Why do people change their attitude?

The attitude we assume in different situations reflects who we are, what we think and what we feel. We have all heard that word at some point, and we have even been asked to change it: “change that attitude you have”, “you must improve your attitude”. Sometimes that demand becomes reality and we change. But why?

Hasn’t it happened to you that someone close to you changes their attitude drastically and you don’t know why? You’re surprised it’s changed so much. You notice how a while ago he cared about you and now it seems like you don’t even exist for him or her. Why does this happen? Why do people change their attitude? In this article we analyze it.

What is attitude?

In the wake of an existential crisis it is possible to change your attitude.

Attitude is the way we act and present ourselves to the world, and to issue, consequently, a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of it. In more technical words, we can say that attitude is the way we organize our beliefs and cognitions around something. These cognitions in turn are equipped with an emotional charge that predisposes us to act for or against the object of our attitude.

Attitudes are basically the product of the interaction of three factors: cognitive, emotional and behavioral.. This does not mean that they must be in tune to consolidate an attitude. Thus, for example, we may find ourselves involved in a situation in which our beliefs are favorable about an object, but our feelings are unfavorable. When these elements are inconsistent with each other, we say that the attitude is ambivalent.

It is then clear to us that attitude is the cognitive, emotional and behavioral predisposition favorable (positive) or contrary (negative) that we have towards an object, a situation, a person, an idea, etc. It is a tendency, a way of responding, a particular disposition to evaluate what happens to us and what is presented to us.. Why are they so important? What functions do they have in our life?

Attitudes allow us to organize and structure information in positive and negative terms. They help us show others what our values ​​and principles are, to reaffirm what we are or what we want to be. Likewise, they help us maintain our self-esteem and self-concept, so that we feel satisfied and in line with ourselves.

6 reasons why people change their attitude

A person changes their attitude for many reasons, among them we can highlight the following.

1. Appearances

People can show attitudes that they do not feel are their own in order to achieve something.. Then, when they have gotten what they wanted, they stop pretending and show their true attitude. These people adjust their attitudes and behaviors according to what they want to obtain. When they change or return to their authentic way of being, other people perceive a sudden change in them that leaves them bewildered.

In general, a radical and authentic change in attitude is not made overnight – as these people manage to do – unless the individual is faced with an extreme situation that restructures their way of being and being in the world. However, under normal conditions, a change in beliefs, ways of feeling and behavioral patterns is not something that is achieved quickly. It takes time.

2. Change in perception

It is possible that a person has not changed his attitude, but that we have changed our way of seeing it. The truth is that human beings are experts at forming ideas about people that often do not reflect who they really are. We filter information according to what we believe and expect, in order to confirm what we already know.

Imagine that you have had a fight with a friend. An inconsequential discussion. However, even though it was nothing serious, you are left with the feeling that he was and that, consequently, your friend will no longer be the same with you.

Once you have consolidated this belief, you will begin to filter your friend’s behavior for signs that confirm what you believe. This can lead you to see behaviors in your friend that you would have previously overlooked. This biased selection of behaviors makes you perceive a change in attitude in him, when in reality this is not the case.

3. Existential crises

After an existential crisis or a traumatic experience, a person can change their attitude. These crises are a moment of rupture in a person’s life, which can reorganize and reconfigure the conceptions they have of the world, of others and of themselves. A change of this magnitude extends to attitudes.

There are existential situations that can produce drastic and sudden changes in any person’s life. For example, a face-to-face encounter with death can lead a person to change their attitude towards life. Feeling the transience of life from the depths of your being is a transformative experience.

4. Personal growth

Progressing on a personal level involves a change in attitudes.

Not all change is motivated by negative reasons, there are also good reasons. A person can change their attitude as a result of a change in their way of living.. Wanting to progress, advance and develop personally and professionally is an excellent reason for a change of attitude. Who could grow if they do not change their way of being, if they do not take on life and challenges with a different attitude?

Authentic personal growth is like a shock wave that encompasses different areas of life. Being and constituting ourselves as people is a conglomerate of processes and dimensions that interact with each other.

So, A true personal change implies a change in the different ways of being, acting, thinking and feeling. Consequently, when people grow up they also change their attitudes, especially those that do not seem to bring them anything positive.

5. Disappointments

Disappointments are a source of change too. When people see their projects fail, when the idealized image they had of another person collapses, or when their expectations are not met, The disappointment they experience may lead to a change in attitude.

Sometimes this change can be negative, hopeless. It can also be positive. It all depends on the person and their resilience.

6. Substance use

Addictions produce a biopsychosocial change in people that entails a change in attitudes, due. Let us remember that attitudes are linked to cognitions, emotions and behaviors.

In all of these dimensions, a transformation takes place when substances are used, and even more so when a substance use disorder has developed.

Finally, attitudes are a fundamental aspect of every human being, because through them we can express what we think, what we believe and feel. Attitude predisposes us to act in a certain way when faced with certain situations, objects and people. In them is the trace of what we really are.

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