ABSTRACT
Recent studies have suggested that Potential for Hostility may be the toxic component in the Type A behavior pattern. This chapter provides conceptual and empirical evidence for the hypothesis that Potential for Hostility may best be viewed as an aspect of the larger personality domain of Agreeableness versus Antagonism. A number of different conceptualizations of Agreeableness and related constructs are reviewed, and data are presented showing correlates of the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO–PI) Agreeableness scale in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Data from college samples are used to show relations between reactive or antagonistic hostility, SI-derived Potential for Hostility ratings, and both self-reports and peer ratings of NEO-PI Agreeableness. It is suggested that future prospective studies of coronary prone behavior supplement SI ratings with measures of the broader domain of Agreeableness versus Antagonism.
