Attitude change

Definition

Attitude change refers to the process through which an individual's beliefs, feelings, or behaviors regarding a particular subject or object are altered. This shift can occur due to various influences, such as persuasive communication, social interactions, or cognitive dissonance, where individuals adjust their attitudes to resolve inconsistencies in their thoughts and actions. Understanding attitude change is crucial for comprehending how people adapt their views in response to new information or experiences.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Attitude change can be either deliberate or automatic; it may occur after careful consideration of arguments or through simple exposure to new information.
2. Cognitive dissonance plays a significant role in attitude change as individuals strive for internal consistency between their beliefs and actions.
3. Attitude change can happen on an individual level but can also spread through social networks, where people's attitudes influence one another.
4. Strong emotional appeals in persuasive messages often lead to more substantial attitude changes than purely logical arguments.
5. Individuals may resist attitude change due to factors like entrenched beliefs, group identity, and the fear of social rejection.

Review Questions

• How does cognitive dissonance contribute to the process of attitude change?
  • Cognitive dissonance contributes to attitude change by creating psychological discomfort when individuals hold conflicting beliefs or when their behavior does not align with their attitudes. To reduce this discomfort, people are motivated to either change their attitudes to align with their behavior or modify their behavior to be consistent with their existing attitudes. This internal struggle often leads to a reevaluation of beliefs, facilitating a shift in attitudes over time.
• What role does persuasion play in influencing attitude change among individuals?
  • Persuasion plays a critical role in influencing attitude change as it involves using communication strategies to convince others to adopt new beliefs or behaviors. Effective persuasion can appeal to logic, emotions, and credibility, making individuals more receptive to changing their attitudes. The effectiveness of persuasive messages often hinges on factors such as the source's trustworthiness and the emotional resonance of the message being delivered.
• Evaluate the impact of social influence on attitude change within groups and communities.
  • Social influence significantly impacts attitude change within groups and communities by highlighting how individuals' beliefs and behaviors can be shaped by their social surroundings. Through mechanisms like conformity and groupthink, people often align their attitudes with those of the majority in order to fit in or avoid conflict. This dynamic can lead to widespread changes in group attitudes over time, particularly when individuals prioritize acceptance over personal belief consistency.

Related terms

Cognitive Dissonance: A psychological state where a person experiences discomfort due to holding contradictory beliefs or engaging in behavior that conflicts with their attitudes.

Persuasion: The act of convincing someone to change their beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors through communication, often involving appeals to logic, emotion, or credibility.

Social Influence: The effect that other individuals or groups have on a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, which can lead to changes in attitudes.