Attitudes serve four major functions for the individual:
The adjustments function,
The ego defensive function,
The value expressive function
The knowledge function.
Ultimately these functions serve people’s need to protect and enhance the image they hold of themselves. In more general terms, these functions are the motivational bases which shape and reinforce positive attitudes toward goal objects perceived as need satisfying and / or negative attitudes toward other objects perceived as punishing or threatening.
Adjustment Function
The adjustment function directs people toward pleasurable or rewarding objects and away from unpleasant, undesirable ones. It serves the utilitarian concept of maximizing reward and minimizing punishment. Thus, the attitudes of consumers depend to a large degree on their perceptions of what is needed satisfying and what is punishing. Because consumers perceive products, Services and stores as providing need satisfying or unsatisfying experiences we should expect their attitudes toward these object to vary in relation to the experiences that have occurred.
Ego Defensive Function
Attitudes firmed to protect the ego or self image from threats help fulfill the ego defensive function. Actually many outward expressions of such attitudes reflect the opposite of what the person perceives him to be. For example a consumer who has made a poor purchase decision or a poor Investment may staunchly defend the decision as being correct at the time or as being the result of poor advice from another person. Such ego defensive attitude helps us to protect out self image and often we are unaware of them. This function involves psychoanalytic principles where people use defense mechanisms to protect themselves from psychological harm. Mechanisms include:
Denial: Denial, is used for a psychological defense mechanism postulated by psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence. An individual that exhibits such behavior is described as a denialist or true believer. Denial also could mean denying the happening of an event or the reliability of information, which can lead to a feeling of aloofness and to the ignoring of possibly beneficial information.
Repression: Psychological repression, or simply repression, is the psychological attempt made by an individual to their characterists to direct one’s own desires and impulses toward pleasurable instincts by excluding the desire from one’s consciousness and holding or subduing it in the unconscious. In psychoanalytic theory repression plays a major role in many mental illnesses, and in the psyche of the Average person.Repression, ‘a key concept of psychoanalysis, is a defense mechanism, but it pre-exists the ego, e.g., ‘Primal Repression’. It ensures that what is unacceptable to the conscious mind, which would arouse anxiety if recalled, is prevented from entering into it’; and is generally accepted as such by psychoanalytic psychologists.
Projection: Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against their own unconscious impulses or qualities (both positive and negative) by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others. For example, a person who is habitually intolerant may constantly accuse other people of being intolerant. It incorporates blame shifting. According to some research, the projection of one’s unconscious qualities onto others is a common process in everyday life.
Rationalization:In psychology and logic, rationalization or rationalisation (also known as making excuses) is a defense mechanism in which controversial behaviors or feelings are justified and explained in a seemingly rational or logical manner to avoid the true explanation, and are made consciously tolerable—or even admirable and superior—by plausible means. It is also an informal fallacy of reasoning.
Rationalization happens in two steps:
A decision, action, judgement is made for a given reason, or no (known) reason at all.
A rationalization is performed, constructing a seemingly good or logical reason, as an attempt to justify the act after the fact (for oneself or others).
Rationalization encourages irrational or unacceptable behavior, Motives, or feelings and often involves ad hoc hypothesizing. This process ranges from fully conscious (e.g. to present an external defense against ridicule from others) to mostly unconscious (e.g. to create a block against internal feelings of guilt or shame). People rationalize for various reasons—sometimes when we think we know ourselves better than we do. Rationalization may differentiate the original deterministic explanation of the behavior or feeling in question.
Value expression function
Whereas ego defensive attitudes are formed to protect a person’s self image, value expressive attitudes enable the expression of the person’s centrally held values. Therefore consumers adopt certain attitudes in an effort to translate their values into something more tangible and easily expressed . Thus, a conservative person might develop an unfavorable attitude toward bright clothing and instead be attracted toward dark, pin striped suits.
Marketers should develop an understanding of what values consumers wish to express about themselves and they should design products and promotional campaigns to allow these self expressions. Not all products lend themselves to this form of market segmentation however. Those with the greatest potential for value expressive segmentation are ones with high social visibility. Cross pens, Saks Fifth Avenue clothes. Ferrari automobiles and Bang & Children stereo systems are examples.
Knowledge function
Humans have a need for a structured and orderly world, and therefore they seek consistency stability definition and understanding. Out of this need develops attitudes toward acquiring knowledge. In addition, the need to know tends to be specific. Therefore an individual who does not play golf, nor wish to learn the sport is unlikely to seek knowledge or an understanding of the game. This will influence the amount of information search devoted to this topic. Thus, out of our need to know come attitudes about what we believe we need or do not need to understand.
In addition attitudes enable consumers to simplify the complexity of the real world. That is, as was pointed out in the chapter information processing, the real world is too complex for us to cope with so we develop mechanisms to simplify situations. We saw that this involves sensory thresholds and selective attention and it also involves attitudes. Attitudes allow us to categorize or group objects as a way of knowing about them. Thus, when a new object is experienced we attempt to categorize it into a group which we know something about. In this way the object can share the reactions we have for other objects in the same category. This is efficient because we do not have to spend much effort reacting to each new object as a completely unique situation. Consequently we often find consumers reacting in similar ways to ads for going out of business sales limited time offers American made goods etc. Of course there is some risk of error in not looking at the unique aspects or new information about objects but for better or worse, our attitudes have influenced how we feel and react to new examples of these situations.
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Adjustment is the process of adapting to one’s Environment. It involves both internal and external changes. Internal changes include changes in one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. External changes include changes in one’s social environment, such as one’s relationships with others.
