Attitude and Formation Change
Attitude Formation Barbara Hugh Rivier College Professor O’Donnell
An attitude is a personal evaluation of your surroundings. These surroundings can be people, places, objects, or thoughts (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, pg. 211). Attitudes can be cognitively based, affectively based, or behaviorally based. Cognitively based attitudes are attitudes that are based on facts or the properties of the object (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, pg. 211). Affectively based attitudes are based more on emotions (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, pg. 211). Behaviorally based attitudes are based on the observation of behavior towards a certain object (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, pg. 213).
Personally, I hold many different attitudes. Based on my personality, many of the attitudes I hold are emotionally or affectively based. As a nurse, I encounter many things daily, which require an evaluation of my attitude. Since I seem to immediately default to my emotional side, I have trained myself to evaluate the person or situation in a more cognitive way, based purely on the facts (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, pg. 211). An example is when I assess my patient. My assessment is based purely on the facts present. I am assessing each body system and presenting my findings to the doctor. My attitude is based on whether this patient is stable and improving, or if they are becoming unstable and requiring the doctor’s immediate attention. If I evaluate the situation based solely on the facts, I am a better nurse. If I allow my emotions to take priority, and my attitude becomes affectively based, I am more focused on my emotional perception of the patient and their situation, not the present facts.
An example of affectively based attitude I experience would be when my patient presents with an attempted suicide. Based on life situations, suicide is something that immediately involves an emotional connection for me. My mother suffers from bi-polar disorder and has attempted suicide on
An attitude is a personal evaluation of your surroundings. These surroundings can be people, places, objects, or thoughts (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, pg. 211). Attitudes can be cognitively based, affectively based, or behaviorally based. Cognitively based attitudes are attitudes that are based on facts or the properties of the object (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, pg. 211). Affectively based attitudes are based more on emotions (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, pg. 211). Behaviorally based attitudes are based on the observation of behavior towards a certain object (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, pg. 213).
Personally, I hold many different attitudes. Based on my personality, many of the attitudes I hold are emotionally or affectively based. As a nurse, I encounter many things daily, which require an evaluation of my attitude. Since I seem to immediately default to my emotional side, I have trained myself to evaluate the person or situation in a more cognitive way, based purely on the facts (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, pg. 211). An example is when I assess my patient. My assessment is based purely on the facts present. I am assessing each body system and presenting my findings to the doctor. My attitude is based on whether this patient is stable and improving, or if they are becoming unstable and requiring the doctor’s immediate attention. If I evaluate the situation based solely on the facts, I am a better nurse. If I allow my emotions to take priority, and my attitude becomes affectively based, I am more focused on my emotional perception of the patient and their situation, not the present facts.
An example of affectively based attitude I experience would be when my patient presents with an attempted suicide. Based on life situations, suicide is something that immediately involves an emotional connection for me. My mother suffers from bi-polar disorder and has attempted suicide on
References: Aronson, E., Wilson, T., & Akert, R. (2010). Social Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.