This article is about the psychological construct. For other uses of attitude, see Attitude.

In psychology, an attitude is an expression of favor or disfavor toward a person, place, thing, or event (the attitude object). Prominent psychologist Gordon Allport once described attitudes "the most distinctive and indispensable concept in contemporary social psychology."[1] Attitude can be formed from a person's past and present.[2] Key topics in the study of attitudes include attitude measurement, attitude change, consumer behavior, and attitude-behavior relationships.[3][4]

An attitude is an evaluation of an attitude object, ranging from extremely negative to extremely positive. Most contemporary perspectives on attitudes also permit that people can also be conflicted or ambivalent toward an object by simultaneously holding both positive and negative attitudes toward the same object. This has led to some discussion of whether individual can hold multiple attitudes toward the same object.[5]

An attitude can be as a positive or negative evaluation of people, objects, events, activities, and ideas. It could be concrete, abstract or just about anything in your environment, but there is a debate about precise definitions. Eagly and Chaiken, for example, define an attitude as "a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor."[6] Though it is sometimes common to define an attitude as affect toward an object, affect (i.e., discrete emotions or overall arousal) is generally understood to be distinct from attitude as a measure of favorability.[7] Attitude may influence the attention to attitude objects, the use of categories for encoding information and the interpretation, judgement and recall of attitude-relevant information.[8] These influences tend to be more powerful for strong attitudes which are easily accessible and based an elaborate knowledge structure.[9] Attitudes may guide attention and encoding automatically, even if the individual is pursing unrelated goals.

Attitude is one of Jung's 57 definitions in Chapter XI of Psychological Types. Jung's definition of attitude is a "readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way".[10] Attitudes very often come in pairs, one conscious and the other unconscious. Within this broad definition Jung defines several attitudes.

The main (but not only) attitude dualities that Jung defines are the following.

In addition, Jung discusses the abstract attitude. When I take an abstract attitude....[14]Abstraction is contrasted with creationism. CREATIONISM. By this I mean a peculiarity of thinking and feeling which is the antithesis of abstraction.[15] For example: "I hate his attitude for being Sarcastic."

Many measurements and scales are used to examine attitudes. Attitudes can be difficult to measure because measurement is arbitrary, meaning people have to give attitudesa scale to measure it against, and attitudes are ultimately a hypothetical construct that cannot be observed directly.

Following the explicit-implicit dichotomy, attitudes can be examined through direct and indirect measures.

Whether attitudes are explicit (i.e., deliberately formed) versus implicit (i.e., subconscious) has been a topic of considerable research. Research on implicit attitudes, which are generally unacknowledged or outside of awareness, uses sophisticated methods involving people's response times to stimuli to show that implicit attitudes exist (perhaps in tandem with explicit attitudes of the same object). Implicit and explicit attitudes seem to affect people's behavior, though in different ways. They tend not to be strongly associated with each other, although in some cases they are. The relationship between them is poorly understood.

Explicit measures tend to rely on self-reports or easily observed behaviors. These tend to involve bipolar scales (e.g., good-bad, favorable-unfavorable, support-oppose, etc.).[16] Explicit measures can also be used by measuring the straightforward attribution of characteristics to nominate groups. Explicit attitudes that develop in response to recent information, automatic evaluation were thought to reflect mental associations through formed through early socializations experiences. Once formed, these associations are highly robust and resistant to change, as well as stable across both context and time. Hence the impact of contextual influences was assumed to be obfuscate assessment of a person's "true" and enduring evaluative disposition as well as limit the capacity to predict subsequent behavior.[17]Likert scales and other self-reports are also commonly used.

Implicit measures are not consciously directed and are assumed to be automatic, which may make implicit measures more valid and reliable than explicit measures (such as self-reports). For example, people can be motivated such that they find it socially desirable to appear to have certain attitudes. An example of this is that people can hold implicit prejudicial attitudes, but express explicit attitudes that report little prejudice. Implicit measures help account for these situations and look at attitudes that a person may not be aware of or want to show.[18] Implicit measures therefore usually rely on an indirect measure of attitude. For example, the Implicit Association Test (IAT) examines the strength between the target concept and an attribute element by considering the latency in which a person can examine two response keys when each has two meanings. With little time to carefully examine what the participant is doing they respond according to internal keys. This priming can show attitudes the person has about a particular object.[19] People are often unwilling to provide responses perceived as socially undesirable and therefore tend to report what they think their attitudes should be rather than what they know them to be. More complicated still, people may not even be consciously aware that they hold biased attitudes. Over the past few decades, scientists have developed new measures to identify these unconscious biases.[20]

The classic, tripartite view offered by Rosenberg and Hovland [21] is that an attitude contains cognitive, affective, and behavioral components. Empirical research, however, fails to support clear distinctions between thoughts, emotions, and behavioral intentions associated with a particular attitude.[22] A criticism of the tripartite view of attitudes is that it requires cognitive, affective, and behavioral associations of an attitude to be consistent, but this may be implausible. Thus some views of attitude structure see the cognitive and behavioral components as derivative of affect or affect and behavior as derivative of underlying beliefs.[23]

Despite debate about the particular structure of attitudes, there is considerable evidence that attitudes reflect more than evaluations of a particular object that vary from positive to negative.[24]

[25] Among numerous attitudes, one example is people's money attitudes which may help people understand their affective love of money motive, stewardship behavior, and money cognition. These ABC components of attitudes formulate, define, and contribute to an overall construct of Monetary Intelligence which, in turn, may be related to many theoretical work-related constructs.[26][27][28][29]

There is also a considerable interest in intra-attitudinal and inter-attitudinal structure, which is how an attitude is made (expectancy and value) and how different attitudes relate to one another. Which connects different attitudes to one another and to more underlying psychological structures, such as values or ideology.

Multicomponent model is the most influential model of attitude. Where attitudes are evaluations of an object that have cognitive, affective, and behavioural components. These components are also known as taxi CAB, that will get you where you want to go.

