A focused positive concept makes its negative pole wildly heterogeneous, spoiling comparisons.

Evidence

It is not uncommon that the positive pole is a pretty focused concept, which has as a consequence that the negative pole can be quite—or even extremely—heterogeneous. This matters most directly because statistical, empirical, and causal analyses depend on comparisons with a control, counterfactual, or non-treatment category. One reason to think about the heterogeneity of the negative pole is that it answers the question “Compared to what?” — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts and Measurement, 451

Categorization

• DEFINE: Names the negative pole as whatever falls under ‘not-X,’ which is rarely a single coherent category.