Some Adult Attitudes Affecting Learning: Powerlessness, Conflicting Needs and Role Transition

Abstract

Adults bring attitudes with them into the learning situation that markedly affect their ability to learn or their motivation. Recent research indicates that those adults with strong feelings of power lessness will fail to learn control-relevant information. Adults will be more motivated to listen to and to read content which may increase their competence in a current situation. If a strong need conflicts with information given, the information will not be learned. If sufficient rationalizations have been built to defend certain behavior, educational programs to change the behavior will be ineffective. As an adult assumes a new role, he goes through stages of vacillation between the old role and the new, overlearn ing behavior appropriate to the new role and integration of the new role into other roles. The adult's attitude toward role-relevant learning will depend upon his current stage of role mastery.