Attitudes and Behavior in Psychology Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Attitudes and Behavior in Psychology - Thesis Example   Behavioral – which deals with action towards the attitude object. This is the execution of the attitude; the means through which a third party may administer or observe what the reaction has been. It is imperative to discuss the reaction component differently, because not all initial assumptions about attitude may yield the same result. (c) Cognitive – where beliefs about the attitude object are ascertained. Any prior experiences or learned behavior in the same context is likely to influence the process of attitude formation. These beliefs are not only crucial in the context of the issue at hand, but they also become the basis and foundations for future attitude formulations. Attitudes show their effect in various ways. There are circumstances wherein a person may feel positively or negatively about a subject. At the same time, states of ‘ambivalence’ may enable a person to maintain both views simultaneously. Additional concepts in social attitude formation are also integral to the lucid understanding of the said concept. One of these involves the theory of ‘cognitive dissonance’. â€Å"It is a state that presents a state of opposition between cognitions† (Wikipedia). The primary belief that is purported by this school of thought is that conflicting ideation, emotions, and conditions force the human being to seek a condition of equilibrium, and in a way speeds up the decision making process as far as concluding upon a certain attitude is concerned. These conflicts, therefore, ironically form the way towards conflict resolution once the mind has decided upon which stance to maintain.