Bales (1981) tied his new method of group observation (SYMLOG) io several well‐established theories and methods in the social sciences. Among these was Eysenck's Social Attitude space. With two reservations, Bales' initial assumptions concerning the isomorphism of the image or value level of SYMLOG and the Eysenck space were confirmed. First, conservatism was more strongly linked to self‐interest and concern for material success and power than to conventionality. Second, the two dimensions of the Eysenck space were correlated in our sample. It is suggested that, while the structure of attitudes and values may remain constant, the correlations between dimensions can be used as an indication of primary and secondary polarizations in attitudes and values and that these polarizations may well reflect the political structure of the specific context. Implications of this observation for the analysis of issue polarization and policy formation are discussed, as are several points of comparison between the two syst