Allport noted that it is often more difficult to distinguish between a trait and an attitude. Consider, for example, patriotism. Is it a trait fostered by the mores of a culture, or is it an attitude directed toward one's country? Other terms, such as authoritarianism or extraversion, could also just as easily be called either traits or attitudes. Allport does not resolve the question, except by noting that in cases such as these it does not make any difference which label we apply to them; both are appropriate.
However, it is possible, in general, to distinguish be traits and attitudes in two ways. First, attitudes always have very specific objects of reference. A person has an attitude toward something: blond-haired people, or a particular teacher, or school, pine trees. A trait is not so specifically directed to a single object or even to class of objects. A person described as a extremely shy (a personal disposition) would behave in the same way to ward blonds, redheads, and brunettes. Traits, then, are much broader in scope.
The secomd point of distinction between traits and attitudes is that attitudes are either for or against something-positive or negative. They lead a person to like or hate, accept or reject, or approach or avoid the object. An attitude involves an evaluation, pro or con, which a trait does not.