A

Seminar Report

On

“ATTITUDE”

Under The Guidance Submitted By

Ms. JASPREET KAUR NAVNEET KAUR

(Assistance Professor, MBA Ist Semester

Department of Management) (201831)

Seth Jai Parkash Mukand Lal Institute Of Engineering and Technology,

Radaur (Yamunanagar)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Management is a profession wherein no work can be accomplished without the help and
assistance of a large number of people, be it your superiors and subordinates. A good manager is
the one who knows how to get the work accomplished with the help of his colleagues. As future
managers, we are taught to practice such behavior at every step. This project is also a part of it.

I would like to thank JMIT Institute of Engineering and Technology for providing me with this
great opportunity to work on this report and choosing my own topic of interest.

Further I would also like to thank everyone JMIT Institute of Engineering and Technology with
whom I have come in contact during the preparation of this dissertation.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Ms. Jaspreet kaur for their extended support during the
study and preparation of the report. All have been profoundly instrumental in making the project
undertaken the source of knowledge providing all the support and necessary and necessary
guidance.

(NAVNEET KAUR)

201831
 i

DECLARATION

Navneet Kaur, Roll No.201831 MBA (Semester-1) of the Seth Jai Parkash Mukand Lal
Institute of Engineering & Technology (JMIT) Radaur, Yamuna Nagar hereby declare that
the project entitled “Attitude” is an original work and information provided in the study is
authentic to the best of my knowledge.

This report has been not submitted to any other institute for the award of any other degree.

(Navneet Kaur)
201831

ii)
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the final report entitled perception submitted project report of the
requirement for the degree of MBA, Affiliated to the kurukshetra university, is a work
carried out by Navneet Kaur under my supervision and guidance.

Ms. Jaspreet Kaur

(A.P,Dept. of Mgt.)

iii)
 INDEX

Sires Chapter Chapter Name Page Remarks

No. No. No.
 Acknowledgement (i)

1.  Declaration (ii)

 Certificate (iii)

2. 1 Introduction to attitude 1-4

3. 2 Meaning of attitude 5-7
4. 3 Definition of attitude 8-10
5. 4 Nature of attitude 11-14
6. 5 Characteristics of attitude 15-18
7. 6 Components of attitude 19-24
8. 7 Types of attitude 25-29
9. 8 Functions of attitude 30-32
10. 9 Formation of attitude 33-35
11. 10 Conclusion 36-37
12. 11 Bibliography 38-40
INTRODUCTION

When someone verbalizes an attitude, it is called an opinion, and we hear words such as you like
,you dislike, you really don’t care. In our next conversation with a friend or family member,
notice how many times these words, or similar words, are used. They indicate that an attitude is
being expressed. As attitudes are your mental positions, they cannot be observed
directly. Marketers must infer attitudes through research methods that require consumers to
express opinions. Attitude towards any object. A person's attitude is "the relatively stable overt
behaviour which affects his status.

MEANING

Attitude is said to define the personality of a human. Naturally, this falls under two categories,
the good and the bad. According to Winston Churchill, Attitude is a small thing that makes a big
difference. If you are willing to perfect yourself, then you should watch your attitude. One of the
best things that bring a big change in a man or a woman’s attitude is positive thinking. If you are
willing to make yourself good in front of other people, then the attitude will be one of the
determining factors. The best thing about this simple attitude thing is that it can make you look
like a winner or a runner at the same time. According to most people, the energetic and positive
mindset combination can be said to be one of the best attitudes for all people out there.

DEFINITION
 “An attitude is a dispositional readiness to respond to certain institutions, persons or objects in a
consistent manner which has been learnt and has become one’s typical mode of response.”

—Frank Freeman

“An attitude denotes the sum total of man’s inclinations and feelings, prejudice or bias, pre-
conceived notions, ideas, fears, threats and other any specific topic.”

—Thurstone

“An attitude is defined as a tendency to react favourably or unfavourably towards a designated

class of stimuli, such as a national or racial group, a custom or an institution.”

—Anastasi

NATURE OF ATTITUDE
 Attitude are a complex combination of things we tend to call personality, beliefs, values,
behaviors, and motivations.

