Felicia McCaw Discussion Questions Week 5(2).

Breckler defined attitudes as beliefs, feelings and behavioral intentions toward an object? Do you agree? Why or Why not?

Yes. Attitudes are important because they allow the process of incoming stimuli when reacting with a person, object, things and events. This stimuli allows and stimulates the amygdala to project images of acceptance or rejection emotionally and allows an emotional assessment. Emotional assessments lead to our developing attitudes which affect our everyday life, e.g., bad emotions triggers attitudes of dislike, hate and associate negative connotations with it; good emotions triggers attitudes of like, love, good and everything positive is associated with it.

What most impacts your attitudes?

There are a lot of aspects that have an impact on my attitudes and others and they are:

1. Changing Circumstances
2. Negative Interaction
3. Positive
4. Environmental Changes
5. Legalities
6. Family
7. Marriage
8. Children
9. Education
10. Positive Feedback
11. Exposure to New Stimuli
12. Differing Perceptions
13. Subconscious
14. Conscious Mind
15. Incoming Stimuli
16. Cultural Clash
17. Interacting with differing cultures
18. Emotions
19. Facial and Body Language
20. Humor

Defining attitudes.

Several attitudes that follow are:

Self-Esteem – is the feeling or attitude we have toward self. (Great Bond)

Prejudice – is the feeling or attitude taken when we hold someone in negative regard as inferior. (No Bond)

Interpersonal Attraction – are feelings or attitude toward individuals or strangers – neutral stance. (Low Bond)

Friendship – are feelings or attitudes toward another that you feel positive about. (Medium Bond)

Love – are feelings or attitudes toward people you care deeply about. (High Bond)

Implicit Attitude – an attitude or feeling activated by memory subconsciously.

Explicit Attitude – an attitude or feeling consciously held.

Dual Attitude – contradictory implicit and explicit attitudes of feelings toward the same object.

Lecture/Discussion on implicit, explicit and dual attitudes

Implicit Attitudes – are feelings or attitudes of uneasiness associated with a bad scenario that occurs when it is triggered by similar occurrences. De Ja vu. Gut feelings.

Explicit Attitudes – are feelings that are opposite of implicit – a total contrast – these attitudes are deliberately obtained through cognitive thought, deduction and behavioral components that affect you consciously.

Dual Attitudes – are feelings of conflicting emotion that struggle consciously and subconsciously that holds a person back from making certain judgments – wavering attitudes.

Lecture/Discussion on the Psychological Functions of Attitudes

#1 - The function of attitudes are based on the psychological value of each human being. Due to each person having differing attitudes these correspond on a parallel level with mental thoughts, cognitive thought, emotional thoughts and behavioral aspects of interaction and feeling of people throughout each day. Further without these psychological functions the ability to cognitively explore these multiple attitudes would be impossible. Focusing on the theory of attitudes these changes are gradually adjusted by the mental processes of new stimuli and adaption to altering circumstances, events, people, environment and further these attitudes are changed satisfying different psychological needs.

#2 - Utilitarian Attitude – this attitude helps the person to achieve rewards and gain approval from others.

Knowledge – is the ability of a person to structure and comprehend the world and circumstances in it.

Ego Defense – is the ability to defend and protect self.

Value – Expression – is the ability to express important values that are supportive of self-concept.