RECOGNIZING HAZARDOUS ATTITUDES
Being fit to fly depends on more than just your physical condition and recency of experience. For example, attitude affects the quality of your decisions. Attitude can be defined as a personal motivational predisposition to respond to persons, situations, or events in a given manner. Studies have identified five hazardous attitudes that can interfere with your ability to make sound decisions and exercise authority properly. [Figure 14-6]
Hazardous attitudes can lead to poor decision making and actions that involve unnecessary risk. You must examine your decisions carefully to ensure that your choices have not been influenced by hazardous attitudes, and you must be familiar with positive alternatives to counteract the hazardous attitudes. These substitute attitudes are referred to as antidotes. During a flight operation, it is important to be able to recognize
 

 THE FIVE HAZARDOUS ATTITUDES
 
1.  Anti-Authority:� "Don't tell me."� 2. Impulsivity:� "Do it quickly." 3.  Invulnerability:� "It won't happen to me." 4.  Macho:� "I can do it." � 5. Resignation:� "What's the use?"  This attitude is found in people who do not like anyone telling them what to do. In a sense, they are saying, "No one can tell me what to do." They may be resentful of having someone tell them what to do, or may regard rules, regulations, and procedures as silly or unnecessary. However, it is always your prerogative to question authority if you feel it is in error.� � This is the attitude of people who frequently feel the need to do something, anything, immediately. They do not stop to think about what they are about to do; they do not select the best alternative, and they do the first thing that comes to mind.� � Many people feel that accidents happen to others, but never to them. They know accidents can happen, and they know that anyone can be affected. They never really feel or believe that they will be personally involved. Pilots who think this way are more likely to take chances and increase risk.� � Pilots who are always trying to prove that they are better than anyone else are thinking, "I can do it –I'll show them." Pilots with this type of attitude will try to prove themselves by taking risks in order to impress others. While this pattern is thought to be a male characteristic, women are equally susceptible.� � Pilots who think, "What's the use?" do not see themselves as being able to make a great deal of difference in what happens to them. When things go well, the pilot is apt to think that it is good luck. When things go badly, the pilot may feel that someone is out to get me, or attribute it to bad luck. The pilot will leave the action to others, for better or worse. Sometimes, such pilots will even go along with unreasonable requests just to be a "nice guy."