FIVE TYPES OF BELIEFS
1.
PRIMITIVE BELIEF (TAKEN FOR GRANTED).
*I live in the US.
*The earth revolves around the sun.
2.
PRIMITIVE UNVERIFIABLE BELIEFS
*Last night I boarded an unidentified flying object (UFO).
*I know I'll be a famous writer someday.
3.
AUTHORITY BELIEFS
*I am a Jehovah's Witness.
*The American Medical Association is the ultimate authority on medical
issues.
4.
DERIVED AUTHORITY BELIEFS
*As a Jehovah's Witness, I am against blood transfusions.
*Aromatherapy is not a credible treatment--the AMA does not recognize it.
5.
INCONSEQUENTIAL BELIEFS (PERSONAL TASTE)
*Chocolate almond is the best flavor.
*There's nothing like the mountains.
Figure 2-2. Types of beliefs.
d. Attitudes. An attitude is "the result of a [number] of beliefs that mesh
together to form a given attitude."4 For example, John, the son of Irish immigrants has
a strongly positive attitude toward the police. This attitude is based on stories his father
and grandfather told him about the way the local police went out of their way to look out
for the neighborhood. This, combined with John's own experiences as a child and
through readings, leads him to a positive attitude. A positive attitude is not a value. If
John valued the police, he'd see to it that it played a role in his own life. He'd join the
police or become active in an organization that fostered ongoing interaction with the
police. Values help to shape attitudes, not vice versa. In the police story, the
underlying values of the work ethic (fairness, justice, and a respect for authority)
contributed to John's positive attitude toward the police.
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