The theory of attitude evaluation. (Motivation and Opportunity as Determinants of the attitude - behavior relation) When both are present, behavior will be deliberate. When one is absent, impact on behavior will be spontaneous. The MODE Model was developed by Fazio . Your attitude can be measured in two different ways:

Explicit measure are attitudes at the conscious level, that are deliberately formed and easy to self-report. An Implicit measures are attitudes that are at an unconscious level, that are involuntarily formed and are typically unknown to us.[31] Both explicit and implicit attitudes can shape and individuals behavior. Implicit attitudes however, are most likely to affect behavior when the demands are steep and an individual feels stressed or distracted.[32]

Another classic view of attitudes is that attitudes serve particular functions for individuals. That is, researchers have tried to understand why individuals hold particular attitudes or why they hold attitudes in general by considering how attitudes affect the individuals who hold them.[33]Daniel Katz, for example, writes that attitudes can serve "instrumental, adjustive or utilitarian," "ego-defensive," "value-expressive," or "knowledge" functions.[34] The functional view of attitudes suggests that in order for attitudes to change (e.g., via persuasion), appeals must be made to the function(s) that a particular attitude serves for the individual. As an example, the "ego-defensive" function might be used to influence the racially prejudicial attitudes of an individual who sees themselves as open-minded and tolerant. By appealing to that individual's image of themselves as tolerant and open-minded, it may be possible to change their prejudicial attitudes to be more consistent with their self-concept. Similarly, a persuasive message that threatens self-image is much more likely to be rejected.[35]

Daniel Katz classified attitudes into four different groups based on their functions

Utilitarian People adopt attitudes that are rewarding and that help them avoid punishment. In other words any attitude that is adopted in a person's own self-interest is considered to serve a utilitarian function. Consider you have a condo, people with condos pay property taxes, and as a result you don't want to pay more taxes. If those factors lead to your attitude that "increases in property taxes are bad" your attitude is serving a utilitarian function.

Knowledge People need to maintain an organized, meaningful, and stable view of the world. That being said important values and general principles can provide a framework for our knowledge. Attitudes achieve this goal by making things fit together and make sense. Example:

Ego-Defensive This function involves psychoanalytic principles where people use defense mechanisms to protect themselves from psychological harm. Mechanisms include:

The ego-defensive notion correlates nicely with Downward Comparison Theory which holds the view that derogating a less fortunate other increases our own subjective well-being. We are more likely to use the ego-defensive function when we suffer a frustration or misfortune.

Value-Expressive

An example would concern attitudes toward a controversial political issue.

According to Doob (1947), learning can account for most of the attitudes we hold. The study of attitude formation is the study of how people form evaluations of persons, places or things. Theories of classical conditioning, instrumental conditioning and social learning are mainly responsible for formation of attitude. Unlike personality, attitudes are expected to change as a function of experience. In addition, exposure to the 'attitude' objects may have an effect on how a person forms his or her attitude. This concept was seen as the "Mere-Exposure Effect". Robert Zajonc showed that people were more likely to have a positive attitude on 'attitude objects' when they were exposed to it frequently than if they were not. Mere repeated exposure of the individual to a stimulus is a sufficient condition for the enhancement of his attitude toward it.[36] Tesser (1993) has argued that hereditary variables may affect attitudes - but believes that they may do so indirectly. For example, consistency theories, which imply that we must be consistent in our beliefs and values. As with any type of heritability, to determine if a particular trait has a basis in our genes, twin studies are used.[37] The most famous example of such a theory is Dissonance-reduction theory, associated with Leon Festinger, which explains that when the components of an attitude (including belief and behavior) are at odds an individual may adjust one to match the other (for example, adjusting a belief to match a behavior).[38] Other theories include balance theory, originally proposed by Heider (1958), and the self-perception theory, originally proposed by Daryl Bem.[39]

Attitudes can be changed through persuasion and an important domain of research on attitude change focuses on responses to communication. Experimental research into the factors that can affect the persuasiveness of a message include:

Emotion is a common component in persuasion, social influence, and attitude change. Much of attitude research emphasized the importance of affective or emotion components. Emotion works hand-in-hand with the cognitive process, or the way we think, about an issue or situation. Emotional appeals are commonly found in advertising, health campaigns and political messages. Recent examples include no-smoking health campaigns and political campaign advertising emphasizing the fear of terrorism. Attitudes and attitude objects are functions of cognitive, affective and conative components. Attitudes are part of the brains associative networks, the spider-like structures residing in long term memory that consist of affective and cognitive nodes.

By activating an affective or emotion node, attitude change may be possible, though affective and cognitive components tend to be intertwined. In primarily affective networks, it is more difficult to produce cognitive counterarguments in the resistance to persuasion and attitude change.

Affective forecasting, otherwise known as intuition or the prediction of emotion, also impacts attitude change. Research suggests that predicting emotions is an important component of decision making, in addition to the cognitive processes. How we feel about an outcome may override purely cognitive rationales.

In terms of research methodology, the challenge for researchers is measuring emotion and subsequent impacts on attitude. Since we cannot see into the brain, various models and measurement tools have been constructed to obtain emotion and attitude information. Measures may include the use of physiological cues like facial expressions, vocal changes, and other body rate measures. For instance, fear is associated with raised eyebrows, increased heart rate and increase body tension (Dillard, 1994). Other methods include concept or network mapping, and using primes or word cues in the era .

Any discrete emotion can be used in a persuasive appeal; this may include jealousy, disgust, indignation, fear, blue, disturbed, haunted,and anger. Fear is one of the most studied emotional appeals in communication and social influence research.

Important consequences of fear appeals and other emotion appeals include the possibility of reactance which may lead to either message rejections or source rejection and the absence of attitude change. As the EPPM suggests, there is an optimal emotion level in motivating attitude change. If there is not enough motivation, an attitude will not change; if the emotional appeal is overdone, the motivation can be paralyzed thereby preventing attitude change.

Emotions perceived as negative or containing threat are often studied more than perceived positive emotions like humor. Though the inner-workings of humor are not agreed upon, humor appeals may work by creating incongruities in the mind. Recent research has looked at the impact of humor on the processing of political messages. While evidence is inconclusive, there appears to be potential for targeted attitude change is receivers with low political message involvement.