Arousal is a state of physiological and psychological activation. It is often associated with excitement, but it can also be associated with anxiety or fear. Arousal is regulated by the autonomic nervous system, which has two branches: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the “fight or flight” response, while the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the “rest and digest” response.
Cognition is the mental process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. It includes processes such as attention, memory, perception, language, and problem-solving.
Evaluation is the process of assessing the worth or value of something. It can be used to make decisions about what to do or what to believe. Evaluation can be based on objective criteria, such as facts and evidence, or on subjective criteria, such as personal values and beliefs.
Expression is the act of communicating one’s thoughts, feelings, or ideas to others. It can be done through a variety of means, such as speech, writing, art, music, or dance.
Function is the purpose or role of something. It can refer to the physical function of an object, such as the function of a heart or a kidney, or it can refer to the social function of something, such as the function of a family or a school.
Interpersonal is relating to or involving two or more people. It can refer to relationships between individuals, such as friendships or romantic relationships, or it can refer to relationships between groups, such as businesses or countries.
Knowledge is familiarity with facts, information, and skills. It can be acquired through experience, Education, or research.
Object is something that can be seen or touched. It can refer to a physical object, such as a table or a chair, or it can refer to an abstract object, such as a concept or an idea.
Organization is the act of arranging things in a systematic way. It can refer to the physical organization of things, such as the organization of a room or a closet, or it can refer to the organizational structure of an institution, such as a business or a government.
Perception is the process of recognizing and interpreting information from the senses. It includes processes such as attention, sensation, and interpretation.
Self-regulation is the ability to control one’s own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is a key component of Emotional Intelligence and self-management.
Social is relating to or involving Society or its members. It can refer to the social structure of a society, such as the Social Classes or the Social Institutions, or it can refer to the social interactions between individuals, such as friendships or romantic relationships.
Value is a belief that something is important or desirable. It can be based on personal preferences, cultural norms, or religious beliefs.
These are just a few of the many subtopics that could be covered in an ARTICLE on adjustment. By understanding these subtopics, we can better understand how people adjust to their environment and how they can be helped to adjust more effectively.
What are the functions of attitude?
Attitudes serve four main functions:
Knowledge function: Attitudes help us to understand and make sense of the world around us. They provide a framework for interpreting information and events.
Value-expressive function: Attitudes reflect our core values and beliefs. They help us to define ourselves and our place in the world.
Social adjustment function: Attitudes help us to get along with others and to fit in with social groups. They can also help us to achieve our goals.
Defense function: Attitudes can protect us from negative information and from threats to our self-esteem.
What are the different types of attitudes?
There are many different ways to classify attitudes. One common way is to distinguish between positive and negative attitudes. Positive attitudes are favorable evaluations of something, while negative attitudes are unfavorable evaluations. Another way to classify attitudes is to distinguish between explicit and implicit attitudes. Explicit attitudes are conscious and easily accessible, while implicit attitudes are unconscious and less accessible.
What are the different components of an attitude?
An attitude can be thought of as having three components: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. The cognitive component refers to our beliefs about something. The affective component refers to our feelings about something. The behavioral component refers to our tendencies to act in a certain way towards something.
How are attitudes formed?
Attitudes are formed through a variety of processes, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social Learning. Classical conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus is paired with a stimulus that already elicits a response. Over time, the neutral stimulus will come to elicit the same response as the original stimulus. Operant conditioning occurs when a behavior is followed by a reinforcement or punishment. The behavior is more likely to occur in the future if it is followed by a reinforcement, and less likely to occur if it is followed by a punishment. Social learning occurs when we observe the behavior of others and the consequences of their behavior. We are more likely to imitate the behavior of others if we see that it is rewarded, and less likely to imitate the behavior of others if we see that it is punished.
How are attitudes changed?
Attitudes can be changed through a variety of methods, including Persuasion, exposure, and cognitive dissonance. Persuasion is the process of changing someone’s attitude through argument or reasoning. Exposure is the process of being exposed to information about something. Cognitive dissonance is the state of psychological discomfort that occurs when we hold two contradictory beliefs or attitudes. When we experience cognitive dissonance, we are motivated to reduce the discomfort by changing one of our beliefs or attitudes.
What are the consequences of attitudes?
Attitudes can have a number of consequences, both for individuals and for society as a whole. For individuals, attitudes can influence our behavior, our thoughts, and our emotions. For society as a whole, attitudes can influence social norms, social policies, and social movements.
Attitudes are:
(a) learned predispositions to respond favorably or unfavorably to a person, object, or event.
(b) a person’s overall evaluation of something.
(c) a mental and emotional state of readiness for action toward a particular object.
(d) all of the above.
Attitudes are formed through:
(a) classical conditioning.
(b) operant conditioning.
(c) observational learning.
(d) all of the above.
Attitudes are important because they:
(a) influence our behavior.
(b) influence our thoughts and feelings.
(c) influence our relationships with others.
(d) all of the above.
Attitudes can be changed through:
(a) persuasion.
(b) exposure to new information.
(c) cognitive dissonance.
(d) all of the above.
The three components of an attitude are:
(a) cognitive, affective, and behavioral.
(b) evaluative, cognitive, and behavioral.
(c) affective, behavioral, and conative.
(d) none of the above.
The affective component of an attitude refers to:
(a) our beliefs about an object.
(b) our feelings about an object.
(c) our intentions to behave toward an object.
(d) none of the above.
The behavioral component of an attitude refers to:
(a) our beliefs about an object.
(b) our feelings about an object.
(c) our intentions to behave toward an object.
(d) none of the above.
Attitudes are relatively stable over time, but they can be changed.
(a) True
(b) False
Attitudes are learned through experience.
(a) True
(b) False
Attitudes can influence our behavior in a number of ways.
(a) True
(b) False