in order that the triangle be balanced? The psychological hypotheses are wanting, or rather they are numerous and little justified. At the 1975 Dartmouth College colloquium on balance theory, Bo Anderson struck at the heart of the notion: In graph theory there exists a formal balance theory that contains theorems that are analytically true. The statement that Heider's psychological balance can be represented, in its essential aspects, by a suitable interpretation of that formal balance theory should, however, be regarded as problematical. We cannot routinely identify the positive and negative lines in the formal theory with the positive and negative "sentiment relations", and identify the formal balance notion with the psychological idea of balance or structural tension. .. It is puzzling that the fine structure of the relationships between formal and psychological balance has been given scant attention by balance theorists. See also Information integration theory Social balance theory Notes References Attitude change Psychological theories Social networks Methods in sociology