Attitude is a psychological concept related to a person’s evaluation or judgement of the environment they live in. Attitude is a concept with multiple functions and, among those, one of the most important is its social-adjustive function. This paper seeks to explore the social-adjustive function of attitude and how it helps individuals to adapt to their social environment.
Attitude is a psychological construct that has been studied for centuries. It is believed to be a cognitive, affective, and behavioural response towards a certain object, person, event, or situation (Eagly & Chaiken, 1998). Attitudes have multiple functions, among which the social-adjustive function is the most important (Gardner, 1985). This function allows individuals to adapt to their social environment by adjusting their attitudes according to different contexts and situations (Rosenberg & Hovland, 1960).
The social-adjustive function of attitude is based on the idea that people use their attitudes to evaluate their environment and form judgements about it (Gardner, 1985). This helps them to understand the social environment they live in and adjust their attitudes to fit in with the prevailing norms and values. For instance, when an individual is presented with a certain situation, they will use their attitude to decide if the situation is acceptable or not. If the situation is deemed to be unacceptable, then the individual may adjust their attitude towards it so that it is more in line with the accepted norms and values of their social environment.
The social-adjustive function of attitude is an important aspect of psychological adaptation. It allows individuals to respond more effectively to their social environment and helps them to make more informed judgements about the situations they are presented with. Moreover, this function is also important for maintaining interpersonal relationships as it enables individuals to align their attitudes with those of the people around them (Gardner, 1985).
In conclusion, the social-adjustive function of attitude is an important aspect of psychological adaptation. It helps individuals to adjust their attitudes according to the prevailing norms and values of their social environment, enabling them to make more informed judgements and maintain relationships with others. This function is essential for psychological wellbeing and adaptation in society.
References
Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1998). Attitude structure and function. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (4th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 269–322). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Gardner, W. L. (1985). Attitudes and attitude change. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 233–346). New York: Random House.
Rosenberg, M. J., & Hovland, C. I. (1960). Cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of attitudes. In M. R. Jones (Ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation (pp. 1–35). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.