I would say both mindsets are likely, or a combination of both attitudes could describe most of the Tower one way or another.

However much they deny it, I think cases such as strength in the Power being a bullet point to seek on the resume of the new Amyrlin Salidar was considering, and the way they took Leane's assertion that she be strong in the Power as a matter of course, to be damning evidence of this attitude.

However, I also have to point out that it isn't solely the Power, or else there would be more respect for the abilities of so-called "wilders," both from other cultures and as potential sisters. The attitude and indoctrination are nearly as important, if not equally so, or else they would be more sanguine about accepting wilders no matter how differently they form their weaves. I wonder if the early observation that wilders who make it are among the strongest sisters is misleading as to the cause and effect issues. Initially, I had assumed the correlation was due to stronger wilders being more likely to survive the experience of channeling on their own {Tangent} I wonder what, if any, is the relationship behind strength and chances of survival - is greater strength a handicap, because you have access to larger amounts of the dangerous Power and are more likely to be able to blindly seize enough to do permanent harm; or is greater strength an asset, because the initial feats of channeling are more likely to be within one's natural capacity to handle - if those first unconscious weaves would require the same amount of the Power regardless of who is weilding it, but a Nynaeve or a Theodrin is strong enough to survive the effort, while a Daigian or Elin who was a wilder would kill or burn out herself in the attempt{/Tangent}, but increasingly it seems more likely that it takes more strength for Aes Sedai to be willing to accept a wilder and overlook the personality and channeling idiosyncrasies that might have put them off of a weaker channeler.

It seems very probable. That might also explain the apparent unreadiness of the Brown Ajah in Salidar to accept Theodrin, if there is any substance to the rumors others have cited, both in making her genuinely beg and plead on her knees (Faolain had to as well, but that can be attributed to her sudden shift of Ajahs - we can be fairly sure that Theodrin had been on the Brown path for a while before the split) and in not knowing what to do with her, according to Romanda. No doubt, the Browns went along with Sheriam's council's transition-phase promotion since there was plainly no hope of promoting the super-Accepted any time soon. If they were used to a more leisurely development period of their future sisters, suddenly having a new applicant dumped on them must have really caught them flat-footed. Regardless of her having substantial strength, it does not appear to have been sufficient to override the other issues, as was probably the case with Nynaeve and Elayne, and we got a much better look at what even they had to go through. Though that was not so much opposition as more neglect and indifference. Even allowing for Ajah differences, their reception was markedly different from what Moiraine & Siuan found in New Spring. I would submit that most of that was due not to hostility or rejection of their status as willfully ignoring this situation that was outside their experience and for which they were not prepared. That would also explain the surprising willingness with which Nynaeve & Elayne were shuffled off to Ebou Dar with a couple of retirees for minders (Vandene & Adealas, whatever relationships they might have resumed, or how much personal respect they might have earned in their prior careers, would still be mostly marginalized in the politics and thus relatively expendable).

As Leane first noted when revealing the strength hierarchy "everything goes into it." Thogh strength is paramount, all the other factors play a significant part, perhaps even steering the issue more precisely down the general path dictated by strength.