Wasby offers a very simple and comprehensive definition of Orientation. He defines it as “An outlook, either general in nature or focused on a limited aspect of one’s surroundings.
These outlooks, which cover more than individual attitudes or opinions, help the individual sort out, emphasize and evaluate the stimuli coming from the world around hint. A particular pattern or aggregate of political orientations becomes a political culture.’
(i) Cognitive Orientation:
These refer to the orientations resulting from the knowledge and beliefs about political objects, e.g., knowledge about how the whole political system works, who are the leaders and what, are the current problems of polity?
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(ii) Affective Orientation:
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These involve orientations resulting from feelings of attachment, involvement, rejection, and the like, about political objects, e.g., feelings of alienation or rejection towards the political system or positive identification with the system as a whole, etc.
(iii) Evaluative Orientation:
These include judgments and opinions about political objects, which usually involve applying of value standards to political objects and events.
These three dimensions of orientations are inter-related and may be combined in a variety of ways, even within the same individual as he considers various aspects of political system.
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These significantly influence the working of the political system. The demands and supports which flow into the Political System, and consequently the authoritative values made by the political system, are greatly determined by the orientations of the people.
In order to establish the nature of general orientation of the people towards politics, information must be gathered about the three dimensions of orientations – Cognitive (Knowledge of), Affective (Feelings for) and Evaluative (Judgment about) political objects.