 An attitude exists in every person’s mind. It helps to define our identity, guide our actions, and
influence how we judge people.

 Although the feeling and belief components of attitude are internal to a person, we can view a
person’s attitude from his or her resulting behavior.

 Attitude helps us define how we see situations, as well as define how we behave toward the
situation or object.

 Attitude provides us with internal cognitions or beliefs and thoughts about people and objects.

 Attitude cause us to behave in a particular way toward an object or person

CHARACTERISTICS OF ATTITUDE
Attitude can be characterized by:
 Affective Cognitive consistency: The degree of consistency between the affective and
cognitive components influences the attitude—behavior relationship. That is, the greater the
consistency between cognition and evaluation, the greater the strength of the attitude-behavior
relation.

 Strength: Attitudes based on direct experience with the object may be held with greater
certainty. Certainty is also influenced by whether affect or cognition was involved in the
creation of the attitude. Attitudes formed based on affect are more certain than attitudes based
on cognition

 Valence: It refers to the degree or grade of likeliness or unlikeliness toward the

entity/incident. If a person is fairly unconcerned toward an object then his attitude has low
valence.

 Direct Experience :An attitude is a summary of a person’s past experience; thus, an

attitude is grounded in direct experience predicts future behavior more accurately. Moreover,
direct experience makes more information available about the object itself.

 Multiplicity: It refers to the amount of features creating the attitude. For example, one may
show interest in becoming a doctor, but another not only shows interest, but also works hard, is
sincere, and serious.

 Relation to Needs: Attitudes vary in relative to requirements they serve. Attitudes of an

individual toward the pictures serve only entertainment needs, but attitudes of an employee
toward task may serve strong needs for security, achievement, recognition, and satisfaction.
 COMPONENTS OF ATTITUDE
3 components of attitude are;

1. Cognitive Component.
2. Affective component
3. Behavioral component

Cognitive Component
The cognitive component of attitudes refers to the beliefs, thoughts, and attributes that we would
associate with an object. It is the opinion or belief segment of an attitude. It refers that part of
attitude which is related in general knowledge of a person.
Typically these come to light in generalities or stereotypes, such as ‘all babies are cute’,
‘smoking is harmful to health’ etc.
Affective Component
Affective component is the emotional or feeling segment of an attitude.
It is related to the statement which affects another person.
It deals with feelings or emotions that are brought to the surface about something, such as fear or
hate. Using the above example, someone might have the attitude that they love all babies because
they are cute or that they hate smoking because it is harmful to health.
Behavioral Component
Behavior component of an attitude consists of a person’s tendencies to behave’in a particular
way toward an object. It refers to that part of attitude which reflects the intention of a person in
short run or long run.
Using the above example, the behavioral attitude maybe- ‘I cannot wait to kiss the baby’, or ‘we
better keep those smokers out of the library, etc.

TYPES OF ATTITUDE

1. Positive Attitude: This is one type of attitude in organisational behaviour. One needs
to understand how much positive attitude it takes to keep the work moving and
progressing. It basically means that keeping a positive mindset and thinking about the
greater good, no matter whatever the circumstances are. A positive attitude has many
benefits which affect out other kinds of behaviour in a good way. For example, a person
who has a positive attitude and mindset will look for the good in other person’s no matter
how bad they behave or how bad is their attitude. The former person thinks about the
greater good and that is why he is called a person with positive attitude.

If you have a positive attitude, then you should have some list of attitudes, let’s follow them:

Confidence:
Confidence is good attitude and one of the basic thing in list of positive attitudes. Generally,
people with a plus or positive mindset are rewarded with this automatically. Confidence is
necessary to approach life with zest. Looking at things confidently and saying “I’m up for this’,
is enough to reflect your attitude towards life in general and attitude in particular. Confidence in
other elements in the world will start with being confident with self.

Happiness:

Happiness is the next type of attitude in the list of positive attitudes and behaviors. A happy mind
is an abode for all the good things to self. Confident people are quite happy as they are not
worried about results, interviews, etc and other similar things in life that are meant to test us.
Look within yourself, you will find happiness.

