Abstract: The use of competitive orders as measures of social dominance is examined, the conclusion being that such use is based on the assumption of the unidimensionality of social dominance. Evidence is presented to show that this is not always the case. Consequently it is suggested that each competitive order must be validated in terms of its measurement of priority of access and response requirements (internal validity) as well as its generality (external validity) before it can be regarded as a dominance measure. Problems of the validity of aggression orders as measures of social dominance are also examined along with their relationship to competitive orders.