Important factors that influence the impact of emotion appeals include self efficacy, attitude accessibility, issue involvement, and message/source features. Self efficacy is a perception of ones own human agency; in other words, it is the perception of our own ability to deal with a situation. It is an important variable in emotion appeal messages because it dictates a persons ability to deal with both the emotion and the situation. For example, if a person is not self-efficacious about their ability to impact the global environment, they are not likely to change their attitude or behavior about global warming.

Dillard (1994) suggests that message features such as source non-verbal communication, message content, and receiver differences can impact the emotion impact of fear appeals. The characteristics of a message are important because one message can elicit different levels of emotion for different people. Thus, in terms of emotion appeals messages, one size does not fit all.

Attitude accessibility refers to the activation of an attitude from memory in other words, how readily available is an attitude about an object, issue, or situation. Issue involvement is the relevance and salience of an issue or situation to an individual. Issue involvement has been correlated with both attitude access and attitude strength. Past studies conclude accessible attitudes are more resistant to change.

The effects of attitudes on behaviors is a growing research enterprise within psychology. Icek Ajzen has lead research and helped develop two prominent theoretical approaches within this field: the theory of reasoned action[41] and, its theoretical descendant, the theory of planned behavior.[42] Both theories help explain the link between attitude and behavior as a controlled and deliberative process.

The theory of reasoned action (TRA), is a model for the prediction of behavioral intention, spanning predictions of attitude and predictions of behavior. The subsequent separation of behavioral intention from behavior allows for explanation of limiting factors on attitudinal influence (Ajzen, 1980). The Theory of Reasoned Action was developed by Martin Fishbein and Icek Ajzen (1975, 1980), derived from previous research that started out as the theory of attitude, which led to the study of attitude and behavior. The theory was "born largely out of frustration with traditional attitudebehavior research, much of which found weak correlations between attitude measures and performance of volitional behaviors" (Hale, Householder & Greene, 2003, p.259).

The theory of planned behavior was proposed by Icek Ajzen in 1985 through his article "From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior." The theory was developed from the theory of reasoned action, which was proposed by Martin Fishbein together with Icek Ajzen in 1975. The theory of reasoned action was in turn grounded in various theories of attitude such as learning theories, expectancy-value theories, consistency theories,[2] and attribution theory.[3] According to the theory of reasoned action, if people evaluate the suggested behavior as positive (attitude), and if they think their significant others want them to perform the behavior (subjective norm), this results in a higher intention (motivation) and they are more likely to do so. A high correlation of attitudes and subjective norms to behavioral intention, and subsequently to behavior, has been confirmed in many studies.[4] The theory of planned behavior contains the same component as the theory of reasoned action, but adds the component of perceived behavioral control to account for barriers outside one's own control.[43]

Russell H. Fazio proposed an alternative theory called "Motivation and Opportunity as Determinants" or MODE. Fazio believes that because there is deliberative process happening, individuals must be motivated to reflect on their attitudes and subsequent behaviors.[44] Simply put, when an attitude is automatically activated, the individual must be motivated to avoid making an invalid judgement as well as have the opportunity to reflect on their attitude and behavior.

A counter-argument against the high relationship between behavioral intention and actual behavior has also been proposed, as the results of some studies show that, because of circumstantial limitations, behavioral intention does not always lead to actual behavior. Namely, since behavioral intention cannot be the exclusive determinant of behavior where an individual's control over the behavior is incomplete, Ajzen introduced the theory of planned behavior by adding a new component, "perceived behavioral control." By this, he extended the theory of reasoned action to cover non-volitional behaviors for predicting behavioral intention and actual behavior.

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Attitude (psychology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

For years I lived an uneventful existence. I wasnt happy. I wasnt unhappy either. I was just sort of stuck.

I had a good career, earned lots of money, and I had great friends and a loving family. You would think that this doesnt sound too bad, but I felt unfulfilled and unmotivated. I repeatedly lived each day like the one before.

I looked around me and saw that everybody within my own circle of friends, relatives, and immediate family were no different. They too seemed stuck. They seemed unmotivatedlike they were living their lives on automatic pilot.

I began to question why this was. Why do so many people just accept this pattern as normal, as if this is the way it is supposed to be?

I read hundreds of books on philosophy, psychology, and spirituality. I continued with this for a couple of years until I gradually I began to see things with greater clarity. I began to wake up. Then one day, out of the blue it just hit me, like a ton of bricks.

The key to unlocking my prison door was not contained in any books I read (although they did help me somewhat). It was in my ability to accept what is in this moment. So I now I make that choice.

Here are 8 tips to help you make that choice:

Most of the time we have no idea what we are supposed to be doing, or who we are supposed to be imitating. I say imitating because this is what we do: We conform to the external environment.

We play roles and cover up our true selves by identifying with things that end up defining who we think we are. Im a doctor, a salesperson, a secretary, a lawyer; Im sad, happy, lonely, or miserable. Im angry, jealous, afraid, and I cant help itits who I am.

The truth is, though, we are none of those things. They are symptoms of the sleepwalking disease. You are more important than any label. We are not our professions. We are not our feelings. We are not our circumstances. We are not even our mind.

What we are is far greater, far superior, far more important, and far more mysterious than our conceptual mind tries to define. This is why we are far more powerful than we think we are.

Let go and embrace the moment, whether it contains an obstacle or an opportunity. Stop fussing over trivial matters and start focusing on whats really important to you.

Dont go through life expecting things to change. Life becomes hard and unfair when we decide to complain about things rather than trying to change them ourselves. Wake up to the truth that life is not a practice-run.

Be bold and courageous, and make decisions that benefit your growth. Put yourself on your imaginary death-bed and realize that time stands still for no one. Start as soon as possible to make any necessary changes you may need to.

Take the first step before more time gradually passes by while you stand still stagnating. Your choice. Your life. Your responsibility. Your power.

