Understanding Mental Health: What are the Three Components of Attitude?

Even if we have only known a person for a fairly short period of time, we generally tend to judge their actions and much of their personality by the attitudes that they exhibit in various areas of their life. However, while attitudes tend to be a major component of social life, we do not often take the time to actually stop and think about what comprises attitudes, and why a person may be led to feel the way they do. In fact, there are actually three major components of attitudes that help to make up the way we feel and the way that we react to certain situations and people. In order to properly understand attitudes and their meaning, it is first incredibly important that we understand these three essential components.

The first component that comes to mind when talking about attitude is something known as affect. We know that in order for something to be a true attitude, it must spark some kind of emotional reaction within us. This is the core of what makes an attitude, and it is called an affect. For example, if we are watching television, and see a politician that we do not particular care for, we are going to have a negative emotional reaction. This is the affective component of the attitude. Of course, these can be positive as well. For example, if we see a picture of a best friend or close family member, we are going to have a positive emotional reaction. However, while affect is an important part of the overall component of attitude, it is not the only part, and several other factors also play a major role.

One of these other factors is known as cognition. In the same way that we know that attitudes must have an emotional component, we should know that they must have an informational component as well. This makes complete sense, as we would not be able to have a concrete attitude about something unless we are informed about it. However, the cognition component works the opposite way as well. Many may be aware of the self-fulfilling prophecy, or the idea that the thing we believe will happen end up happening, due in part to the fact that we believed in them, and acted towards making them happened, whether we are aware of it or not. Meaning that for the things we have a positive attitude about, we tend to seek out more information and encounter more often. For example, if we like a particular sports team, we find out all the knowledge we can about that team, and our cognitive component of attitude grows stronger and stronger, thus our entire attitude becomes stronger as well.

If the previous two components of attitude, being affect and cognition, deal with the actual building blocks of attitude, than the third factor deals primarily with how we react to attitudes. This is known as behavior, and it is another crucial building block as to our attitudes as a whole. Our attitudes tend to "prime" us to react in a certain way. Meaning that things we have a negative attitude about tend to always make us react in a certain way, even if it may be something as simple as a frown or twitch of the mouth. At the same time, positive attitudes will make us smile our cry out with a joyful exclamation. Our mind causes our body to act, and attitudes are one of the principal components that can trigger our minds and prepare them for action.

Even though attitudes may seem to be a very complex idea, if we actually break it down step by step, we find out that attitudes are fairly easy to understand. In fact, through just this little bit of knowledge, we can come to understand the people around us, and the actions that those people undertake far more easily and far more effectively than we would if were simply left in the dark about why they are doing the things they are. So, the next time that we see someone showing an attitude about something, perhaps it is worthwhile to stop and think about why they are doing it and what particular component of attitude may be causing that reaction.