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Psychology vocabulary · Social Psychology

Attitude

Meaning in psychology, with examples

/ˈætɪtjuːd/nounCore term

In psychology, attitude means: A fairly lasting evaluation of a person, group, object or idea that combines beliefs, feelings and a tendency to act in a positive or negative way.

In Turkish: tutum

How it is used

A key concept in social psychology, measured with attitude scales and studied in research on persuasion and prejudice. In everyday English 'an attitude' can also mean an unfriendly manner, as in 'he's got an attitude'.

Example sentences

  1. The survey measured attitudes towards people with mental illness.

  2. People do not always behave in line with their stated attitudes.

Common collocations

  • attitude change
  • attitudes towards
  • implicit attitude
  • attitude scale
  • prejudiceA negative attitude or feeling towards people because they belong to a particular group, formed without enough knowledge or experience of them as individuals.
  • stereotypeA simplified, widely shared belief about the characteristics of people in a particular group, applied to individuals regardless of who they really are.
  • cognitive dissonanceThe uncomfortable tension people feel when they hold two conflicting beliefs, or when their actions go against their beliefs, which often leads them to change one of them.
  • conformityChanging one's behaviour or beliefs to match those of a group because of real or imagined pressure from others.

More terms: Social Psychology

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.