Factorial Social Ecology: An Attempt at Summary and Evaluation

Abstract

of that environment and thus falls within the realm of sociology. Factorial social ecology is the orientation within social ecology that uses a factor-analytical ap­ proach and model. It tries (a) to establish sets of basic dimensions in socioecological dif ferentiation, (b) to reach empirical generalizations about these dimensions, and later (c) to develop a theory ofsocioecologi­ cal structure and change in terms of the dimensions. The typical factorial study in social ecology begins by describing a set of socioecological macro-units by means of a set of variables, which then are factor analyzed. Dimensions (f actors) are extracted and interpreted. Especially in more recent studies, factor scores are calcul ated that can be mapped or used to cluster similar units into reasonably homogeneous categories. By selecting a fairly uniform set of theoretically relevant descriptive variables for diff erent sets of units, comparisons and generalizations are