Attitude influences behavior, but this relationship is actually reciprocal. In cognitive behavioral therapy, clients are assigned specific behaviors that change the way they look at a situation. In 12-step recovery programs, one of the slogans, “Fake it ’til you make it,” is saying to keep doing a behavior until you believe in it. For this discussion, do one of the following:
- Imagine you are a supervisor with an employee who believes that all homeless people are lazy. Rather than fire the person, you decide to give him or her a work assignment that will change his or her beliefs. What assignment would you give?
- Discuss an attitude you had about a group of people prior to having direct contact with them. Describe the process you went through. How long did it take you to change your mind? Did you have any feelings about your former attitudes?
- Discuss the influence of social media on the development of the self in the social world.