Arjun enjoys a sugary energy drink, though he has read that it is harmful. His favourite cricketer, whom he admires and wants to copy, has been advertising it. The cricketer now wants his fans to give it up. Consider the following statements about how attitude change could take place here:
(A) Arjun's liking and regard for the cricketer shows that he identifies with the source.
(B) The cricketer must show positive feelings for his fans and then actually change his own drinking habit.
(C) Arjun is the source and the cricketer is the target of the attitude change.
(D) If Arjun gives up the drink after seeing the cricketer's change, this is a kind of imitation or observational learning.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Only three
(A) Arjun's liking and regard for the cricketer shows that he identifies with the source. — Correct. In Mohsin's <strong>two-step concept</strong>, identification means the target has liking and regard for the source. Arjun admires the cricketer and wants to copy him.
(B) The cricketer must show positive feelings for his fans and then actually change his own drinking habit. — Correct. In the first step the source must show a positive attitude towards the target. Then the source <strong>actually changes his own behaviour</strong> towards the attitude object.
(C) Arjun is the source and the cricketer is the target of the attitude change. — Incorrect. The roles are reversed. The target is the person whose attitude is to be changed, so <strong>Arjun is the target</strong>. The cricketer, through whose influence the change happens, is the source.
(D) If Arjun gives up the drink after seeing the cricketer's change, this is a kind of imitation or observational learning. — Correct. In the second step the target watches the source's changed behaviour and changes too. This is <strong>imitation or observational learning</strong>.
NCERT (2026-27): “Process of Attitude Change … |