Attitude - A Cognitive Component

In business psychology, attitude is an emotional construct, a trait that characterizes an individual, or a complex psychological entity that inheres within a person's personality. It is also called the attitude towards attitude (AWA). Attitude in business is really a way of responding to and measuring situations that have either been perceived or are present. It is not a static state but rather a dynamic one.


Attitude can be described as the dominant cultural and cognitive attitude toward a specific situation. It is also sometimes described as "the way people perceive and evaluate the attributes of others". In psychological terms, attitude refers to the perspective of the person about a specific situation. It is a complex and interrelated construct. Attitude can be described as the underlying mental attitude of a person toward a particular behavior, concept, situation, or goal.

The research on attitude in psychology reveals three important characteristics: power, constraint, and consistency. Power and constraints appear as aspects of attitudes about behavior and occur when people take control or exert control over another person, idea, situation, or other entity. Consistency emerges as the ability to continue to maintain a consistent state of mind over time, which includes persistence, stability, and the ability to endure. People who display these three characteristics are said to possess an attitude that is "prinifically" balanced, i.e., it has all of the components of a balanced attitude.

An attitude can be described as a pattern of selective response-an unconscious mechanism that selects its own responses to specific stimuli. Individuals with positive tendencies are considered to be more flexible, creative, and interpersonal motivated than those with negative tendencies. A person with a positive attitude expects and enjoys the pleasant sensations that result from positive behaviors and thoughts. He attributes the positive feelings and actions to the influence of positive external stimulus. Conversely, a negative person attributes negative motivation, constraint, and control to his behavioral patterns and the control he feels he exerts over his environment and other people.

These attitudes influence our thoughts, feelings, and behavior in a variety of social settings and in our interactions with others. They can affect the degree to which we are successful in our careers, in our relationships, with our peers, and in our homes. Attitudes can influence everything from how much we earn to the amount of time we spend on work and affect the way that we think about nearly every other facet of our lives.

The attitude, however, is not something we were born with. Our attitude and behavior are influenced by our experiences both early and late in life, both in environments and among ourselves. It is not possible to control our attitude or our behavior, but we can, if we choose to, structure our attitudes. We can learn to structure our attitudes to better match our needs and the needs of those around us.

One way to structure an attitude is to decide what your attitude is: an affective component of your attitude that is affected by your beliefs and behaviors. Your attitude then is determined by your cognitive component - what you believe and how you feel when confronted with evidence that supports your beliefs. Your cognitive attitude is, therefore, a complex reflection of your cognitive component. Attitude, therefore, is more than just a feeling; it is an actual dimension of your psychological makeup.


If, for example, most people around you believe that poverty is immoral then your attitude will also be immoral. Yet, if most people around you behave as if wealth is immoral then your attitude will also be moral. Each time you interact with people, you evaluate their beliefs and behaviors and determine your attitude and your behavior and attitude accordingly. You may not always succeed at getting your point across to others but, if you are sincere, you will get your point across. Your attitude, as well as your behavior, is, ultimately, the most important part of your character.