Sincerity:
An individual with a positive mindset is often found to be quite sincere. He or she is aware of the
work to be done and they know that the only way out of a situation is through it. Sincerity is one
trait that you should never let go off or compromise.

2. Negative Attitude: A negative attitude is something that each and every person
should avoid. Generally, the people will negative attitude ignore the good things in life
and only think about whether they will fail. They often find a way out of tough situations
by running away from it. They often compare themselves with other persons and find the
bad in them only. In short, he is exactly opposite of the one with a positive mindset.
There are certain bad effects that a person with a negative mindset has to face.
Anger:

A person with a negative mindset is often found to be angry most of the time. Sometimes there
might not be any kind of specific reason behind their anger. Anger is the root cause of self-
destruction. While some amount of anger is good, extreme cases of anger only lead to
destruction.

Doubt:

A person can question himself but he or she should never doubt themselves. Unfortunately, if
you have a negative mindset, then you will often doubt yourself. Self- doubt will lead to no
progress and will often lead to low confidence.
Frustration:

A negative person is a frustrated person. As said earlier, attitude defines the person and that is
why if you are frustrated that will show on your face and you will be facing some serious
difficulties. Frustration will not help you build your career. It is an irritant and will keep
preventing you from taking any positive step forward.

3. Neutral Attitude: This is another type of attitude that is common. That mindset is a
neutral one. There is no doubt. Neither is there any kind of hope. The people generally
tend to ignore the problems in life. They wait for some other individual to take care of
their problems. They generally have a lazy life and they are often unemotional. It is as if
they don’t think about anything that much and doesn’t care for the same as well. They
never feel the need to change themselves as they can simply live with the way they are.
4. Sikken Attitude:

One of the most dangerous types of attitude and different is the sikken attitude. The sikken
attitude has the calibre to destroy every image that comes in connection with a positive image.
This type of attitude is more of a negative attitude and is very destructive. It often reflects the
mind’s negativity. It is necessary to let go off this kind of attitude for the betterment of the self
and the people around you. They are often difficult to be mended because the attitude is deep-
rooted within one’s personality. However, with time, it nevertheless is possible to change the
course of direction of this attitude.

FUNCTION OF ATTITUDE

4 functions of attitudes are;

1. Adjustment Function.
2. Ego-Defensive Function.
3. Value-Expressive Function.
4. Knowledge Function.

Adjustment Function
Attitudes often help people to adjust to their work environment. When employees are well
treated, they are likely to develop a positive attitude toward management and the organization.
When employees are criticized and given a minimal salary, they are likely to develop a negative
attitude toward management and the organization.
The adjustment function directs people toward pleasurable or rewarding objects and away from
unpleasant, undesirable ones.
Ego-Defensive Function
The ego-defensive function refers to holding attitudes that -protect our self-esteem or that justify
actions that make us feel guilty.
This function involves psychoanalytic principles where people use defense mechanisms to
protect themselves from psychological harm. Mechanisms include denial, repression, projection,
rationalization etc.
For example- an older manager whose decisions are continually challenged by a younger
subordinate manager may feel that the later is brash, cocky, immature, and inexperienced. In
truth, the younger subordinate may be right in challenging the decisions.
The older manager may not be a very effective leader and may constantly make poor decisions.
On the other hand, the older manager is not going to admit this but will try to protect the ego by
putting the blame on the other party.
Value-Expressive Function
Whereas ego defensive attitudes are formed to protect a person’s self-image, value-expressive
attitudes enable the expression of the person’s centrally held values.
Central values tend to establish our identity and gain us social approval thereby showing us who
we are, and what we stand for.
Some attitudes are important to a person because they express values that are integral to that
person’s self-concept.
Therefore consumers adopt certain attitudes in an effort to translate their values into something
more tangible and easily expressed. Our value-expressive attitudes are closely related to our self-
concept.
One whose central value is freedom, the individual may express very positive attitudes towards
decentralization of authority in the organization, flexible work schedules, and relaxation of dress
standards.
Knowledge Function
The knowledge function refers to our need which is consistent and relatively stable.
This allows us to predict what is likely to happen, and so gives us a sense of control. Some
attitudes are useful because they help to make the world more understandable.
They help people ascribe causes to events and direct attention towards features of people or
situations that are likely to be useful in making sense of them.
Consequently, they help to make the world more understandable, predictable, and knowable.
Knowing a person’s attitude helps us predict their behavior.
For example- people who are not familiar with nuclear energy may develop an attitude that it is
dangerous and should not be used as an energy source. Stereotyping is another example. In the
absence of knowledge about a person, we may use a stereotyped attitude for judging the person.

