Integrative Complexity

Definition

Integrative complexity deals with how people process information. Some people may view things in simple terms (e.g., John is always introverted), and some may view them in more complex ways (e.g., whether John is introverted depends on how well he knows the people in the situation). More formally, level of complexity depends on two underlying variables:

• 1.
  the capacity and willingness to accept that there is more than one way to look at an issue and to acknowledge that these differing perspectives are all legitimate (differentiation), and
• 2.
  the ability to form conceptual links among these perspectives and to integrate them into a coherent overall judgment (integration).

Low differentiation implies lack of awareness or acceptance of alternative ways of looking at an issue. For example, a person who thinks of abortion as coldblooded murder and thinks that those who believe it is a woman's right to choose are completely wrong would be considered cognitively simple. Only one way of looking at an issue is accepted as reasonable. Other alternatives are dismissed and viewed as illegitimate. It suggests a reliance on rigid decision rules for interpreting events and making choices. A more differentiated statement would recognize the legitimacy of looking at the same issue in different ways or along different dimensions. For example, if a person was to accept that some people view abortion as an act of murder while others view it as a civil liberties issue concerning a woman's right to choose, he or she would be considered more complex. And yet, even though each point of view is considered valid, each is considered in isolation. No connections or links are made between the different perspectives. This response, therefore, indicates differentiation but not integration.

Indeed, differentiation is a necessary but not sufficient prerequisite for integration. That is, without acknowledging that there is more than one legitimate way to think about an issue, no connection between perspectives can be created. The complexity of integration depends on whether the person perceives the differentiated characteristics as existing in isolation (low integration), in simple interactions (moderate integration), or in multiple, contingent patterns (high integration). For example, statements reflecting moderate integration might specify why two contradictory views are both legitimate (e.g., whether abortion is viewed as murder or as a civil rights issue depends on one's view about when the developing organism within the mother becomes a human being). Importantly, complexity focuses on how people think and process information. It is concerned with cognitive structure. The content of people's thoughts is irrelevant.

Background and History

Originally, integrative complexity was viewed as a relatively stable personality trait. It was used to capture individual differences in styles of social thinking. Cognitively simple individuals were viewed as people who dislike ambiguity and dissonance and seek rapid cognitive closure in judging others and in making decisions. They form dichotomous (good vs. bad) impressions of people, events, and issues. In contrast, cognitively complex individuals adopt a more flexible, open-minded, and multidimensional view of the social world. They recognize that life has many inconsistencies and contradictions and realize that there is more then one side to every story when forming their impressions.

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