Personality trait 4: Agreeable / Disagreeable Quiz

Your Score Indicates You have:

Low Agreeableness

People who are low in agreeableness can be described as “disagreeable” by nature. Disagreeable people are more combative, forthright and assertive in social interactions. They can usually receive criticism without taking offence, they can easily express their own views, and they can deliver criticism without feeling guilty.

For these reasons, disagreeable people are often labeled as “tough”, “mean” or even “bullies”, but this is a simplistic and inaccurate view of what being “disagreeable” really means.

On the one hand, people who are mean-spirited or manipulative do tend to be disagreeable. But it is not the case that all disagreeable people are bullies or mean-spirited. In order to understand the complexity here, we need to examine two different types of disagreeable people. Let’s call them “type one” and “type two”.

The first type of disagreeable person, “type one”, does care about other people, and is perfectly capable of kindness and compassion. However, they find it easy to set aside the needs or desires of other people, to put other needs first. Those other needs might be their own needs, or the needs of their organization or workplace.

This kind of disagreeable person is good at separating their feelings about others from the task at hand, which can help them think more clearly and rationally.

They are comfortable having tough conversations and making tough decisions. Accordingly, these people make good leaders and managers, and tend to be successful, high-achieving and high-earning.

The second type disagreeable person, “type two”, is very different. They struggle to understand, or sympathize with, the needs and desires of others. Their inability to understand other people (especially their feelings and emotions) can undermine the “type two” disagreeable person’s communication skills, making them unpopular with others.

In some cases, however, “type two” disagreeable people with high intelligence can learn how to “fake” or mimic empathy and understanding, helping them become liked and accepted by others.

This behavior is typical of psychopaths, who can manipulate others to achieve their own ends. Unsurprisingly, this second type of disagreeable person is more likely to engage in risky, dangerous or criminal behavior – anything to further their own ends.

Disagreeable people (both “type one” and “type two”) are less likely to trust others, and are more likely to wonder about the ulterior motives behind other people’s behavior. This means that they are far less likely to be manipulated by others, but it obviously makes it more difficult for them to get close to other people.

Your Score Indicates You have:

Moderate Agreeableness

Moderate agreeableness is related with a healthy degree of trust and doubt. People with moderate scores will not be disagreeable towards other people unless the situation demands it; they will only be disagreeable if they need to make sure their own needs or desires are not ignored.

Similarly, they can be altruistic and empathetic when it is warranted. They often take time to trust others, showing a healthy degree of caution or suspicion at first, but they are generally willing to open up after getting to know someone.

Your Score Indicates You have:

High Agreeableness

Highly agreeable people are most of the times empathetic and focused with the well-being of others. They value the opinions and contributions of others, and try to encourage harmony and teamwork between people. They are generally good at controlling their own negative emotions, especially anger and frustration. This means they tend to express themselves in diplomatic and non-confrontational ways.

Unsurprisingly, then, highly agreeable people make great mediators in professional and personal settings, and agreeableness is linked to marriage satisfaction. Agreeable people tend to make good romantic partners because they are cooperative and attentive.

They are more inclined to consider all points of view and look for a solution that suits everyone – not just themselves. They are also more likely to be perceived as trustworthy, and they display a willingness to place trust in others.

While these characteristics are beneficial in a range of professional and personal circumstances, they do have the potential to backfire. Willingness to trust others can make agreeable people vulnerable to exploitation or manipulation.

In addition, while highly agreeable people are good mediators, they tend to avoid conflict. This means they don’t always make use of their mediation skills, preferring to disengage from disagreements or confrontations to appease others.

Similarly, if an opportunity arises requiring an agreeable person to “sell themselves” or compete with others, they are unlikely to be as forthright or assertive as their competitors, and are more likely to under-sell themselves. Because of this, they may lose out on important opportunities.

One famous example of this is the fact that women are less successful than men in salary negotiations, on average. This partly reflects the fact that the average woman is more agreeable than the average man.

Highly agreeable people are often less attracted to competitive professions and leadership roles for similar reasons; they tend to find it more difficult to criticize others or engage in robust or heated deliberation.

Instead, they gravitate towards “helping professions,” such as teaching, nursing, or non-profit sector jobs. As well as suiting their natural temperaments, careers like these are more likely to allow for better work-life balance, which agreeable people value more than their less agreeable counterparts.