agreeableness

n. Agreeableness is one of the dimensions of the five factor model. It contrasts individuals who are good-natured, compliant, modest, gentle, and cooperative with those who are irritable, ruthless, suspicious, and inflexible. Persons higher in agreeableness differ systematically from their peers not only in their evaluations of others but also in emotional responsiveness, empathic responding, and reports of feeling connected and similar to others. Lower levels of agreeableness are associated with negative evaluations of people in general and of outgroups in particular. These evaluative processes are linked to overt behavior, including refusal of interpersonal interaction with outgroup members. Processes responsible for these individual differences may be present in "effortful control," an early childhood temperament tied to frustration regulation.  - JBru, WG