ATTITUDE THEORIES

R.Sam Vivek1st MBAWSM

ATTITUDE : Attitudes are evaluative statements

indicating one’s feeling either favorably or unfavorably towards persons , objects , events or situations

Attitude is very complex cognitive process just like personality of an individual.

ATTITUDE THEORIES :

Balance TheoryCongruity theoryCognitive dissonance theory

Balance Theory (Fritz Heider 1958) :

The “granddaddy” of all consistency theories

The most basic, simple model Involves three cognitive elements, P,O,X:

P: Person (perceiver, self)O: Other personX: Attitude object (thing, event, action)

Congruity Theory (Osgood, Tannenbaum, & Suci, 1957)

The theory is based upon the “semantic differential” scale

Congruity exists when a person holds identical attitudes toward a source and a topic or issue.When two or more attitudes are linked by

an assertion there is a tendency for both attitudes to change

Cognitive Dissonance Theory( Leon Festinger )

This theory sought to explain the linkage between attitudes and behavior.

Leon Festinger recognized this issue and formulated the theory of Cognitive Dissonance based on the fact that humans are sensitive to inconsistencies between action and belief.

Thanq…