Value-expression allows someone to express their thoughts and beliefs to others. It helps comminute who we are; therefore it's an important aspect of our identity. The ego-defensive function allows an individual to block out undesirable aspects of themselves. It stops them from feeling guilty and helps protect self-esteem.
The basic idea in this approach is that the four functions work together as one, and attitude helps a person balance their inner needs (defence/expression) and the needs of the world around them (knowledge/instrumental) When describing the structure of attitude, it can be done so by splitting it into three components (Eiser, 1986). This is called the triadic model, or the ABC model. ABC is the acronym used to describe the three components. The first is the Affective component which deals with an individual's feelings and emotions towards a particular attitude object. E.g. I am scared of spiders.
The second is the Behavioural component that is the way one's attitudes influence their intentions rather than actions towards that attitude object. E.g. If I see a spider in the same room as me, I'll leave that room. Finally, the third component is the Cognitive component that involves a person's thoughts and beliefs regarding that attitude object. E.g. I belief that spiders and dangerous and they bite.
The three components in this model are usually inter-related. However, it is important to note that there is no consistency between the three responses to the attitude object. The evidence that components of affection and cognition do not always match behaviour is shown in the study by LaPiere.
Many people confuse themselves by thinking an individual's attitude and behaviour is directly linked; this is because examples of this can be seen in everyday life, such as people want to stay healthy and fit but they don't give up junk food or do any exercise. LaPiere discovered the inconsistency between attitude and behaviour in the early 1930s.