Formation of atittude
 The formation of Attitudes are learned. Individuals acquire attitudes from several sources but the
point to be stressed is that the attitudes are acquired but not in herited. Our responses to people
and issues evolve over time. Two major influences on attitudes are-

1. Direct experience

2. Social learning.

1. Direct Experience: Attitudes develop from a personally rewarding or punishing

experience with an object. Direct experience with an object or person is a powerful influence
on attitudes. Research has shown that attitudes that are derived from direct experience are
stronger, are held more confidently and are more resistant to change than are attitudes formed
through indirect experience. One reason that attitudes derived from direct experience are so
powerful is because of their availability. This means that the attitudes are easily accessed and
are active in our cognitive processes. When attitudes are available, we can call them quickly
into consciousness. Attitudes that are not learned from direct experience are not as available,
and therefore we do not recall them easily.
a. Classical Conditioning: One of the basic processes underlying attitude formation
can be explained on the basis of learning principles. People develop associations between
various objects and the emotional reactions that accompany them.
b. Operant Conditioning: Attitudes that are reinforced, either verbally or non verbally,
tends to be maintained. Conversely, a person who states an attitude that elicits ridicule
from others may modify or abandon the attitude.
c. Vicarious Learning: In which a person learns something through the observance of
others can also account for attitude development particularly when the individual has no
direct experience with the object about which the attitude is held. It is through vicarious
learning processes that children pick up the prejudices of their parents.
2. Social Learning: In social learning, the family, peer groups and culture shape an
individual's attitudes in an indirect manner. Substantial social learning occurs through
modelling, in which individuals acquire attitudes by merely observing others. For an
individual to learn from observing a model, four processes must take place:
i. The learner must focus attention on the model.
 ii. The learner must retain what was observed from the model.
iii. Behavioural reproduction must occur; that is, the learner must practise the behaviour.
iv. The learner must be motivated to learn from the model.
Social learning can take place through the following ways:
a. The Family: A person may learn attitudes through imitation of parents. If parents have a
positive attitude towards an object and the child admires his parents, he is likely to adopt a
similar attitude, even without being told about the object, and even without having direct
experience. Children also learn to adopt certain attitudes by the reinforcement they are given
by their parents when they display behaviours that reflect an appropriate attitude.
b. Peer Groups: Peer pressure moulds attitudes through group acceptance of individuals
who express popular attitudes and through sanctions, such as exclusion from the group,
placed on individuals who espouse (promote) unpopular attitudes.
c. Modelling: Substantial social learning occurs through modelling, in which individuals
acquire attitudes by merely observing others. The observer overhears other individuals
expressing an opinion or watches them engaging in a behaviour that reflects an attitude, and
the observer adopts this attitude.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we have reviewed major individual differences that
affect employee attitudes and behaviors. Our values and personality
explain our preferences and the situations we feel comfortable with.
Personality may influence our behavior, but the importance of the
context in which behavior occurs should not be neglected. Many
organizations use personality tests in employee selection, but the use
of such tests is controversial because of problems such as faking and
low predictive value of personality for job performance. Perception is
how we interpret our environment. It is a major influence over our
 behavior, but many systematic biases color our perception and lead to
misunderstandings.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
https://iedunote.com/attitude-definition-characteristics-types

https://iedunote.com/components-of-attitudes

https://www.gktoday.in/gk/attitude-definition-nature-and-characteristics/

https://www.wisdomjobs.com/e-university/principles-of-management-and-organisational-
behaviour-tutorial-366/attitude-formation-12838.html

https://iedunote.com/functions-of-attitude

https://stylesatlife.com/articles/types-of-attitudes/