By sumanOn

An individual’s attitude represents a specific mental state toward something, and it shapes human behaviour towards the such subject. The way we perceive something, think about it, feel about it, and act on it permanently is what we call our attitude.

Definitions:

According to – Krech and Crutchfield (1948)- An attitude can be defined as an enduring organization of motivational, emotional, perceptual, and cognitive processes with respect to some aspect of the individual’s world.

According to Young K – An attitude may be defined as a learned and generalized and effective tendency or predisposition to respond in a rather persistent and characteristic manner, usually positively or negatively (for or against in reference to some situation, idea, value, material object or class) of such objects or person or group of persons.

Nature of attitude:

  • Attitudes are not innate: An individual either develops or learns their attitudes.
  • Attitudes are more or less lasting: Attitudes persist across time.
  • Attitudes imply a subject-object relationship: Always in connection to certain people, organisations, or institutions, attitudes are created. As a result, attitudes are not purely internal elements unrelated to the environment.
  • Attitudes are related to images, thoughts, and external objects: For example, every Indian changed their opinion of the Pakistani attackers after hearing of their attack on Indian territory. This mindset is based on the idea that Pakistan attacked India in a totally unjustifiable and unethical manner.
  • An individual develops or acquires attitudes. With this mindset, the person is encouraged to give a percentage of his money to the national defence fund in order to aid in driving the attacker out of the nation.
  • Attitudes guide the behaviour of the individual in one particular direction: For example, The person was willing to give his all to support the Indian forces fighting the Pakistani attackers because of his aggressive attitude towards them. Knowing a person’s attitudes will enable one to predict their reaction because attitudes govern a person’s behaviour.
  • Emotional experiences of many kinds are also connected to attitudes.
  • An important element in the development of attitudes is the unconscious motive. Sometimes the unconscious motives that underlie an individual’s attitude toward a specific person or thing are so deep that even the subject is unaware of them.
  • Relationships between attitudes and a person’s needs and issues.

Determinants of attitude formation:

These are the determinants of attitude formation-

Factor affecting attitude:

These are the factors affecting attitude-

Attitudinal change:

Once an attitude has been created, it tends to stick around or continue. As a result, it is difficult to modify the established attitude. But it’s important to change negative or irrational perspectives on learning new things. We should:

  • Change perceptions through new experiences and true information; Provide information to the person who has a negative attitude toward an object or a person; Provide data that challenges the attitude without any comments, suggestions, encouragement, etc. To change attitudes, we should do the following. It enables the person to make a choice on his or her own, free from outside pressure, which results in a more favorable attitude toward the thing or person in question.
  • Look for community assistance.
  • Offer a chance for considerably closer interaction with the object or person in question. Allow the person to adjust his own attitude after learning from it.

Health Education on Attitude Change:

  • Giving knowledge and information to individuals to develop and maintain health is known as health education. Through health education, the patient gets instruction in managing their illness. Sometimes, attitudes harm the patient’s health and well-being.
  • The health educator’s first task is to reduce any negative beliefs the person may have about himself, his disease, and his future by changing the cognitive aspect of an attitude.
  • Through health education, the cognitive aspect of an attitude is changed leading to the emotional component being modified side by side.

Factors affecting attitudinal change:

  • According to Atkinson et al- 1990- Attitudes can be changed by reducing cognitive deference. Cognitive deference is a state of unpleasant psychological tension that motivates us to reduce our cognitive inconsistencies by making our beliefs more consistent with each other.
  • People experience dissonance, especially if they are unable to justify their actions as the result of external circumstances. Cognitive dissonance can be minimised, lessened, or reduced. One can add or change their beliefs to make them consistent with their behaviour. One can add new beliefs or modify their current ones.
  • A technique by which people are encouraged to publicly express an opinion or attitude that conflicts with their own private views is known as counter-attitudinal advocacy.
  • By allowing smokers to give a speech about the harmful effects of smoking, for example, one can assist them in changing their attitude towards smoking.
  • According to the self-perception theory, changing our attitude comes after we see and evaluate our own behaviour. Even though these dissonant techniques are beneficial but implementation on large scale can be challenging.
  • One can utilise persuasive communication to educate as many individuals as possible to change their attitudes.

Role of attitude in health and sickness:

Attitudes related to health may be based on information or misinformation, common sense or myths, reality or false expectations. Attitudes influence health behaviours which in turn can affect a patient’s level of health positively or negatively.

As far as health is concerned there are favourable and unfavourable attitudes which determine the outcome of illness. Attitudes related to some illnesses are:

  • One cannot regain normalcy after brain damage.
  • Chickenpox is caused due to the curse of the Goddess.

Attitudes Towards Treatment:

  • Rural folk have a favourable attitude towards herbal and traditional medicines.
  • Christians have a favourable attitude towards modern medicine as they are westernized.
  • Muslims have a favourable attitude towards Unani medicine as it is a part of their culture.
  • Those influenced by Gandhian thought to have a favourable attitude towards naturopathy.
  • Generally educated people have a more favourable attitude towards the Allopathy system of medicine.
  • To most people, illness comes as an unwelcome intrusion into their lives potentially denying them of their preferred pursuits and involving pain or discomfort. Despite this, some regard illness as a challenge. Their efforts to overcome illness and disability may lead to greater achievements. Some people on recognizing permanent impairment of their lower limbs may compensate by engaging in sports and activities where the use of their arms is at a premium. Some people use the time of illness as an opportunity to develop new interests.
  • Many people find new religious beliefs or a new life purpose because of suffering. In this approach, illness might even be seen as a significant source of personal happiness.
  • Some illnesses bear a stigma despite the efforts of health education and attitude change. For example, if someone is suffering from mental illness, epilepsy and venereal diseases may still be treated as outsider.
  • In some cultures, ill- health is regarded as shameful and wicked. Children may regard illness as some form of punishment.
  • As it is common for people to adopt an attitude of guilt and shame towards their own pain and suffering, they find it impossible to discuss the Illness even with a doctor or a nurse.
  • While assessing the patient the nurse needs to assess his beliefs and attitudes that will influence his receptivity to nurse and medical care.
  • The patient’s attitude to his own sex and the opposite sex, youth, adulthood, and old age will all have a bearing on his relationship with staff and other patients.
  • Nurses should understand patients’ attitudes and values about health and illness So as to provide effective care. One of the great tasks for a nurse is to grasp any opportunity to modify harmful attitudes. Behaviour resulting from negative attitudes not only militates against reaching an early diagnosis of the disorder but may severely and unnecessarily disadvantage the sufferer by delaying the medical and nursing intervention.

Reference:

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