We discuss possible definitions of structural balance conditions in a network with preference orderings as node attributes. The main result is that for the case with three alternatives (A, B, C) we reduce the (3!)(3) = 216 possible configurations of triangles to 10 equivalence classes, and use these as measures of balance of a triangle towards possible extensions of structural balance theory. Moreover, we derive a general formula for the number of equivalent classes for preferences on n alternatives. Finally, we analyze a real-world data set and compare its empirical distribution of triangle equivalence classes to a null hypothesis in which preferences are randomly assigned to the nodes.
Funding Agencies|ELLIIT; KAW foundation