Behavior and Attitudes

 

Attitudes= are likes and dislikes—favorable or unfavorable evaluations of and reactions to objects, people, situations of other aspects of the world, including abstract ideas and social policies.

 

Functions:

1. Instrumental Function= attitudes we hold for practical and utilitarian reasons
2. Knowledge Function= attitudes that help us make sense of the world, that bring order to the diverse information we must assimilate in our daily lives, are said to serve this function
3. Value-Expressive Function= attitudes that express our values or reflect our self-concepts
4. Ego-Defensive Function= attitudes that protect us from anxiety or from threats to our self-esteem
5. Social Adjustment Function= attitudes that help us feel that we are part of a social community

 

Attitudes and Behavior

*Attitudes tend to predict behavior when:

1. They are strong and consistent= vs. weak and ambivalent ones
2. They are specifically related to the behavior being predicted= vs. those that are only generally related to it
3. They are based on experience= vs. those formed from reading or hearing about an issue
4. People who are more aware of their attitudes are more likely to behave in ways that are consistent with those attitudes

 

 

IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT THEORY

 

IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

-          a goal-oriented activity of controlling or regulating information in order to influence the impressions formed by an audience

-          process where people are trying to shape an audience’s impressions

-          helps control social relations and avoids embarrassment

-          presentation of self

 

v      SELF-PRESENTATION THEORY

-          deals with expression of ideals and identity

-          pretending attitudes one does not really believe in to appear consistent even if it means displaying a bit of insincerity or hypocrisy

 

FACTORS AFFECTING IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

 

Ø      STIGMA

-          a particular characteristic of a person that is discrediting or usually suggest something bad about the moral status of the individual

 

Ø      SELF-MONITORING OF BEHAVIOR (SELF-MONITORING TENDENCY)

-          control of own behavior

-          monitoring the behavior and noting others’ reactions and readily adapting/adjusting social performance to new jobs, roles, etc. when not having the desired effect

 

¨       High Self-Monitors (High Rate of Self-Monitoring Tendency)

-          being concerned with acting in an appropriate way in various  social situations

-          trying to see what behaviors are appropriate and then trying to manage the impression they create

-          social chameleons; more likely to espouse an attitude they do not really hold in response to external situation

 

¨       Low Self-Monitors (Low Rate of Self-Monitoring Tendency)

-          not being so concerned with the appropriateness of behavior; people who care less about what others think

-          more internally guided, thus their attitudes predict their behavior

 

Ø      DECEPTION

-          lying to avoid embarrassment

 

Ø      CHARISMA AND EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION

-          being outspoken of what one feels

 

 

·         People are often concerned about maintaining a positive identity in public.

 

·         To make a good impression leads to gaining social/material rewards, feeling better and becoming secure with social identities.

 

·         To make a good impression also means to express attitudes that match our actions.

 

·         Very inconsistent people are perceived as emotionally unstable and lacking credibility as communicators.

 

 

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

By Leon Festinger

·         The focus of cognitive dissonance theory is attitude change.

·         Cognitive dissonance is the distressing mental state in which people feel they "find themselves doing things that do not fit with what they know, or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions they hold."

·         This theory assumes we feel tension (dissonance) when two simultaneously accessible thoughts or beliefs (cognitions) are psychologically inconsistent-- as when we decide to say or do something we have mixed feelings about

·         Dissonance is the motivation to change behavior or belief to avoid a distressing feeling.

 

Insufficient justification- reduction of dissonance by internally justifying one's behavior when external justification is insufficient

Festinger came up with three mental mechanisms. These are to guarantee people that their actions and attitudes will work as one. These mechanisms include:

Hypothesis 1: Selective Exposure Prevents Dissonance

This hypothesis states that people are consistent with their existing beliefs and "stick to their own kind."

 

Hypothesis 2: Post-decision Dissonance Creates a Need for Reassurance

According to Festinger, internal tension can generate after a close-call decision has been made. This is sometimes referred to as “morning-after” doubts, or second thoughts about making a tough choice or decision. According to Festinger, close-call decisions can generate huge amounts of internal tension after a decision has been made.

 

Hypothesis 3: Minimal Justification/Effort Justification for Action Induces a Shift in Attitude

This hypothesis discusses inner attitudes and outward behaviors as the beginning and end of a cause-and-effect sequence, and reversing this sequence to shift in attitudes and the way we think. This discusses the idea of inner attitude and outward behavior as the beginning and end of a cause-and-effect sequence, i.e. “Suffering leads to liking.”

 

Methods for reducing dissonance:

 

1. Change the importance of the conflicting cognitions. (Minimal Justification)
2. Change one of the contrary cognitions.

 

PREPARED BY:

Marilou Corro

Czarina Oliveras

Lani Reyes

Ma. Christina H. Santos