Σύγκριση μεθόδων

	Structural Balance Theory	Homophily Analysis	Ανάλυση Κοινωνικών Δικτύων
Πεδίο	Sociology	Sociology	Ανάλυση Δικτύων
Οικογένεια	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline	Machine learning
Έτος προέλευσης	1946 (Heider); 1956 (Cartwright & Harary)	1954 (concept); 2001 (synthesis)	1934 (sociometry); 1994 (modern formalization)
Δημιουργός	Fritz Heider; formalized by Dorwin Cartwright & Frank Harary	Lazarsfeld & Merton (concept); McPherson, Smith-Lovin & Cook (synthesis)	Moreno, J.L.; formalized by Wasserman & Faust
Τύπος	Theory and graph-theoretic test for tension in signed relationships	Measurement of similarity-based tie formation	Structural/relational analysis framework
Θεμελιώδης πηγή	Cartwright, D., & Harary, F. (1956). Structural balance: a generalization of Heider's theory. Psychological Review, 63(5), 277–293.	McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., & Cook, J. M. (2001). Birds of a feather: homophily in social networks. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 415–444.	Wasserman, S. & Faust, K. (1994). Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 978-0-521-38707-1
Εναλλακτικές ονομασίες	balance theory, Heider balance, signed network balance, structural balance analysis	homophily measurement, assortative mixing analysis, birds-of-a-feather analysis, tie-similarity analysis	SNA, network analysis, sociometric analysis, relational analysis
Συναφείς	5	4	5
Σύνοψη	Structural balance theory analyzes networks whose ties carry a sign — positive for liking, alliance, or trust, negative for hostility or distrust — and asks which configurations are psychologically and socially stable. Originating in Fritz Heider's cognitive balance principle and given a graph-theoretic form by Dorwin Cartwright and Frank Harary in 1956, it predicts that signed networks evolve toward states free of the tension produced by inconsistent triads such as 'the friend of my enemy'.	Homophily analysis quantifies the tendency of similar individuals to form ties — the principle that 'birds of a feather flock together'. It compares the rate at which people connect with others who share an attribute (race, gender, age, education, attitudes) against what would be expected by chance, distinguishing the homophily that arises merely from group sizes from the genuine, behavior-driven preference for similar others.	Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a structural method that maps and measures relationships and flows between people, groups, organizations, or other entities modeled as nodes connected by ties (edges). Rather than focusing on individual attributes, SNA reveals how the pattern of connections shapes behavior, influence, information flow, and outcomes within a system.