10 Examples of Types of attitudes

The types of attitudes are the different kinds of behavior that a person adopts in the face of an action, a social group or a circumstance. For example: positive attitude, negative attitude, neutral attitude.

As attitudes are dynamic and depend on the circumstance and the context in which it is found an individual, there are many types and classifications that a person can adopt against a situation.

• See also: attitudes

Types of attitudes

There are various ways of classifying attitudes, depending on their nature and the environment in which they are adopted by people.

according to affectivity

Individuals can have three types of attitudes, which are determined by the degree of affectation that the environment in which they find themselves has on them. These are:

• Positive attitude. It is one that includes a good predisposition on the part of the person, to give the best of himself and to expect good results. The positive attitude implies that the subject feels hope and satisfaction in the task that he is developing. For example:
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  An athlete who trains every morning with energy and keeping in mind his goal of improving.
• Negative attitude. It is one in which the subject feels dissatisfied and has a set of prejudices against what he does or a position where he thinks things are going to go wrong. It can also denote dislike of what is being done. For example: A student who doesn't like math and does homework reluctantly and lazily.
• neutral attitude. It is one in which a person's disposition is inclined neither to a positive nor to a negative posture, instead, he remains calm. For example: A person who is invited to give a lecture in another city and does not hold expectations of the public.

On the motivational basis

Daniel Katz (1960) distinguishes attitudes according to the motivational base of the subject and the way in which he has developed his position in the face of recurring situations:

• utilitarian attitude. It is the one that the person adopts in relation to objects or experiences, to achieve results with tangible benefits. For example: A man who takes advantage of his children's school meetings to offer other parents the products of the company he works for.
• Attitude of expression of values. It is one that has to do with the identity, perception and beliefs of the person, which is determined by the way she expresses and defends her ideas about what is right or what she believes Right. For example:A woman who sees a victim of bullying being attacked and defends the harassed person and denounces the fact seeking justice.
• defensive attitude of the self. It is that related to the person's own identification with a negative behavior. This type of attitude is linked to the prejudices and sensations of threat that the subjects feel in certain situations without being founded on demonstrable facts. For example: A family that is upset and restless when another one who practices a religion other than theirs moves in next door.
• Knowledge-Based Attitude. It is one that is acquired with the support of true and serious information. For example: A doctor who insists his patient to do a certain treatment because she knows that it is the only way to recover from a certain illness.

According to the ways of relating to others

They are those attitudes that predominate in social spaces in which interaction with other individuals is essential: work, educational or family spaces. According to this criterion, there are different types of attitudes:

• Collaborative attitude. It is one in which the subject work in team and he intends to help those around him. For example: An employee who, having no more duties, offers to help another department that is behind on some reports.
• aggressive attitude. It is one that makes a person become violent or cold with others or with the environment for any reason. For example: A person who gets mad because her partner is leaving her and only talks to her to insult or attack her.
• passive attitude. It is the one that is taken when the person does not want to get involved in what is happening around him and puts himself in a position of observer. For example: A young man who feels calm while his brother is being scolded for bad behavior.
• assertive attitude. It is one in which the subject wants to do things well and is willing to use the intellectual and material resources that he has for an action to be successful. For example: A teacher who stops in the middle of the class to delve into a point when he sees that one of his students has not understood the subject.
• manipulative attitude. It is the one that an individual adopts when he wants to get others to do what he wants regardless of the cost. For example: A person who lies to her partner to accompany her to a family gathering.
• permissive attitude. It is the one that makes a person let go of acts that should normally be stopped or that deserve a wake-up call. For example: A father who sees his son messing up the house and does nothing to stop it.

Other types of attitudes

In general, we can find others that are explained depending on the environment and motivations. Some are:

• rational attitude. It is one in which the person makes their decisions and defines their behavior based on reason and the analysis of situations with objectivity and common sense.
• emotional attitude.It is the one in which an individual allows himself to be guided by the emotions and the sentimental affectation that his environment produces: if he is in a sad context, her attitude will become melancholy; if he is in a favorable context, his attitude will be energetic and cheerful.
• selfless attitude. It is one that a person adopts with the intention of helping others without expecting anything in return or with no other purpose than to collaborate and be useful.
• altruistic attitude. It is that disposition of an individual to generate actions, give and share the resources that he has, and contribute them in the future. improvement of other people in any degree, whether these resources are money, time, infrastructure, etc. others.
• patient attitude.It is the one that refers to the state of a person who decides to wait calmly and without getting upset for something to happen in order to move forward with their purposes. An attitude is often seen patient in places like hospital waiting rooms or on long trips.
• nihilistic attitude. It is the one that refers to the position of an individual who believes that nothing he does or experiences makes sense and maintains a cynical position about everything. He tends to reject any moral or value framework since he usually considers that things and ideas end in nothing.
• suspicious attitude.It is the one in which a subject seems mysterious and acts cautiously, thinking that he should be careful with others or with the situation in which he finds himself. It can also be thought of as a tendency to be alert and distrustful of one's surroundings.
• suspicious attitude.It is one in which a person seems to be hiding something and is not giving all the information that is asked of them or that they would be expected to share.

Examples of Attitude Types

1. A worker who arrives in the morning very happy and singing at the office has a positive attitude.
2. A coach of a soccer team who firmly believes that his team is going to win the game has a optimistic attitude.
3. A teenager who comes home and walks into her room without saying hello to her parents or stopping has a suspicious attitude.
4. A friend who visits another just to ask her to lend her a dress that she wants to wear at a party, she acquires a interested attitude.
5. A mediator judge who is summoned to resolve the custody of the children of a couple who is divorcing must acquire a rational attitude.
6. A teacher in a classroom who does not make the students sit still and lets them play and shout maintains a permissive attitude.
7. A person who was caught by the police while robbing a house and starts beating and insulting has a aggressive attitude.
8. A millionaire who starts donating a lot of money and time to fight hunger in the city of him is having a altruistic attitude.
9. A grandfather who explains to his grandchildren how important it is to keep promises and keep them is having a attitude of expression of values.
10. A boss who gives an employee permission to travel to another city for her father's funeral adopts a sympathetic attitude.

Interactive exercise to practice

Follow with:

• Difference Between Attitude and Aptitude
• aptitude and attitude
• capabilities of a person
• Difference Between Emotions and Feelings
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Comfort zone

References 

• Katz, D. (1960). “The functional approach to the study of attitudes”. Public Opinion Quarterly, 24, 163-204. doi: 10.1086/266945 
• "15 types of attitudes of a person: list and examples"in E-Health.
• “The 15 types of attitudes, and how they define us” in Psychology and Mind.
• "The 12 types of attitude (and their characteristics)"in Doctor Plus.