Interpersonal Circumplex
Wiggins, J. S. · 1979
Also known as: IPC · Wiggins Circumplex
The Interpersonal Circumplex organises social behaviour in a circle defined by two orthogonal axes: agency (dominance versus submissiveness) and communion (warmth versus coldness). Every interpersonal style is a blend of the two, located by its angular position on the circle rather than by a category. The model's substantive claims are geometric and testable: traits close together on the circle should correlate positively, traits at right angles should be uncorrelated, and traits opposite should correlate negatively. This structure makes the circumplex one of the few personality models that specifies in advance what its correlation matrix must look like.
Circular model organizing interpersonal behavior along two axes: Dominance (assertive vs. submissive) and Affiliation (warm vs. cold), yielding eight octant positions that describe distinct interpersonal styles.
- Source:
- Wiggins, J. S. (1995). Interpersonal Adjective Scales: Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
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Evidence at a glance
- Empirical support
- Strong evidence
- Replication
- Well replicated
- Cross-cultural
- Mostly universal
- Meta-analyses
- 8 indexed
These ratings summarise the published literature on the theory, not the quality of any single test built on it. They are editorial judgements based on the sources listed below, and they change as evidence accumulates.
Historical Context
The model descends from Sullivan's interpersonal theory of psychiatry and was first drawn as a circle by Leary and the Kaiser Foundation group in the 1950s. Early versions were criticised for poor psychometrics, and the tradition was largely rescued by Wiggins's 1979 lexical work, which selected interpersonal adjectives systematically and demonstrated the circular structure held. Subsequent decades produced the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems and the structural summary method, and established that the two circumplex axes are rotations of Extraversion and Agreeableness from the Five-Factor Model.
Constructs
Assured-Dominant (PA)
High dominance interpersonal style — assertive, commanding, confident (Wiggins, 1995).
Arrogant-Calculating (BC)
High dominance, low affiliation — competitive, cutting, sharp-tongued (Wiggins, 1995).
Cold-Hearted (DE)
Low affiliation — emotionally detached, unsympathetic, uninterested in others (Wiggins, 1995).
Aloof-Introverted (FG)
Low dominance, low affiliation — quiet, private, reserved (Wiggins, 1995).
Unassured-Submissive (HI)
Low dominance — soft-spoken, modest, deferential (Wiggins, 1995).
Unassuming-Ingenuous (JK)
Low dominance, high affiliation — tolerant, accepting, honest (Wiggins, 1995).
Warm-Agreeable (LM)
High affiliation — caring, reassuring, interested in others (Wiggins, 1995).
Gregarious-Extraverted (NO)
High dominance, high affiliation — sociable, outgoing, comfortable with people (Wiggins, 1995).
Instruments
- IPIP Interpersonal Circumplex(IPIP-IPC)Goldberg, L. R. (IPIP), measuring constructs of Wiggins, J. S.1999
Tests built on this theory
Practical Applications
In clinical psychology the circumplex is used to describe recurring interpersonal problems and to plan treatment, on the principle of complementarity: dominance tends to invite submission and warmth tends to invite warmth, so a therapist can anticipate the pull a patient exerts. In organizational settings it informs feedback on leadership and team style without the pseudo-typology of four-quadrant commercial instruments. In research it is used to locate other constructs — attachment dimensions, dark traits, values — within a common interpersonal space.
How It's Measured
Measured with adjective or statement ratings scored on two axes; results are reported as an angular position and a vector length (profile elevation and differentiation) rather than as a type.
Critiques & Limitations
The circle is a simplification: real item sets show gaps and clumps rather than even spacing, and fit indices for perfect circumplexity are rarely met. Because the two axes are rotations of Extraversion and Agreeableness, critics question what the circumplex adds beyond the Five-Factor Model other than a coordinate system. Complementarity, its best-known clinical prediction, has received mixed empirical support, holding more reliably for communion than for agency. Commercial derivatives that convert the continuous circle into four discrete types discard the model's main advantage and should not be treated as the same instrument.
Key Publications
- Wiggins, J. S.. (1979). A psychological taxonomy of trait-descriptive terms: The interpersonal domain. 10.1037/0022-3514.37.3.395
- Leary, T.. (1957). Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality.
- Gurtman, M. B. & Balakrishnan, J. D.. (1998). The structural summary method for the circumplex. 10.1093/clipsy.5.3.374