Marston’s original theory viewed people behaving along two axes, with their attention being either passive or active, depending on the individual’s perception of their environment as either favourable or antagonistic. It was theorised that the way in which the individual interacts takes four basic directions: tendencies to dominate, influence, submit and comply.
The Thomas PPA describes 4 adapted behavioural factors. Each factor is seen as a scale of preference of style as perceived by an individual of his or her own behaviour in the workplace. The factors arise from different human needs, which result in habitual patterns of creating a characteristic “style”. These 4 factors are: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance.