Attitudes

Attitudes

Attitudes are like beliefs, with the addition of an emotional component. This component inclines us to respond either positively or negatively to the subject of the attitude. A positive attitude is closely associated with a general belief in our capacity for self-improvement and achievement.

Attitudes are essential and unavoidable. Without them we should have to respond to people, events and messages on a moment-to-moment basis, and decide each time we encountered them how we felt and thought about them. But the specific attitudes we have, their direction (favourable or unfavourable), salience (how important they are for us) and intellsity (how strongly we hold them) can have a very significant influence upon our capacity for development.

In general, we are more likely to reinforce our attitudes than to change them. This is especially the case with attitudes closely tied to our self-image and with generalized attitudes. Changing a generalized attitude (eg, one towards a religious faith or political party) inevitably entails a host of changes to the specific attitudes which relate to it.

Our own personal development requires a reevaluation of certain attitudes – a shift towards those consistent with our goals and aspirations and away from those which block their accomplishment. For example, if we have been raised with a negative attitude towards the rich, then we are unlikely to achieve wealth-related goals until we have altered our attitude. Particularly crucial here are our attitudes towards change itself. Your success in achieving change will be influenced by the attitude, or state of mind, with which you approach any given task, and by the existence of “self-defeating beliefs” which can block you from achieving change.

Personal growth also involves an alignment of positive attitudes and behaviour: for example, actually setting goals, not just having a positive view about it.

Maintaining the ‘right’ attitudes involves actively seeking out of like-minded people and information conducive to our attitudes. For example immersing yourself by using self-improvement tapes, books and speakers helps ensure exposure to messages in line with your attitudes. Similarly, the avoidance of newspapers and anything else which might have a negative influence adds to maintaining a positive attitude.

Success experts emphasize the attitude component of achievement. So what is the link between internal attitude and external achievement? Part of the explanation seems to be that if we have a positive attitude (almost certainly linked to high self-esteem) we will be more open to ideas and solutions, and will go on looking for them longer than someone with a negative attitude. In this sense success relates to being a happy extraverted person who will reap the benefits of the behaviours correlated with Happiness.

If we approach a situation (a job interview, for instance) with positive expectations, thinking it is going to go well, then these expectations give rise to positive attitudes towards the situation, the people in it and ourselves. In turn, we translate these attitudes into the kinds of verbal and non-verbal behaviours such as smiling, making good eye contact, being complimentary which encourages other people to be receptive and positive towards us. Hence, we get the outcome we wanted. We nkow that these behaviours are associated with being happy. See Success and happiness.