Attitudes and Beliefs

Attitudes are the positive or negative evaluations made about people, issues, or objects. For example, in an organizational setting, employees might hold attitudes toward their employer or coworkers, toward workplace issues or regulations, and toward the job itself. Attitudes form a central foundation for the way that individuals think about and come to understand the world around them; consequently, attitudes influence and are influenced by people’s beliefs and cognitions. Much research has focused on the structure and measurement of attitudes, as well as their relation to affect, beliefs, and behavior. Since this construct was first identified, the relationship between attitudes and behaviors has been a central area of investigation. Understanding the implications of job attitudes, such as job satisfaction, in the workplace has been a ...