Distinguish the one-dimensional from the two-dimensional view of attitude. How does the two-dimensional view help explain administrative ambivalence on a politically charged scheme?

Definition: The one-dimensional view treats attitude as a single continuum from positive to negative; the two-dimensional view (Cacioppo and Berntson) treats positive and negative evaluations as independent axes that can coexist.

Illustration: The two-dimensional view explains administrative ambivalence on politically charged schemes. An IAS officer may simultaneously hold high positive evaluation of Aadhaar's targeting efficiency and high negative evaluation of its privacy externalities — not lukewarm neutrality, but co-active enthusiasm and concern. Similarly, the Forest Rights Act 2006 generated genuine ambivalence among Forest Service officers — strong support for tribal justice, strong concern about conservation outcomes. T.N. Seshan reportedly held this dual posture on coalition-era political fragmentation. The one-dimensional model would mislabel such officers as fence-sitters; the two-dimensional model recognises principled complexity.

Application: Mission Karmayogi's behavioural-design modules use the two-dimensional view to train officers to surface and reconcile co-active evaluations before policy commitment.