How the Interaction Map Works

What does IPC contribute to the map?

IPC provides a shared coordinate system for describing interaction patterns along two broad directions: agency and affiliation. Present Moment uses that structure to make answers from different contexts easier to compare.

IPC in plain language

IPC stands for Interpersonal Circumplex. It places ways of interacting in a circular space: nearby positions describe more similar response patterns, while positions across the circle describe contrasting patterns. The map is a way to organize responses, not a label for the whole person.

Research background

The circumplex tradition grew from interpersonal research and was further developed by scholars including Jerry S. Wiggins. Present Moment is informed by this general structure, but its website experience, questions, scoring implementation, and AI-assisted reports are its own product design.

Agency and affiliation

The map uses two broad directions. Agency describes how strongly a response leans toward taking initiative or accommodating. Affiliation describes how strongly it leans toward closeness or distance. A position on the map combines both directions; it is not a score for whether an interaction style is good or bad.

How the eight directions work

The circle can be divided into eight directions, each combining agency and affiliation differently. A response pattern may lean toward leading and closeness, leading and distance, accommodating and closeness, or accommodating and distance, with intermediate positions between them.

Why compare contexts on one map

Using the same coordinates across contexts makes differences easier to see without assigning a fixed type. The same person may report taking more initiative at work, allowing more room in family interactions, or placing more emphasis on closeness with a partner.

How Present Moment uses the framework

Present Moment applies scoring rules to your self-reported questionnaire answers and displays the result as interaction coordinates for each context. When you request a cross-context report, AI helps organize those results into a readable comparison; it does not independently observe your behavior or verify your answers.

What the map cannot determine

The map reflects the answers provided at a particular time. It may be affected by interpretation, memory, mood, and context, and it cannot establish a complete or permanent account of a person. Use it as one input for reflection rather than as the sole basis for an important decision.

What the coordinates describe

• Influence: whether you initiate, decide, direct, or set pace
• Accommodation: whether you adapt, soften, wait, or yield
• Closeness: whether you express warmth, seek contact, and share openly
• Distance: whether you preserve space, stay private, or step back

Research references

• The interpersonal circumplex as a model of interpersonal functioning
• Interpersonal complementarity and the interpersonal circumplex