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Home › Audience Analysis › II. The “Five Layers” of Audience Analysis › Layer 3: Psychological Description: On Attitudes, Beliefs, and Values

2. Beliefs

2. Beliefs
Beliefs are principles. Beliefs are more durable than attitudes because beliefs are hinged to ideals and not issues. For example, you may believe in the principle: “what goes around comes around.” If you do, you believe in the notion of karma. And so, you may align your behaviors to be consistent with this belief philosophy. You may not engage in unethical or negative behavior because you believe that it will “come back” to you. Likewise, you may try to exude behaviors that are ethical and positive because you wish for this behavior to return, in kind. You may not think this at all, and believe quite the opposite. Either way, there is a belief in operation driving what you think. Let’s now turn to examine some sample beliefs:

  • The world was created by God.
  • Marijuana is an addictive gateway drug.
  • Ghosts are all around us.

  • Smoking causes cancer.
  • Anyone can acquire HIV.
  • Evolution is fact, not fiction.
  • Marijuana is neither addictive nor harmful.
  • Ghosts are products of our imagination.
  • Smoking does not cause cancer.
  • Only high-risk groups acquire HIV.