Sociometric Symbols Displaying
Interpersonal Relationships

Practitioners in sociometry and social network analysis use a range of symbols to reflect relationship dynamics. Classical sociometrists and clinical psychodramatists use symbols directly from JL Moreno’s original work.

Sociometrists frequently hand-draw perceptual sociograms, and may map an action sociogram with a group. Increasingly where practitioners are working with groups over a number of sessions they use computer technology to generate sociograms from raw data. 

This paper brings together a range of symbols currently being used by practitioners to display sociograms.

Both social network analysts and sociometrists use computer technology to create sociograms. The language they use to describe relationships varies between social network analysts and sociometrists.

• Social network analysts use lines and arrows to indicate ties between nodes.
• Sociometrists use arrows to indicate direction of choices, and symbols (+ positive, - for not chosen, and 0 for neutral) to display the choices between people. 

In the example below, you’ll notice arrows are not used. What is being displayed is a perception of a relationship. Diagrams without arrows are generated from the sociometrist making assessments, rather than collecting data from the individuals involved. Here I have used symbols (+, -, 0) to indicate the telic relationship.

From Page 8 Diana Jones, in her ANZPA thesis, Sociometry at work 1996

Dr G MAX CLAYTON in the ANZPA Journal No 4.  December 1995 p 46, Living pictures of the self demonstrates a two-way role relationship and describes the nature of the relationship more specifically.

ANN HALE  ‘Notational system for sociogram construction’. Hale, Ann E. 1981. Conducting Clinical Sociometric Explorations. Roanoke, Virginia, Royal Publishing Company Page 47. Ann Hale uses Morenean lines to display relationships.

JL Moreno in his Student edition of Who shall survive? 1993, used a solid red line for positive tele and black for negative. He used density of lines to differentiate and display responses of people to one another.

Kate Hill, psychologist and psychodramatist from Sydney, follows Moreno’s original symbols in her ANZPA thesis: MAPPING CHANGES IN OUR LIVES: A presentation and demonstration of the social and cultural atom as a working concept.

As colour relies on colour printers to accurately reflect the telic relationships, symbols are likely to increasingly used. Colour is used more to differentiate work groups, geographic locations of people/nodes in the sociogram.

Increasingly, with both sociometrists and social network analysts, use arrows to indicate choices (ties) between participants (nodes).

Where relevant, sociometrists explore rejection (i.e. not chosen on this criteria), and neutrality, as well as positive choices. Not being chosen is a valuable information in the sociogram reflecting choices of senior executives on criteria such as ‘who in the group do you trust to make decisions to progress the overall business’.