SUMMARYThis presentation aims at contributing to a clarification of some of the dynamic aspects of the attitude problem. The main assumption is that attitudes, like personality traits, are basically established in an emotional context in the family. Variations in the structure of this social system, the family are thus perceived as decisive both for the child's personality development and for the establishment of its social attitude patterns. Special importance is attached to the question of the division of authority between the parents, the degree and quality of contact between the child and either parent, and the sex of the child. This is because the adoption of attitudes is seen as determined largely by the child's basic parent and sex identifications.This reasoning places attitude development within the field of ego psychology. The function of attitudes for ego development and integration is discussed. An attempt is made at listing some functions of attitudes in this respect. It is held that attitudes...