We create our outside reality by the thoughts and beliefs we maintain about life in general. What we believe in our inner world, we see in our outer worldnot the other way around.

We all have problems, and were often tested by circumstances outside of our control. Even though you may not be in control of whats going on outside of you, you most definitely can control your reaction to those situations.

We have the power because our inner world (cause) affects the influence we allow the outer world (effect) to have on us. So next time you hear somebody mention that you have great personal power, know they are 100% correct. You have more control than you think.

We place far too much emphasis on other peoples opinions about us, often to the exclusion of our own. This takes away from our own personal power. No matter what anybody says about you, it doesnt hold any significance to who you truly are unless you identify or agree with them.

Stop identifying with other peoples opinions and become aware of how you see yourself. Nobody knows you better than you do. Never accept another persons reality as your own. Always believe that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. And, most importantly, never let another persons opinion of you affect what you believe about yourself.

If you have to compare yourself to someone else, let it be a person who is less fortunate, and let it be a lesson to learn just how abundant your life truly is. Its just a matter of perspective.

You may find that you are not entirely grateful for what you possess. You may believe that you need more than you have right now to be happy. If this is the case, then you are absolutely rightyou will need more, and you will continue to need more.

This cycle will perpetuate as long as your mind believes it to be true. If you focus on what you have, and not on what you lack, you will always have enough, because you will always be enough.

You have arrived. Everything you need is right here. Cut out the distractions, open your eyes, and see that you already have everything in your possession to be happy, loved, and fulfilled.

Its not out there. It never was out there. Its in the same place it was since the day you were born. Its just been covered up by all the external things you have identified with over the years.

Be yourself. Love yourself completely and accept everything that you are. You are beautiful. Believe it, and most importantly, remind yourself often.

If someone cuts us off in traffic or skips the queue at our local cinema, we may feel our blood pressure begin to rise and feel the need to react in a negative manner. We get uptight with other peoples actions, and in the end we punish ourselves for their bad behavior.

We end up losing control over our own actions because of the way other people act. But we are responsible for our own action, regardless of how rude other people may act. If its hard to stay cool, remember: you are the one who loses in the end, if you lose the lesson.

We know life is about the journey and not the arrival. We dont need to arrive if we accept that we are already here.

Be content with where you are today and dont make the mistake of putting off being happy because you are waiting for the right moment to shine. Sometimes it takes a conscious effort to enjoy the journey.

Not everyone woke up this morning and not everyone will go to bed tonight. Life has no guarantees. Every minute you are living is a blessing that has to be experienced in the moment. Its not always easy, but its always an optiona choice. Your choice.

Photo by h.koppdelaney

Declan lives in Dublin, Ireland. He is a plasterer, printer, and inventor but most importantly, a thinker. His passion is to constantly work on himself through meditations, mental exercises, visualizations, and affirmations.

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8 Tips to Help Create a Positive Mental Attitude

When you dwell on the negative aspects of life and compare your failings to another's successes, you can become depressed and discouraged. You've heard that a positive mental attitude will improve your outlook but you may find it hard to see the silver lining when dark clouds loom. Try a few techniques to retrain your thoughts.

Live for yourself. When you constantly try to be the person others want you to be, you cheat yourself out of individuality and your own dreams. Take a long hard look at what you want out of life and plan your daily routine to include at least one or two elements that bring your goals closer.

Understand that even if you can't control outside circumstances, you can control your reaction to them. If you're currently working in a dead-end job with a boss who is demeaning, make a conscious effort to tell yourself that his poor behavior can make you upset only if you allow it.

Leave your work at the office, mentally that is. When you step outside after a trying day's work, tell yourself that you have all day tomorrow to deal with the problems and mentally switch gears by thinking something positive or planning your next vacation, even if it's months away.

Slow down. When constantly pressed to finish tasks, you can develop a negative attitude towards life. If time is a commodity, figure out how you can schedule your chores more efficiently. Just by rising 15 minutes earlier each day, you will have the time to say hello to your neighbor, pet a puppy or just gaze out the window at the rain.

Learn something new every day. You can encourage a positive attitude by always providing something new in your life. As a child, your curiosity led you to explore and learn. Recapture that feeling today by taking a night class, studying a new language, learning to garden or anything else that interests you.

Make a list of the positive aspects in your life. Include your achievements. If you are a humorous person, put that on the list. If you can play the violin or you know a lot about dogs, include those aspects. Make a long detailed list of everything that you do well or at least that is not negative. Read the list when you need a mental boost.

Help others. Extending a helping hand to those in need makes you feel needed and worthwhile. Make it a habit to volunteer for charitable organizations. Helping others allows us to be thankful for the blessing we have and helps us maintain a positive attitude.

Learn how to improve your mental attitude in this free do it yourself tennis lesson video from our expert on tennis skills,...

While at work, it can sometimes be difficult to maintain a positive attitude at all times. Throughout the course of the day,...

Napoleon Hill was the first writer to promote the message of positive mental attitude. His message, that men can change their lives...

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How to Have a Positive Mental Attitude | eHow

About the Author

Napoleon Hill was the world-renowned bestselling author of Think and Grow Rich.

Meet the most important living person!

Somewhere in this book you will meet him -- suddenly, surprisingly and with a shock of recognition that will change your whole life. When you do meet him, you will discover his secret. You will discover that he carries with him an invisible talisman with the initials PMA emblazoned on one side, and NMA on the other.

This invisible talisman has two amazing powers: it has the power to attract wealth, success, happiness and health; and it has the power to repel these things -- to rob you of all that makes life worth living. It is the first of these powers, PMA, that enables some men to climb to the top and stay there. It is the second that keeps other men at the bottom all their lives. It is NMA that pulls other men down from the top when they have reached it.

Perhaps the story of S. B. Fuller will illustrate how it works.

"We are poor -- not because of God." S. B. Fuller was one of seven children of a Negro tenant farmer in Louisiana. He started to work at the age of five. By the time he was nine, he was driving mules. There was nothing unusual in this: the children of most of the tenant farmers went to work early. These families accepted poverty as their lot and asked for no better.

