Essence and structure of social attitudes in sociology and social psychology

Sociology

Authors

  • Svetlana Sergeevna Gordeeva Perm State University, 15, Bukirev st., Perm, 614990, Russia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2016-3-135-140

Keywords:

social attitude, essence of attitude, structure of attitude

Abstract

History of the scientific study of social attitude in social psychology and sociology is presented. On the basis of the analysis of works of W. Thomas, F. Znaniecki, and G. Allport, the essence of social attitude is considered. The dual nature of social attitude, which necessitates the review of the social object external to the individual and the individual response of the individual to a particular object, is clarified. It is emphasized that the understanding of the social attitude as a state of mind and of nervous system, which has a guiding influence on behavior on the basis of the generated previous experiences, is limited due to excessive individualization of attitudes. Theories of two-component (L. Thurstone, J. Sarnoff, D. Katz) and three-component (M. Smith, K. Hovland) structure of attitude are analyzed to establish the contradictory attitude structure as regards the direction and content of the attitude. Advantages of the ecological approach (A.A. Devyatkin) to the definition of attitude structure including levels of environmental, attitude and behavioral components are suggested. On the basis of the determination of the essence and structure of social attitude, the specificity of the sociological approach to the study of attitude is substantiated. Understanding the importance of social attitude for social community, understanding the fixed nature of attitude and social properties of its object are emphasized. Author advances the definition of the essence of social attitude as a subject’s readiness to act in certain situations, which forms in response to the emotionally coloured evaluative attitude towards social objects.

Author Biography

Svetlana Sergeevna Gordeeva , Perm State University, 15, Bukirev st., Perm, 614990, Russia

Ph.D. in Sociology, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Sociology

References

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Thomas W., Znaniecki F. The Polish peasant in Europe and America. 2nd edition. N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927. Vol. 1.1115 p.

REFERENCES

Ganzha A.O., Zotov A.A.. [Florian Znaniecki on humanistic sociology]. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological studies]. 2002, no. 3, pp. 112–120. (In Russian).

Devyatkin A.A. Yavlenie sotsialnoy ustanovki v psikhologii ХХ veka [The phenomenon of social settings in the psychology of the ХХ century]. Kaliningrad, 1999, 309 p. (In Russian).

Tomas U., Znanetskiy F. Metodologicheskie zametki [Methodological notes]. Moscow, Moscow State University Publ., 1994, pp. 182–194. (In Russian).

Shikhirev P.N. Sovremennaya sotsialnaya psikhologiya SShA [Contemporary social psychology of USA]. Moscow, Science, 1979. 344 p. (In Russian).

Allport. Classic Contribution to Social Psychology. New York, Oxford University Press, 1972, pp. 189–190. (In English).

Lutz R.A. Functional Approach to Consumer Attitude. Advances in Consumer Research / eds. by K. Hunt, A. Abor. MI: Association for Consumer Research, 1978, vol. 5, pp. 360–369. (In English).

Thomas W., Znaniecki F. The Polish peasant in Europe and America. 2nd edition. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927, vol. 1,1115 p. (In English).

Published

2016-09-30