Analytic/Holistic Thinking

What it measures

A four-item scale measuring a person's tendency to perceive the world as predictable and linear, believing that objects and individuals follow stable, consistent trajectories over time. Three items are reverse-scored, with higher scores (after reversal) reflecting a more holistic thinking style — an appreciation for change, context-dependence, and contradiction — while lower scores indicate an analytic style characterised by expectation of stable, rule-based behaviour. Drawn from the larger Analysis-Holism Scale developed by Choi and colleagues, this subset focuses on the change-stability dimension.

Representative items

• Every phenomenon in the world moves in predictable directions.
• A person who is currently living a successful life will continue to stay successful.

Citation

Choi, Incheol, Minkyung Koo, and Jong An Choi (2007). Individual differences in analytic versus holistic thinking. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33(5), 691–705.