Young Fuller was different from his friends in one way: he had a remarkable mother. His mother refused to accept this hand-to-mouth existence for her children, though it was all she had ever known. She knew there was something wrong with the fact that her family was barely getting along in a world of joy and plenty. She used to talk to her son about her dreams.

"We shouldn't be poor, S.B.," she used to say. "And don't ever let me hear you say that it is God's Will that we are poor. We are poor -- not because of God. We are poor because Father has never developed a desire to become rich. No one in our family has ever developed a desire to be anything else."

No one had developed a desire to be wealthy. This idea became so deeply ingrained in Fuller's mind that it changed his whole life. He began to want to be rich. He kept his mind on the things he did want and off the things he didn't want. Thus he developed a burning desire to become rich. The quickest way to make money, he decided, was to sell something. He chose soap. For twelve years he sold it, door to door. Then he learned that the company which supplied him was going to be sold at auction. The firm price was $150,000. In twelve years of selling and setting aside every penny, he had saved $25,000. It was agreed that he would deposit his $25,000 and obtain the balance of $125,000 within a ten-day period. Written into the contract was the condition that if he did not raise the money, he would lose his deposit.

During his twelve years as a soap salesman, S. B. Fuller had gained the respect and admiration of many businessmen. He went to them now. He obtained money from personal friends, too, and from loan companies and investment groups. On the eve of the tenth day, he had raised $115,000. He was $10,000 short.

Search for the light. "I had exhausted every source of credit I knew," he recalls. "It was late at night. In the darkness of my room I knelt down and prayed. I asked God to lead me to a person who would let me have the $10,000 in time. I said to myself that I would drive down 61st Street until I saw the first light in a business establishment. I asked God to make the light a sign indicating His answer."

It was eleven o'clock at night when S. B. Fuller drove down Chicago's 61st Street. At last, after several blocks he saw a light in a contractor's office.

He walked in. There, seated at his desk, tired from working late at night, sat a man whom Fuller knew slightly. Fuller realized that he would have to be bold.

"Do you want to make $1,000?" asked Fuller straight out.

The contractor was taken aback at the question. "Yes," he said. "Of course."

"Then make out a check for $10,000 and when I bring back the money, I'll bring back another $1,000 profit," Fuller recalls telling this man. He gave the contractor the names of the other people who had lent him money, and explained in detail exactly what the business venture was.

Let's explore his secret of success. Before he left that night, S. B. Fuller had a check for $10,000 in his pocket. Subsequently he obtained controlling interest not only in that company, but in seven others, including four cosmetic companies, a hosiery company, a label company, and a newspaper. When we asked him recently to explore with us the secret of his success, he answered in terms of his mother's statement so many years before:

"We are poor -- not because of God. We are poor because Father has never developed a desire to become rich. No one in our family has ever developed a desire to be anything else."

"You see," he told us, "I knew what I wanted, but I didn't know how to get it. So I read the Bible and inspirational books for a purpose. I prayed for the knowledge to achieve my objectives. Three books played an important part in transmuting my burning desire into reality. They were: (1) the Bible, (2) Think and Grow Rich, and (3) The Secret of the Ages. My greatest inspiration comes from reading the Bible.

"If you know what you want, you are more apt to recognize it when you see it. When you read a book, for example, you will recognize opportunities to help you get what you want."

S. B. Fuller carried with him the invisible talisman with the initials PMA imprinted on one side and NMA on the other. He turned the PMA side up and amazing things happened. He was able to bring into reality ideas that were formerly mere daydreams.

Now the important thing to notice here is that S. B. Fuller started life with fewer advantages than most of us have. But he chose a big goal and headed for it. Of course, the choice of goal was individual. In these times and in this country you still have your personal right to say: "This is what I choose. This is what I want most to accomplish." And unless your goal is against the laws of God or society, you can achieve it. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying. Success is achieved and maintained by those who keep trying with PMA.

What you try for is up to you. Not everyone would care to be an S. B. Fuller, responsible for large manufacturing concerns. Not everyone would choose to pay the costly price of being a great artist. To many, the riches of life are quite different. A skill in day-to-day living which adds up to a happy, love-filled life is success. You can have this and other riches, too. The choice is yours.

But whether success to you means becoming rich as it did to S. B. Fuller, or the discovery of a new element in chemistry, or the creation of a piece of music, or the growing of a rose, or the nurturing of a child -- no matter what success means to you -- the invisible talisman with the initials PMA emblazoned on one side and NMA on the other can help you achieve it. You attract the good and desirable with PMA. You repel them with NMA.

Every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit. "But what if I have a physical handicap? How can a change of attitude help me?" you may ask. Perhaps the story of Tom Dempsey, a boy who was disabled at birth, will give you your answer.

Tom was born without half a right foot and only a stub of a right arm. As a boy, he wanted to engage in sports as the other boys did. He had a burning desire to play football. Because of this desire, his parents had an artificial foot made for him. It was made of wood. The wooden foot was encased in a special stubby football shoe. Hour after hour, day after day, Tom would practice kicking the football with his wooden foot. He would try and keep on trying to make field goals at greater and greater distances. He became so proficient that he was hired by the New Orleans Saints.

The screams of 66,910 football fans could be heard throughout the entire United States when, within the last two seconds of the game, Tom Dempsey -- with his crippled leg -- kicked a record-breaking 63-yard field goal. It was the longest field goal ever kicked in a professional football game. It gave the Saints a winning score of 19-17 over the Detroit Lions.

"We were beaten by a miracle," said Detroit coach Joseph Schmidt. And to many, it was a miracle -- an answer to a prayer.

"Tom Dempsey didn't kick that field goal, God kicked it," said Lion linebacker Wayne Walker.

"Interesting. But what does the Tom Dempsey story mean to me?" you may ask.

Our response would be: "Very little -- unless you develop the habit of recognizing, relating, assimilating and using universal principles and adopt them as your very own. Then follow through with desirable action."

And what are the principles you could apply from the Tom Dempsey story, whether or not you are physically disabled? They can be learned and applied by children and adults:

To learn and apply these principles, turn up your invisible talisman to the PMA side.

