Everyone has their own unique personality and attitude, and a person’s attitude can affect every aspect of their lives.
Not everyone is even aware of the fact that they have their own unique attitude style but, despite the type of attitude a person has, there are three general types of categories that a person’s attitude can fall into.
These three attitude types that all people can have are either “positive,” “negative,” or “neutral.”
People with positive attitudes will focus on the more favorable aspects of any situation, as well as the positive in others.
People with negative attitudes are the complete opposite of positive people, and they see the negative qualities in everyone, while people with neutral attitudes don’t care either way and they often wait for other people to manage problems.
What is the definition of “attitude”?
The term “attitude” describes the overview of a person’s mental state and their specific way of thinking and behaving.
Attitude entails a person’s emotions, values, as well as how they think, feel and manage situations that arise in life in general.
A person’s attitude begins to form during childhood, and by the time they reach adulthood, their views, beliefs, and personal experiences mold their attitude into what it will likely be throughout life.
Which type of attitude is the healthiest of the three?
Having a positive attitude is the healthiest of the three attitude types, but unfortunately, not everyone has a positive attitude.
Some people are simply born with positive attitudes and they’re able to smile even in the most frustrating and most difficult situations.
However, people with negative attitudes can’t find the positive aspects of any situation, and those with neutral attitudes could care less about many situations, as they often rely on others to manage problems.
Why having a neutral attitude can be just as dysfunctional as a negative one
Most people believe that a person with a neutral attitude is a good thing, as they’re not overly positive or negative.
However, in many situations, people with neutral attitudes are detached from life, others, and things going on around them.
They don’t care how things go, if they go well or not, and they often rely on friends and family to handle situations that might arise as well as make important decisions.
How do people develop neutral attitudes?
People develop neutral attitudes throughout life in the same manner that they develop positive or negative attitudes: through their experiences, values, beliefs, etc.
People with neutral attitudes may have experienced an immense amount of stress in their lives that they feel they can’t effectively deal with life any longer.
A person with a neutral attitude might need some type of intervention to help them better deal with the problems and issues that arise in life instead of living in a “fog” and relying on others to manage their lives and problems.
What are the primary traits of people with positive attitudes?
There are many primary traits of people with positive attitudes, and most people with positive attitudes are happy, confident, sincere, and reliable.
People often prefer to be around positive people, because a person’s attitude can be contagious, and everyone wants to feel happy and confident.
People with positive attitudes can handle situations quickly and with ease, unlike those with neutral and negative attitudes.
Notable personality traits in people with negative attitudes
People with negative attitudes aren’t very easy to be around, because they’re frequently pessimistic, resentful, unhappy, and angry.
People with negative attitudes are unable to see the positive in others or in situations, and they’re not shy about letting people know.
People with negative attitudes can change, but they must first, acknowledge that their way of thinking and viewing life is not healthy, and then they must make a conscious and ongoing effort to become more positive.
Traits to look for in people with neutral attitudes
People with neutral attitudes can seem as if they’re always in “their own world,” as they’re frequently distracted, aloof, detached, unemotional, and indifferent.
Relating to a person with a neutral attitude can be challenging because the person is often very complacent and doesn’t voice an opinion about anything.
People with neutral personalities aren’t able to solve problems in most situations, because it’s as if they don’t really care, which can be frustrating for their friends and family.
Can a person who has had a negative attitude all their life suddenly develop a positive attitude?
It is very unlikely for a person who has had a negative attitude all their life to suddenly develop a positive attitude, although it’s not completely impossible.
Anyone has the ability to change, and as long as they put forth the effort, a person can improve their attitude and change from negative to positive.
However, for a person’s attitude to become completely positive after being mostly negative for most of their life will take some time and a great deal of work.
Can one person display different attitudes at different times?
It is possible for a person to display different attitude types at different times, but a person usually leans toward one primary attitude type and, for some reason, sticks with that.
However, it is important to remember that there is a thin line between the different types of attitudes, so depending on the occurrences in a person’s life, they can alternate between different attitude types.
Even if a person does sometimes alternate between different attitude types, they often have a primary attitude type that they exhibit a majority of the time.
How is it that some people are so positive and happy, even when bad things happen?
Many people envy those with positive attitudes because it seems as if they’re so happy, positive, and resilient, regardless of life’s unfortunate occurrences.
People with positive attitudes aren’t superheroes, and they experience sadness and grief just like other people.
The only difference is that they’ve conditioned themselves not to dwell on negative occurrences and not to allow bad things to keep them down, so they do whatever is necessary to overcome anything negative that comes their way.
What are some easy ways to become more positive?
If you believe that your attitude could use some improvement, then you aren’t alone.
Many people aren’t happy with their attitudes and how they deal with life, but most of them never take the time to try to improve.
You could write down your negative traits and work on making them positive through keeping a gratitude journal, undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy, practicing meditation, and much more.
Ways to deal with a partner who has a negative attitude
It can be pretty disheartening and annoying to regularly deal with a partner’s negative attitude, but there are ways to cope.
You might want to try talking to your partner because maybe he or she isn’t aware that their negative attitude has become so bad.
If you talk to your partner and he or she simply becomes angry and refuses to change, then you must find a way to cope or leave, because dealing with a “Debbie Downer” all the time can really wear on you over time.
Working for a supervisor with a neutral attitude
Having a supervisor who has a neutral attitude can be quite frustrating, and in some cases, it can be more frustrating than having a boss with a negative attitude.
“Supervisor” and “neutral attitude” simply don’t go together, because a good supervisor needs to be able to handle problems quickly and effectively.
However, people with neutral personalities often look to others to handle problems and take care of business, so don’t be surprised if things that need to be managed aren’t, if you have a supervisor with this personality type.
Are people with neutral attitudes mentally ill?
While a person with a neutral attitude can appear to be mentally ill, just because a person has a neutral attitude doesn’t mean they’re mentally ill.
People with this type of attitude may have experienced trauma in their lives, and they might also be burned out from handling seemingly nonstop problems in the past and are subconsciously taking a break because they cannot cope.
However, people with this attitude aren’t always this way throughout their lives, and with therapy, patience, guidance, and support, they can change.
Everyone has one of the three attitude types, but not everyone has a 100% positive, neutral, or negative personality, as their attitudes can sometimes overlap depending on life’s specific circumstances.
If you are not happy with your current attitude and you’d like to change it, you should be aware that it is possible.
It will take time and hard work, but if you want to become more positive and live a happier life, then don’t give up until you have achieved your goal.
