Components of Attitudes Video Lecture - Personal Skills

Voiceover: So what do you think of
when you hear the word attitude?
Do you think of the typical moody teenager
who needs a reality
check, or maybe someone who has a strong
viewpoint about a certain topic?
Well, an attitude is actually both of
these and a combination of a lot more.
An attitude is a learned tendency.
It's a learned tendency to evaluate things
in a certain way.
So to evaluate people, issues, events,
objects and we can break down attitude
into three components.
So in the first component, we have the
affective component.
And this is also known as the emotional
component.
So we may feel or have emotions about a
certain object or subject or topic.
And this is what's gonna shape our
attitude.
So for example, I can show an emotional
attitude by saying, I am scared of
spiders.
So the word scared indicates an emotion,
and
that's gonna shape our attitude toward, of
spiders.
The second component is called the
behavioral component.
And
the behavioral component is how we act or
behave towards an object or a subject.
So in this component, we may say something
like,
I will avoid spiders and scream if I see
one.
So the words avoid and scream indicate an
action
or a behavior, and that's going to
influence our attitude.
And the last component is called the
cognitive component.
And in the cognitive component, we form
thoughts; we form beliefs,
or we have some sort of knowledge about a
subject or an object or a topic.
That's going to influence and shape our
attitude.
So an example here is saying, I believe
spiders are dangerous.
We have a belief that they are dangerous,
and that's gonna form our attitude.
So we call these three components the ABC
model of attitude.
So let's take a look at two sentences
I've written that utilize these three
components of attitude.
So right here in the first sentence I
write, I love yoga because I get to do
meditation, and I believe it helps me
relax, so I will go to class each week.
So in looking at this sentence, what do
you think is the effective or emotional
component?
Right here, I love yoga.
Love is a feeling, an emotion.
What about the behavioral component?
Exactly.
If you said, I will go to class each week,
then you are right.
Going to class is a behavior; it’s an
action.
And that’s going to inform your attitude
towards yoga.
What about the last one, the cognitive
component?
I believe, that should indicate belief or
cognition.
I believe it will help me relax.
That's a thought that maybe you also have
some
prior knowledge that's gonna help you
shape the attitude.
All right, on to the next one.
What about the second sentence?
I am frightful of roller coasters and
believe they are
stupid, so I will be on the carousel at
the park.
What's the effective component here?
Once again, I'm frightful of
rollercoasters.
First part of the sentence, fright is an
emotion.
It's a fear.
What about the behavioral component?
Be, be, the word be should help you see,
that it's a behavior, it's an action.
I will be on the carousel at the park.
Because you're afraid of rollercoasters,
you're not gonna be on the
rollercoaster; you're gonna be somewhere
else; it's gonna shape your attitude.
And the last part.
What about the cognitive part?
Believe is the magic word.
I believe they're stupid.
I believe rollercoasters are stupid.
Maybe you have some knowledge; it's a
belief that is a cognitive component of
attitude.