When Henley wrote the poetic lines, "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul," he could have informed us that we are the masters of our fate because we are masters, first, of our attitudes. Our attitudes shape our future. This is a universal law. The poet could have told us with great emphasis that this law works whether the atti... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude: Napoleon Hill ...

Positive mental attitude is a concept first developed and introduced in 1937 by Napoleon Hill in the book Think and Grow Rich. The book never actually uses the term, but develops the importance of positive thinking as a principle to success.[1] He, along with W. Clement Stone, founder of Combined Insurance, later wrote Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude which defines positive mental attitude as comprising "the 'plus' characteristics symbolized by such words as faith, integrity, hope, optimism, courage, initiative, generosity, tolerance, tact, kindliness and good common sense."[2]

Positive mental attitude (PMA) is the philosophy that having an optimistic disposition in every situation in one's life attracts positive changes and increases achievement. Adherents employ a state of mind that continues to seek, find and execute ways to win, or find a desirable outcome, regardless of the circumstances. It opposes negativity, defeatism and hopelessness. Optimism and hope are vital to the development of PMA.[3]

PMA is under the umbrella of Positive Psychology. In positive psychology high self-efficacy can help someone to gain learned optimism which ultimately leads to PMA. PMA is considered an internal locus of control that influences external factors. Research has shown that through emotional intelligence training and positive psychology therapy one's attitudes and perceptions can be modified to improve their personal and professional life.[4]

The self-help industry was pioneered by Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack and made popular by Napoleon Hills books as well as Dale Carnegie and his lectures and books. Now an entire industry of self-help books and motivational speakers such as Og Mandino and Tony Robbins are available. PMA is a main theme in most of the inspirational writings which have influenced the sales industry, especially in door-to-door sales and direct marketing businesses. Self-help material along with self-talk help employers to shape their employees to be more resilient to failure and become more positive and energetic salespeople.[5]

A study of Major League Baseball players indicated that a key component that separates major league players from the minor leagues and all other levels is their ability to develop mental characteristics and mental skills. Among them were mental toughness, confidence, maintaining a positive attitude, dealing with failure, expectations, and positive self-talk.[6]

Many studies have been done regarding PMA and its effects on health, specifically with people of serious illnesses such as cancer and kidney disease. Cancer specifically has received a lot of attention since Lance Armstrong, along with other survivors, have given their stories. People with PMA have a significantly higher chance of survival and recovery.[7] A study comparing people with chronic kidney disease with people kidney disease free showed that there was a significant difference between the groups. The kidney disease free group rated much higher in PMA. There was no difference found in spirituality and females with chronic kidney disease were found to be significantly more superstitious.[8] A study done with HIV-positive individuals found that a high health self-efficacy, a task-oriented coping style, and a positive mental attitude were strong predictors or a health-promoting lifestyle which has a significant effect on overall health (coping and surviving).[9]

Critics of PMA argue that it is not the secret to success but a by-product of success.[10] The self-help industry has been criticized as a scam for authors to make money due to its simplistic writing and principles. There is little evidence, however, that self-help books, life coaching, and motivational speaking are harmful; a study of 100 psychotherapy patients found that of the 43 patients reading books (e.g. PMA, religious texts, Alcoholics Anonymous texts, etc.) 4 reported "mild harm or distress" while 34 reported "benefit without harm."[11]

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Positive mental attitude - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Positive Mental Attitude

What is a Positive Mental Attitude? Whats in it for you? How do you get one and what is it good for?

Its is one of the great treasures of life Mind you, its worth saying, and not for nothing here, but there is little worse than fake positivity. This is not now, nor will it ever be about pretending to see the silver lining in the dark cloud Some things suck, seriously, some situations and circumstances are just crappy.

This isnt about faking it, it isnt about pretending some terrible situation is just what you always wanted, no, no, no! A truely Positive Mental Attitude is all about maintaining the belief that you can transform difficult situations in to something youd much rather have. Its never about lying to yourself, its all about empowering yourself!

With all great achievements in life, there is always a first step. Without that crucial first step, nothing else can occur. What were talking about here is youre attitude, the belief than you can, or cant will determine EVERYTHING which follows

Let me explain in the most simple terms possible: We can take steps to get away from something, like getting away from a bad relationship, a struggling career, or getting away from our bills and other burdens, thats the essence of Negative Thinking. We see the negative, and we seek to get away from it or avoid it altogether.

The problem of course is that all that negative focus just finds us hopping from one bad thing to the next, and as we all know: That which we focus on is that which we approach. Now, the other side of the spectrum is when we make the commitment to the shift, and the shift is simple: Towards

We can either try to get away from something (negative perspective), or we can make the decision to be heading towards something (positive perspective).

You see, its a perspective change, but it makes all the difference in the world. Instead of taking steps to get away from something, or to overcome and obstacle (focused on destruction, dis-empowering), we take steps towards something better, we actively create the solutions! (focused on creation, empowering)

Does it work? Dr. Richard Wiesman studied over 400 people for ten years, half with negative mental attitudes (avoid and escape) and half with Positive Attitudes (achieve and aspire) he found that those people with Positive Mental Attitudes were over 30 times more likely to succeed in any given endeavor!

Its a subtle change, a small difference that makes all the difference in the world

Try it, make the shift to living a life always moving towards your dreams, let go of false beliefs of Pretend you have what you always wanted and it will come let go of false beliefs of Improve your weaknesses and achieve anything you desire forget all those complicated roundabout ways of getting things done. Instead, take the simple path, the short direct line and find yourself the proud owner of a Positive Mental Attitude always moving towards and every improving, ever growing life as a living dream come true

Monalle is here to help, with fresh Positive Thinking Articles, Videos, and games brought to you from around the world each and everyday so you always can get a fresh reminder of the truth: You are what you choose to be, so why not choose to be the best!

