Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
Attitude
GS Paper IV
Attitude — Quick Revision
One-page GS IV revision of attitude: ABC structure, Katz's functions, attitude–behaviour link, dissonance, moral and political attitudes, persuasion.
SyllabusGS IV · Attitude: content, structure, function; influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes
The attitude chapter is social psychology in miniature. Learn the names and years below — they turn a generic answer into an informed one.
Definitions
| Term | One-line definition |
|---|---|
| Attitude | Learned, relatively enduring tendency to evaluate an object favourably or unfavourably |
| Prejudice | Negative feeling towards a group (affective) |
| Stereotype | Over-generalised belief about a group (cognitive) |
| Discrimination | Unfair treatment of a group (behavioural) |
| Cognitive dissonance | Discomfort from inconsistent beliefs and actions |
| Persuasion | Non-coercive communication to change attitudes |
| Nudge | Change in choice architecture that steers without forbidding |
Structure and Content
| Aspect | Key points |
|---|---|
| ABC model | Affective (feel), Behavioural (act), Cognitive (believe) |
| Content | Object, valence, strength, centrality, accessibility, ambivalence |
| Formation | Classical and operant conditioning, observation, direct experience, mere exposure, group membership |
Functions (Daniel Katz, 1960)
| Function | Serves to… |
|---|---|
| Utilitarian | Gain reward, avoid punishment |
| Ego-defensive | Protect self-image |
| Value-expressive | Express identity and values |
| Knowledge | Simplify and organise the world |
Attitude and Behaviour
| Idea | Thinker | Point |
|---|---|---|
| Attitude–behaviour gap | Richard LaPiere (1930s) | Stated attitudes did not predict actual service |
| Theory of planned behaviour | Icek Ajzen (1991) | Attitude + subjective norms + perceived control → intention → behaviour |
| Cognitive dissonance | Leon Festinger (1957) | Behaviour can reshape belief |
Social Influence and Persuasion
| Concept | Key name | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Conformity | Solomon Asch (1950s) | People follow group judgements even when wrong |
| Obedience | Stanley Milgram (1960s) | Authority can override conscience |
| Compliance, identification, internalisation | Herbert Kelman (1958) | Only internalisation lasts |
| Source–message–audience | Carl Hovland (Yale) | Credible source, clear message, fit to audience |
| Central vs peripheral route | Petty and Cacioppo | Arguments produce durable change; cues produce fragile change |
| Nudge | Thaler and Sunstein (2008) | Defaults and framing shape choices |
Moral vs Political Attitudes
- Moral: about right and wrong; felt as absolute; slow to change.
- Political: about power and policy; organised as ideology — radical, liberal, moderate, conservative, reactionary.
- Civil servants may hold political views privately but must act non-partisanly.
High-yield examples
- Swachh Bharat Mission (launched 2 October 2014; rural India declared ODF on 2 October 2019) — behaviour-change communication at scale.
- Economic Survey 2018-19 — chapter on behavioural economics in policy.
- Mission LiFE (October 2022) — individual behaviour change for the environment.
Traps
- Attitude (evaluation) is not aptitude (capacity).
- Attitudes do not always predict behaviour.
- Persuasion respects autonomy; manipulation does not.
Related Topics
- Attitude: content, structure and function
- Attitude — practice questions
- Emotional Intelligence
- All quick-revision sheets
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