Most people rarely distinguish between beliefs and attitudes, and, to be fair, the two can feel strikingly similar. In fact, for a long time, they were often considered interchangeable. If you were to explain the difference to someone, they might still feel justified in not making the distinction.
However, the relationship between a person’s belief and their attitude toward a proposition is far less correlated than you might assume. I actually learned about this difference after reading David McRaney’s book How Minds Change.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BELIEFS & ATTITUDES
Beliefs are propositions that we accept as true or false. If you’re highly confident in a belief, you perceive it as true. If you lack confidence, you might regard the belief as a myth or be skeptical of it.
Attitudes on the other hand, are emotional responses that are either positive or negative towards a proposition. They’re not about whether something is true but how we feel about it.
CORRELATIONS
Here’s where things get interesting, beliefs and attitudes are not necessarily aligned. People can and often do change their beliefs on an issue while maintaining the same attitude toward it.
People frequently change their belief on a particular issue without changing their opinion.
A person’s opinion is more likely to stem from their attitude than their belief. In other words, how someone feels about an issue often outweighs what they believe about it.
This should be a cautionary lesson in the world of advocacy. It’s entirely possible to change someone’s belief on a topic without changing their opinion, because their underlying attitude remains the same.
ADVOCATE EARLY
Understanding this distinction underscores a vital rule of advocacy to Make Your Case Early. People form opinions quickly, often within the first moments. While changing someone’s belief about a particular proposition is already a challenging task, shifting their attitude can be equally as hard.
Absent other considerations, it is almost always advantageous to make your case earlier rather than later. Early advocacy gives you the opportunity to shape not only what people believe but how they feel, giving you a better chance to align their attitudes with your case.
STRONG OPENING STATEMENT
This is also why you should Give a Strong Opening Statement. A compelling opening statement allows you to establish the narrative, and start forming the judge or jury’s beliefs as well as their attitude about your case.
Even if you present evidence that changes the jury’s belief about your case, you may still face an uphill battle if their attitude towards your case remains unfavorable. By making a strong case early on, you increase the likelihood that their attitude as well as their belief aligns with your argument.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Beliefs and attitudes may seem similar, but their differences are important in advocacy and persuasion. While beliefs are about what people believe to be true, attitudes are about their feelings, and feelings often hold more weight in forming opinions.
So, whether you’re advocating to a jury, a judge, or opposing counsel, remember the earlier you make your case, the more effectively you can align their beliefs and attitudes with your argument.
