Briefly discuss the difference between an attitude, value, and a belief. Give an example of each. Why are these differences important to a speaker?

Question

What will be an ideal response

Answer 1

An attitude is a predisposition to act in a favorable or unfavorable way toward something. For example, one might have a favorable attitude toward recycling. A belief is the degree to which we think something is true or false: for example, the belief that recycling is an effective method of protecting the environment. A value is an enduring concept of right or wrong, or good or bad. For example, one may have the value that each individual should enjoy privacy. Knowledge of the nature of attitudes, beliefs, and values is important because they vary in their permanence. Attitudes change fairly easily, beliefs less so, and values are enduring and not likely to change. A speaker should take this into account when planning his or her proposition. If he or she wishes to affect or change the values of the audience, for instance, then only a modest change would be realistic. Likewise, if the speaker can surmise the values of the audience, he or she might be able to link the proposition to their values.