Influences on Attitude and Behaviors: Part 1

There are many things in our daily lives that influence the ways we think, feel, and behave. Our attitude is the way we think or feel, and it influences our behavior. Additionally, our attitude is inherently linked to our self-esteem, or self-confidence.

People can have a general attitude toward life, but they can also have more targeted attitudes about specific things, such as relationships and sexuality. In these situations, it’s not as easy as classifying attitudes as merely optimistic (positive) or pessimistic (negative). Instead, people can form healthy and unhealthy attitudes toward these subjects based upon various influences in their lives, such as family, peers, culture, religion, media, and society, just to name a few.

For example, if Rasheed's parents are constantly modeling a healthy relationship based upon mutual respect, Rasheed is more inclined to view relationships with a positive, healthy attitude. However, if Nicole is always surrounded by people who are modeling unhealthy relationships, she may be influenced to believe that the unhealthy behavior around her is normal.

These influences in our lives affect our health, relationships, behaviors, and attitudes. However, they don’t have to control our lives, and by learning to identify them, we can work to overcome these influences.