Types of Attitude Change

An attitude is a positive or negative evaluation towards an object.  It is expressed in an individual’s liking or disliking of an object and favoring or disfavoring an object. For example, some students have a positive attitude towards the use of the internet because they think that it provides the best study resources to them. But some students may a negative attitude towards the use of the internet because they think that it wastes a lot of their precious time in online activities other than study.

Attitude towards an object can change from time to time. We come across many new experiences and information which shape or change our existing attitude towards an object. For example, if a student has a negative attitude towards the use of the internet but with the passage of time, his attitude towards the use of the internet may become positive if he comes to know the benefits of using the internet for academics.

“Attitude change is defined as the process of alteration or modification in the existing attitude towards an object”.

There are two types of Attitude Change

1. Incongruent Attitude Change
2. Congruent Attitude Change

   Incongruent Attitude Change

It is a type of attitude change wherein the attitude changes in the opposite direction to the existing attitude – e.g. a positive attitude becomes a negative attitude, or a negative attitude becomes a positive attitude.  For example, a vegetarian person has a negative attitude towards beef consumption and avoids eating beef. If this person at some point in life comes to know that beef is a good source of protein which essential for health, he may develop a positive attitude towards beef consumption and start eating it. This means the attitude changed in opposite direction such as a negative attitude turned into a positive attitude. This type of attitude is called incongruent attitude change.

Another example is that a smoker who enjoys smoking and has a positive attitude towards smoking. However, at some point in life, if this person realizes that smoking causes many serious health issues, he may a negative attitude towards smoking and tries to quit it. Here also we see a change in attitude in the opposite direction which is called incongruent attitude change.

Similarly, some people enjoy waking all night and do different things. They have a positive towards this practice. However, when at some point in life they realize that waking till late at night and sleeplessness cause some health complications, they develop a negative attitude towards this practice. Here again, the attitude changed in opposite direction.  

   Congruent Attitude Change

It is a type of attitude change where the existing attitude changes in the same direction. The existing attitude is further strengthened towards an object – e.g., a positive attitude becomes more positive, and a negative attitude becomes more negative.

For example, a person has a positive attitude towards gym exercises because he thinks it would give a muscular shape to his body. If at some point in life, he realizes that in addition to shaping the body, gym exercises have also general health benefits (such as that it is also good for heart and brain health), his liking for gym exercise increases further and he starts to give more time to gym exercises. Here the positive attitude became more positive. This is called congruent attitude change.

Similarly, people generally have a negative attitude towards extravagancy (using money uselessly or more than needed). However, at some point in life, if they face some economic crisis where they need more money than their saved money, they start to hate more the practice of spending money uselessly in general life. Their bad experience strengthens their negative attitude toward extravagancy further. They start to save more money than they did previously. This means a negative attitude became more negative which congruent attitude change.