How to Change Attitudes

Attitudes are not as stable as personality attributes. For example, new information may change attitudes. A manager may have a negative attitude about a new colleague because of the colleague’s lack of job-related experience. After working with the new person for a while, however, the manager may come to realize that he is actually very talented and subsequently develop a more positive attitude.

Attitudes are general evaluations of objects, ideas, and people one encounters throughout one’s life. Likewise, if the object of an attitude changes, a person’s attitude toward that object may also change. Attitudes can also change when the object of the attitude becomes less important or less relevant to the person.

Deeply rooted attitudes that have a long history are, of course, resistant to change. Attitude change occurs anytime an attitude is modified. Thus, change occurs when a person goes from being positive to negative, from slightly positive to very positive, or from having no attitude to having one.