‘Attitude is the bridge between values and behaviour.’ Examine the three components of attitude (cognitive, affective, conative) and explain why attitudinal change is harder than informational change for a public servant working on sanitation behaviour change.

Definition: Attitude is the learned evaluative disposition that converts abstract values into observable behaviour, structured along three interlocking components — cognitive beliefs, affective feelings and conative behavioural intentions.

Illustration: The cognitive component holds beliefs — an officer's knowledge of the Forest Rights Act 2006; the affective component carries feelings — empathy with displaced tribals; the conative component is the behavioural intention — proactively convening gram sabhas. Armstrong Pame, the 'Miracle Man of Manipur', built the 100-km Tousem road through crowdfunding because cognition, affect and conation aligned. Attitudinal change is harder than informational change because affect resists data: officers may know that caste discrimination is wrong yet still act on internalised bias. U. Sagayam's anti-granite-mafia stand in Madurai (2012) and Kiran Bedi's prison reforms at Tihar demonstrate attitude trumping mere information.

Application: Mission Karmayogi's behavioural-competency mapping addresses precisely this gap, treating attitude shift as central to ethical reform within the Indian civil services.