A FACTORIAL ISOLATION OF TWO SOCIAL ATTITUDES.

The article focuses on the factorial isolation of two independent social attitudes that underlie the labels of reactionary and conservative, liberal and radical. The study focuses on a factorial analysis of a group of attitude scales toward the distribution of wealth. Statements involving attitude towards the distribution of wealth were concerned with hereditary wealth, powers of labor organizations, government ownership of property, minimum wage laws and equality of income. The variables categorized as moralistic, paganistic, individualistic and paternalistic have their principal loadings on the second factor. The first bi-polar factor represents the attitude towards political nationalism and economic conservatism versus internationalism and economic socialism. The second factor may be considered to be a bias in favor of individual freedom from social regulation and control as contrasted with that favoring control by social codes or governmental organization. These two factors are best defined by variables purporting to measure the individualistic-paternalistic and capitalistic-communistic continua.