A Cluster Analytic Exploration of what Underlies Popular Social Science Constructs

Summary A set of short scales measuring authoritarianism, dogmatism, locus of control, other-directedness, alienation, neuroticism, achievement motivation, social desirability response set, and machiavellianism was administered to a quota sample in the Sydney metropolitan area, Australia (N = 87). Under cluster analysis, the items fell into three second-order clusters identifiable as measuring personal adjustment, achievement motivation, and cynicism. It was concluded that for research to be widely noted among psychologists it probably would have to be concerned with variations on one of those three themes.