Hello:)
Hmm it's a good question. In other words, it is a tough one!
We naturally use them and it is hard to explain it grammatically.
I am not a professional Japanese language teacher and don't think I can explain it very clearly. So this is just for your reference. Hopefully someone will make a better explanation:)
So, the difference between 〜について and 〜に対して.
Sometimes one can be an alternative to the other one, sometimes not, depending on the context. I guess that's why you are confused.
Examples (when they are alternatives to each other):
〜についての意見
〜に対する意見
However, they have different meanings and rolls actually.
〜について is like 〜に関して, and this indicates the topic or the theme.
Examples:
ある問題についての話し合い
自動車について説明する。
On the other hand,
〜に対して is more like 〜に向けて.
Examples:
ある問題に対する解決策
上司に対して意見する。
友人に対して誠実でいなさい。
兄に対して敵意を持つ。
I don’t think you will be convinced by my answer but I hope this will help your understanding a little bit.
I’m happy to answer further questions if you want to ask more:)