MODEL ANSWER TO THE QUESTION EXPLAIN THEORIES OF ATTITUDE

•     THEORIES OF ATTITUDE FORMATION

I.        THEORIES OF ATTITUDE
COGNITIVE CONSISTENCY THEORIES
BALANCE THEORY

II.        CONGRUITY THEORY

III.        AFFECTIVE COGNITIVE CONSISTENCY THEORY

IV.        COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THEORY

V.        FUNCTIONAL THEORY

VI.        SOCIAL JUDGMENT THEORY

•     COGNITIVE CONSISTENCY THEORIES

A.    PEOPLE SEEK CONSISTENCY AMONG THEIR ATTITUDES AND BETWEEN THEIR ATTITUDES AND THEIR BEHAVIOR.

B.    PEOPLE SEEK TO RECONCILE DIVERGENT ATTITUDES AND ALIGN THEIR ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR SO THAT THEY APPEAR RATIONAL AND CONSISTENT.

C.    THERE IS INCONSISTENCY, FORCES ARE INITIATED TO RETURN THE INDIVIDUAL TO AN EQUILIBRIUM STATE WHERE ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR ARE AGAIN CONSISTENT.

•     BALANCE THEORY

A.    PROVIDED BY HEIDER

B.    CONCERNED WITH JUDGMENT OF PEOPLE/ISSUES THAT ARE LINKED BY SOME FORM OF RELATIONSHIP

C.    THREE ELEMENTS IN THE ATTITUDE FORMATION:-

D.    THE PERSON

E.    OTHER PERSON

F.    IMPERSONAL ENTITY

G.   TWO GENERIC TYPES OF RELATIONSHIP:- SENTIMENT RELATIONS AND UNIT RELATIONS.

·         BALANCE THEORY

1. BALANCE EXIST IF ALL THREE RELATION ARE POSITIVE OR TWO RELATIONS ARE POSITIVE AND ONE POSITIVE.
2. IMBALANCE IF ALL THE THREE RELATION ARE NEGATIVE OR IF TWO RELATIONS ARE NEGATIVE AND ONE POSITIVE.
3. PEOPLE TEND TO PERCEIVE OTHERS AND OBJECTS LINKED TO THEM SO THAT THE SYSTEM IS BALANCED.
4. BALANCED STATES ARE STABLE AND IMBALANCES STATES ARE UNSTABLE

•     EXTENSION OF BALANCE MODEL. ABLERSON SUGGESTED:

IN COGNITIVE STRUCTURE:-

a.     DENIAL

b.    BOLSTERING

c.     DIFFERENTIATION

d.    TRANSCEDENCE

•     CONGRUITY THEORY

a.     GIVEN BY OSGOOD AND TANNENBAUM

b.    SIMILAR TO THE BALANCE THEORY

c.     FOCUS IS ON CHANGES IN THE EVALUATION OF SOURCE AND A CONCEPT THAT IS LINKED BY ASSOCIATIVE AND DISSOCIATIVE ASSERTION,

d.    CONGRUITY EXIST WHEN A SOURCE AND CONCEPT THAT ARE LINKED BY POSITIVE ASSOCIATED HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME EVALUATION OR VICE VERSA

e.     CONGRUITY IS STABLE STATE AND INCONGRUITY IS UNSTABLE AND INCONGRUITY LEADS TO ATTITUDE CHANGE.

•     AFFECTIVE CONGRUITY CONSISTENCY THEORY

a.     GIVEN BY ROSENBERG

b.    RELATED WITH THE CONSISTENCY BETWEEN A PERSON’S OVERALL ATTITUDE OR EFFECT TOWARD AN OBJECT OR ISSUE AND HIS BELIEF ABOUT  ITS RELATIONSHIP TO HIS MORE GENERAL VALUE.

c.     ALSO CALLED STRUCTURAL BECAUSE IT IS CONCERNED MAINLY WHAT HAPPENED WITH IN INDIVIDUAL WHEN AN ATTITUDE CHANGES

d.    THE THEORY SUGGESTED THAT CHANGES IN AFFECTIVE COMPONENT PRODUCES CHANGES IN THE COGNITIVE COMPONENT. ALSO SUGGESTED PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION.

•     COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THEORY

•     PROPOSED BY FESTINGER

•     IT STATES THAT THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALL COGNITIONS DISSONANCE,CONSONANCE AND IRRELEVANCE.

•     THE BASIC MODEL APPLIES TO SEVERAL SITUATIONS AFFECTING BEHAVIOR OF PERSONS. IN EACH BEHAVOR,THE PERSON EXPERIENCES DISSONANCE WHEN HE ENGAGES IN BEHAVIOR CONTRARY TO HIS ATTITUDES. SINCE MAGNITUDE OF DISSONANCE IS A FUNCTION OF THE RELATIVE NUMBER AND IMPORTANT ELEMENT. THE AMOUNT OF JUSTIFICATION A PERSON HAS FOR ENGAGING IN THE ATTITUDE DISCREPENT BEHAVIOR IS AN IMPORTANT DETERMINANT OF THE AMOUNT OF DISSONANCE HE EXPERIENCES.

•     FUNCTIONAL THEORY

•     HOW ATTITUDE AND EFFORTS ARE RELATED TO MOTIVATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE INDIVIDUAL. THE THEORY FOCUSES ON THE MEANING OF THE INFFLUENCE SITUATION IN TERM OF BOTH THE KIND OF MOTIVE THAT IS AROUSED AND THE INDIVIDUAL’S METHOD OF COPING AND ACHIEVING HIS GOALS.

•     KATZ HAS SUGGESTED FOUR FUNCTIONS OF THE ATTITUDE

I.        UTILITARIAN OR INSTRUMENTAL FUNCTION

II.        EGO DEFENSIVE

III.        VALUE ORIENTATION

IV.        KNOWLEDGE

•     KELMAN ‘S THEORY IS DIRECTED TOWARDS THE TYPE OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP THAT OCCUR IN SOCIAL INFLUENCE SITUATIONS.

I.        COMPLIANCE:-WHEN AN ATTITUDE IS FORMED OR CHANGED IN ORDER TO GAIN A FAVORABLE REACTION FROM OTHER PERSON OR GROUP.

II.        IDENTIFICATION OCCURS WHEN  A PERSON FORMS OR CHANGES HIS ATTITUDE BECAUSE THIS ADOPTION HELPS HIM ESTABLISH OR MAINTAIN A POSITIVE SELF DEFINING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE INFLUENCING AGENT.

III.        INTERNALIZATION INVOLVE ADOPTING AN ATTITUDE BECAUSE IT IS CONGRUENT WITH THE ONE’S OVERALL VALUE SYSTEM.

•     SOCIAL JUDGMENT THEORY

•     ORIGINALLY GIVEN BY SHERIF AND HOVELAND TRIED TO EXPLAIN HOW EXISTING ATTITUDE PRODUCES DISTORTIONS OF ATTITUDINAL RELATED OBJECTS AND HOW THESE JUDGMENT MEDIATE ATTITUDE CHANGES.

•     PERSON ‘S OWN STAND ON ISSUE THAT IS INITIAL ATTITUDE.

•     POINT OF REFERENCE

•     ATTITUDINAL CONTINUUM