A Factor-Analytic Study of Simplicity-Complexity of Social Ordering

Abstract

From 80 college sophomores were obtained three measures of simplicity-complexity of social ordering: number of discriminable categories along scales of discrimination applied to persons, number of different bi-polar scales used to discriminate among persons and a rating scale of the level of abstraction of descriptions of a single Other person. Nine attitude measures were given: acceptance vs rejection of change, dogmatism, self-reliance, rationalism, purpose-fulness, rejection of people, abstract sex standard, concrete sex standard, and authoritarianism. The Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale was also given. Three factors which accounted for a total of 89% of the common variance were interpreted. These factors were: (A) Rejection-Acceptance of attitude positions and social stimuli tending to threaten or change the perceptual ordering and belief systems, (B) The imposition of rational, dichotomous order and suppression of spontaneous experiencing to achieve a future goal, and (C) Simplicity-Complexity of social ordering.

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