Interpersonal Choices Among a Junior High School Faculty

Abstract

This report uses concepts from Blau (1962) to generate and test predictions about how individuals make choices to consult, respect, or like their colleagues. Choices were analyzed according to individual attributes and choice criterion. Sex has a differentiating effect on choices under the instrumental criterion: male and female respondents both greatly overchoose men for consultation, and men overchoose men for respect. Sex has a segregating effect, however, on sociable choices, each sex preferring like-sex individuals. Age mainly influences the choices for respect and liking. In both cases, mixed segregating and differentiating effects are observed. Departmental affiliation has a segregating effect on choices in all three categories, but differentiation effects also occur because administrative personnel are overchosen for consultation and teachers in the major academic departments are overchosen for respect. Formal organizational status (being a department chairman) produced the predicted differentiating effect on respect. Insofar as membership in a major academic department also can be taken as an indicator of high organizational status, it appears that status has its strongest impact on interpersonal respect.