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Positive Mental Attitude - Positive Thinking Playground

Photo by Children At Risk Foundation A positive mental attitude is the starting point of all riches, whether they be riches of a material nature or intangible riches. ~Napoleon Hill

Okay, so theres no myth that I am a positive person, or at least striving to be one. However, I am aware that Im not positive all the time. I am continuously working to become conscientious of my choices, thoughts and reactions. I frequently get asked about positive thinking, and I wanted to first clear up some points of confusion.

Positive people are not living like Pollyanna in some dream world with no hold on reality. Positive people may have an attitude like Pollyanna, but they are not necessarily unrealistic. Positive person are very capable of understanding the reality of a cynic. They just change their mindset to see the reality from a different perspective.

With so many myths about positive mental attitude (PMA), its important to separate the truth from the fiction. Lets explore some of these myths and dive into the truths behind them.

Have you ever heard a negative person say that they arent negative; theyre just being realistic? This myth keeps people locked in a negative reality of their own creation.

A persons thoughts, whether positive or negative, do have an effect on their environment. If you think negatively, your mind will automatically seek out confirmation that the world is a terrible place. Seeing is believing, and your mind reinforces your belief that reality is negative. See how its a downward spiral of negativity? If you expect negative results, you are less likely to take risks and try new things. Negative thinking masks your impressions in fear.

Positive thinking works the same way. With a positive mental attitude, youll seek out positive choices and expect positive results. This helps you move past fear and try things that others may believe cant be done. This typically end in positive results.

A persons thinking helps determine their reality. Negative thinking is realistic for the negative thinker, but only because their thoughts make it true. Ironically, the positive thinking also sees reality, just in a different light. Both types of people see their own reality, and both consider it the reality.

Those who dont believe in positive thinking imagine that positive thinkers expect that their desire will manifest itself if they simply think positively about it. This couldnt be further from the truth.

Everyone who accomplishes anything whether its earning a million dollars or becoming an award-winning actor accomplish it the same way: by taking action. Positive people have an edge because they believe the object of their desire is attainable. They come from a can-do mindset. Their actions are not based on fear or scarcity, but based on possibilities. Thus, a positive attitude helps a person manifest their desires, not simply by dreaming about it, but by inspiring the person to take action.

Its the action behind the attraction that makes the dream come true.

People who believe this myth see a problem and believe that positive thinking will only ignore the ugliness of their reality. The truth is positive thinking doesnt ignore the problem; it helps you see the problem in a new light. In fact, you dont even see problems as problems. Think about it; regardless of how you react to an external situation, the situation will still be the same. If being upset doesnt change the outcome of a past situation, wouldnt it serve you, and your health, to see the positives?

A positive mental attitude creates a mindset of abundance, enthusiasm, and solutions. Instead of thinking about what cant be done, a positive thinker will not be constrained by can and cannot. A positive thinker is free to think of new ways to solve problems because they are not limited by fear of failure. When we are in a state of abundance, we provide a fertile ground for possibilities and making dreams a reality. We are in a state of allowance, openly accepting the gifts of life to flow to us. When I realized this principle and shifted my thinking habits, miracles started popping up in my life.

A positive mental attitude can and indeed does change reality by allowing a person to act in an entirely different way, thus harvesting entirely different results.

Successful men become successful only because they acquire the habit of thinking in terms of success. Napoleon Hill

Its easy to believe that people with a positive mental attitude have perfect lives and never dealt with real world hardships. Maybe people wouldnt be so positive if theyd endured a few difficult times in their lives. But the truth is that this is really just a justification for negative thinking.

I dont know a positive person who hasnt had real and serious trials in their lives. Theyve faced disappointment, death of loved ones, physical handicap, and pretty much the range of human experiences we all deal with. The difference is that these people didnt let those experiences change their outlook. A positive mental attitude means that you are in control of your own thoughts and feelings.

Responsibilities = our abilities to control our responses. paraphrasing Steven Covey

Every person has sorrows and trials that test them to the core, but only some people have the courage to act positively and with grace. A positive mental attitude doesnt mean a person has sidestepped a hard life. It simply means they choose to see and take part in the good things life has to offer, as opposed to only the negative.

In Mans Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl an extraordinary Holocaust survivor talks about finding happiness and purpose while in a Nazi concentration camp. In his book, he argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose.

Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom. Viktor E. Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning

Okay, lets admit it, some types of positive people are a little cheesy. Were talking about the kind who spout platitudes and expect everything to be perfect no matter what. But truly positive people arent Tony Robbins infomercials. Positive people have real thoughts and have setbacks and discouragement just like everyone else, but they are also resilient and look for ways to stay positive. And thats not cheesy, its just healthy thinking! And smart living!

Truly positive people do not expect perfection, but rather, they expect that every event is the best thing that could have happened in that moment. It is the only event that happened in that moment. Now that youre considering the event, that moment has past. You cannot go back and change the moment, so you have to accept what happened was the best, and move on to the next moment.

Even in external circumstances that seem out of our control, we can always control is our internal response. In fact, its the only thing we have absolute control over.

I genuinely believe that every moment is a gift, thus regardless of what is happening, it is perfect. There is always a gift, or lesson, to be taken away from that moment. I suspect that some of you are instantly thinking about death scenarios. What is there to gain from death?, you ask. Life is full of birth and deaths, this is reality. When death and change happens, we have to embrace reality, pick up and handle it to the best of our abilities. When this happens, we will gain different lessons due to our own stories, but perhaps the lesson could be:

Please note that when I speak about death, Im not just referring to death of a person or animal, but rather death of time, of change. Most of us instinctively resist change and hang on to the past with dear life. If you think about it, we are experiencing birth and death constantly, every moment consists of them; with each new moment, it is the death of the last moment and a birth for the current moment. Thats it. Embrace it with grace.

Next time you perceive that something crappy is happening to you, instead of reacting with anger and frustration, ask yourself the following questions:

What are your views on positive mental attitude? What are some myths you have about them? Share with us in the comments.

Tina Su is a mom, a wife, a lover of Apple products and a CHO (Chief Happiness Officer) for our motivational community: Think Simple Now. She is obsessed with encouraging and empowering people to lead conscious and happy lives. Subscribe to new inspiring stories each week. You can also subscribe to Tina on Facebook.

