The following section of the Atlas devotes a chapter to each of 21 abstract interpersonal situations that we have chosen to describe in detail. We will use the term “entry” for each of these situations, parallel to usage in listings for maps in a geographical atlas, topics in an encyclopedia, or locations in a table of basic elements. In this introduction, we first describe the structure and contents of each entry. Then we describe our reasons for selecting these particular situations, the criteria used for including or excluding potential entries. Finally, we discuss the issue of the adequacy of our coverage of situations and the potential strengths and weaknesses of our reasoning.

The Structure of Individual Entries

Each situation is first described through concrete, everyday examples from interpersonal life, with the goal of illustrating the more abstract features of each entry in a nontechnical fashion. A conceptual description follows, using the various analytical tools developed in the earlier chapters. Each situation is characterized in terms of the basic control components that influence individuals' outcomes in the situation, as well as the response and informational conditions that are typically part of the social problem. Then, the relation of this entry to other “family” members or “neighbors” is discussed, in order to help the reader gain perspective on the conceptual “location” of the situation, the region of the interpersonal situation map that it occupies.