THE concept of tendermindedness has been at the centre of a controversy ever since Eysenck1 attempted to relate it to political attitudes. First Christie2 then Hanley and Rokeach3 sought to discredit the ideas put forward by Eysenck. To some extent the issue has been difficult to settle because there has been no external criterion against which T could be validated. Until now it has been open to whatever interpretation the various parties have cared to place on it. Nor has the scale at present used by Eysenck to measure T ever been factor analysed.