What is incongruent attitude change?

Change in the opposite direction of the existing attitude

Attitude change can be congruent, where it aligns with the existing attitude, or incongruent, where it moves in the opposite direction (for example, a positive attitude becomes less positive, or negative, or a negative attitude becomes less negative, or positive). For example, if someone has a somewhat positive attitude towards the empowerment of women, reading about successful women may reinforce their positive attitude, representing a congruent change. Conversely, if they develop concerns about women becoming too powerful and neglecting family responsibilities, their existing positive attitude may become less positive or even negative, indicating an incongruent change. Generally, it is easier to bring about congruent changes in attitudes compared to incongruent changes.