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The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude - Think Simple Now

The greatest discovery by mankind thus far; is realizing that you can change your life by simply changing your attitude. ~David Montanbeau

A Winner is a Loser who got up one more time ~David Montanbeau

Dont fear failure fear the day when you are no longer willing to fail. ~David Montanbeau

A Positive Mental Attitude is the best Fountain of Youth. ~David Montanbeau

If you look around theres always something to be grateful for and say WOW about. ~David Montanbeau

Everyday you have a choice, every morning you can go back to sleep and dream, or you can get up and seize the day and chase your dreams. ~David Montanbeau

Dont expect your garden (life) to be magnificent as long as your watering the weeds! ~David Montanbeau

Go outside, there are miracles just waiting for you everywhere. ~David Montanbeau

A big shot was a little shot that kept shooting ~David Montanbeau

You only live once, but Live like me and once is enough ~David Montanbeau

Shoot for the moon, at least youll land in the stars ~David Montanbeau

Winners find a way to WIN, and Losers always find an Excuse. ~David Montanbeau

Rather than looking for excuses to give up, find the reasons to move forward. ~David Montanbeau

My worst day was freaking Awesome ~David Montanbeau

WOW

If I told you about my last 24 hours and how I acquired the domain http://www.PositiveMentalAttitude.org you probably wouldnt believe me. Lets just say the Law of Attraction and the concept of Thoughts Become Things is VERY real!

The greatest discovery by mankind; Is that you can change your life by simply changing your attitude. ~David Montanbeau

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Positive Mental Attitude

Results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2007, 2009

In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) collaborated to track state-level attitudes toward mental illness. Following recommendations from the 2002 Presidents New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, these agencies sought to examine public perceptions regarding treatment effectiveness and perceptions regarding people being caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness. This collaboration paralleled the release of a SAMHSA national anti-stigma campaign, What a Difference a Friend Makes, designed to help young adults support friends with a mental health problem. Two questions that asked about attitudes toward mental illness, along with other questions about mental illness symptoms, were included on the CDC-supported Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). These questions comprised the BRFSS Mental Illness and Stigma Module.

Attitudes were assessed by asking respondents to indicate their level of agreement with two statements. The first statement assessed attitudes toward the effectiveness of treatment: "Treatment can help people with mental illness lead normal lives." The second statement assessed the respondent's perception of public attitudes toward persons with mental illness: "People are generally caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness."

In 2007, 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico received SAMHSA support to collect data using the BRFSS Mental Illness and Stigma Module, and, in 2009, 16 states received support to do so. While a 2010 CDC study published in the MMWR(CDC, 2010) described some limited findings, the goals of this study were to expand on the previous analysis to (1) provide state-level estimates of attitudes toward mental illness by select sociodemographic factors, mental illness symptoms, and mental health treatment; (2) examine individual (e.g., age, race/ethnicity) and state-level predictors (e.g., per capita expenditures on mental health services; the average annual unemployment rate; and exposure to the What a Difference a Friend Makes campaign) on attitudes toward mental illness; (3) highlight population subgroups who strongly disagree with the statements (i.e., a vulnerable group) for each state; and (4) provide resources and strategies for targeting these groups, and combating stigma in general.

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CDC - Mental Health Report - HRQOL

1

Heed this next statement: No matter how sharp a mind you may have, no one can remember everything. Therefore, don't beat yourself up trying. Learning to write things down helps.

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2

Find and use a special talent. Everyone has some type of special talent. Be open to trying different things. You could find a hidden talent that you are not aware of. Do you learn from sound and voice pitch or from pictures?

3

Maintain a regular exercise program. It will help to relieve tension. Relieving tension alone can improve your thought patterns. The less tension that you have the sharper your mind will become. You will begin to develop a better attitude as time goes on. You should find a program that works for you.

4

Write through self-expression. Writing poetry can be relaxing plus it is a great way to express yourself. Not everyone writes poetry so find your own mode of self expression. Try sewing, playing a musical instrument, or gardening. Get a Diary and express your thoughts.

5

6

Treat yourself as well as you treat others. It will improve the way you think. You will be a happier individual with a sharper mind and better attitude. Try buying yourself a small gift while out shopping for others. It is always good to give, and being generous is nice, but charity should begin at home. Remember, too, that generosity involves more than just material things and satisfaction is not achieved by consumption.

7

Figure out for yourself the true meaning of what is important in life. In doing so you will build a sharper mind and a better attitude. For where others may have failed and so never know the true meaning, you may succeed. Search deep inside for your inner self.

8

Try to find some common sense in life. You are truly blessed if you have common sense. There is nothing like good old common sense, for without it how can you possibly achieve having a sharp mind?

9

Use your mind more instead of using a calculator or adding machine. This is to say, especially, on simple things that you can easily total up in your head or on a piece of paper. Many people haven't done long division since grade school; give it a try sometime.

10

Stay focused on making your own decisions. Don't let other people try to make decisions for you. Be firm about speaking for yourself. And don't be afraid of expressing your opinion. Everyone has an opinion and the right to have one. Who knows, your opinion may catch on.

11

Do things that you enjoy. Jog or run or ski or play ball, fish, write, garden, or whatever makes you happy. It will help you to keep your mind fresh and clear and keep your attitude at it's best.

12

Learn some basic memory techniques. To start off with, you could find some books written by Tony Buzan (Mind Maps) or Dominic O'Brien: both of them are top people in the memory world.

13

Learn from everything you do. When mowing, figure out the most efficient route, When reading try to read faster, try to improve on every detail, try to write neatly, avoid using spell check, and so on. If you constantly and consistently learn, you will succeed in life, and consequently surpass your fellow workers.

14

Learn to improve your mental ability in domains such as logic, problem solving, mental orientation and corrective thought process. Doing so allows one to improve upon their rationality, and with increased rationality comes an improved attitude towards a given situation.

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How to Keep a Sharp Mind and Good Attitude: 14 Steps