with guns"

M.S. Swaminathan

Example - Traditionally women were not allowed to work outside (Patriarchal attitude).

But today because of increase in cost of living, women were allowed to work (because of change in need, inspite of patriarchal attitude).

Knowledge function 

• Attitude helps the attitude holder to organise and interpret diverse set of information.
• They provide consistency and clarity in our explanation and understanding of events. Therefore, this function is also known as Understanding function.
• It helps us understanding the complexities of life.
• It provides us the frame of reference which helps us in organising and interpretating the social information.
• The knowledge function of the attitude does not imply that the attitude provides us a factually truthful picture of the world around us. Infact it provides a picture that is meaningful and understandable to the individual who happens to hold this attitude.
• Such attitude are likely to change in situations where it becomes difficult for the attitude holder to continue with his existing attitude.
• In such situations, attitude holder has no option but to change their attitude in order to establish more logical understanding.
• For example - There is a general perception that Africans are unlawful people. (this perception might developed by watching movies and helps us in understanding the reality better. But when you came across an African national and when you are in dire need, he helps you. Then you thought maybe he is just one exception. Now again when you went to university, no one is talking to you but it was only those Africans who talk to you politely. And when in student exchange program, you were sent to Africa where you were largely surrounded by those Africans and then you realised that in your own country you were never nice to them but when you went to their country they welcomed you and helped you in all your projects.)
• So initially, Your attitude about Africans were that they were unlawful but after counter information, it becomes difficult for you to hold this attitude. So, the attitude will change to have a better understanding.
• Another example - Poor people are discriminated and poor because it is the retribution of their past karma (Attitude).

• Despite evidences attitude does not change due to selective perception and interpretation and availability of some justification. Hence with availability of counter information, its sustained availability; it will lead to beginning of internalisation process.

Ego-defensive function 

• Attitude helps us to enhance our self-esteem and defend us against the various arrows of life.
• Prejudiced attitude are often used as a crutch to bolster (boost) the self-esteem of the attitude holder.
• Attitude helps us to maintain our self-esteem in the moment of embarrashment.
• It protects us from acknowledging the truth about our own self.
• These defences are more used by those who are insecured and anxious.
• These kinds of attitude are very difficult to change as they esteem from individual's personality.
• These are held unconsciously.
• For example -
• The blame culture
• Act of moral policing (on 14 February)
• Incidences of domestic violence
• Grapes are sour attitude
• Son of soil policy, etc.
• Since, these attitudes develop from the personality issues rather than the attitude object, hence just by providing counter attitudinal information would not be sufficient to bring about the attitudinal change.
• Hence, the need of the hour is to provide an environment in which individual feels truly valued as a person and therefore is ready to lower his defences and explore their innermost feelings.
• Such exploration will require the individual to experience empathy and unconditional positive regards (irrespective of caste, religion, creed, race, etc.) from the change agent.
• When the target group is able to get a psychological climate of this nature, the ego-defensive attitude goes away.

Value-expressive function 

• This function promotes your self-esteem.
• It helps a person in establishing his identity which conveys to himself and others, the kind of person he/she is.
• It helps us in the exercise of impression management.
• These are also difficult to change as they are deeply entrenched in individual's personality.
• Change may occur if individual values have changed or new attitude will express the underline values better.
• It helps us communicate who we are and makes us feel good because we have asserted our identity.
• The expression of attitude can also be non-verbal in nature.
• For example - You have a self image that you are a feminist or a conservative or radical. Then you will cultivate an attitude that will express these values.

Difference between Ego-defensive and value-expressive function of Attitude -

• Ego-defensive function ⇒ Protect your self-esteem
• Value-expressive function ⇒ Promotes your self-esteem (expresses your value)

Previous Article - Socialisation

Next Article - Attitude-Behaviour Consistency

Notes on other subjects 

Ancient History

Medieval History

Modern History

Art & Culture

Polity

Geography

Economy

International Relations

Society

Ethics

Optional Subject 

Public Administration

Note - This is my Vision IAS Notes (Vision IAS Class Notes) and Ashutosh Pandey Sir's Public Administration Class notes. I've also added some of the information on my own. 

Hope! It will help you to achieve your dream of getting selected in Civil Services Examination 👍