DEFINITION:
The term “agreeableness” refers to a personality trait consisting of the strong desire to act in a pleasing and obliging manner towards other people in order to make oneself liked and accepted by them.
ETYMOLOGY:
In the context of personality psychology, the term “agreeableness” was introduced into the literature by a number of authors beginning in the 1940s, notably, Donald W. Fiske (1916–2003) in a 1949 article and, some four decades later, Daniel Goleman in a paper published in 1990.
(For bibliographic details, see the Glossary article, Big Five personality traits.)
The English noun “agreeableness” is connected to the adjective “agreeable,” which is attested from the fourteenth century.
“Agreeable” is connected to the verb “to agree,” which derives, via the Middle English verb agreen, from the Middle French verb agréer, meaning “to agree.”
Agréer, in turn, derives from the Classical Latin preposition ad, meaning “towards,” and the substantive grātum, which is the neuter form of the adjective grātus, meaning “welcome,” “pleasing,” or “agreeable.”
DISCUSSION:
Individuals who score high in “agreeableness” are perceived by others as being cooperative, honest, sympathetic, considerate, warm, and kind.
“Agreeableness” is closely related to several other personality traits, such as altruism, modesty, trust, and deference.
“Agreeableness” is one of the “Big Five personality traits.”