Question

What are the factors that influence the formation of an attitude?

Answer 1

1. Family and School Environment: Particularly in the early years of life, parents and other family members play a significant role in shaping attitude formation. Later, the school environment becomes an important background for attitude formation. Learning of attitudes within the family and school usually takes place by association, through rewards and punishments, and through modelling.
2. Reference Groups: Reference groups indicate to an individual the norms regarding acceptable behaviour and ways of thinking. Thus, they reflect learning of attitudes through group or cultural norms. Attitudes towards various topics, such as political, religious and social groups, occupations, national and other issues, are often developed through reference groups. Their influence is noticeable, especially during the beginning of adolescence, at which time it is important for the individual to feel that s/he belongs to a group.
3. Personal Experiences: Many attitudes are formed, not in the family environment or through reference groups, but through direct personal experiences which bring about a drastic change in our attitude towards people and our own life. Here is a real-life example. A driver in the army went through a personal experience that transformed his life.
4. Media-related Influences: Technological advances in recent times have made audio-visual media and the Internet very powerful sources of information that lead to attitude formation and change. In addition, school-level textbooks also influence attitude formation. These sources first strengthen the cognitive and affective components of attitudes and subsequently may also affect the behavioural component.