Altruism (Agreeableness facet)
A facet of Big Five Agreeableness measuring genuine concern for others' welfare and willingness to help without expecting return. High scorers volunteer freely; low scorers help instrumentally.
Altruism is the helping-behaviour facet of Agreeableness. It captures genuine, costly concern for others — not just liking people (Warmth) or going along with group norms (Compliance), but actively giving time, money, or energy for others' benefit.
High Altruism predicts career entry into caring professions (nursing, social work, teaching, veterinary medicine) and sustained volunteering. It also predicts lower lifetime earnings on average (caring roles pay less, and altruists negotiate less aggressively).
Low Altruism is not selfishness in the harmful sense — it is reduced default impulse to help unprompted. Many low-Altruism people are reliable and ethical; they simply do not feel pulled to help strangers without specific reason.
Source: Costa & McCrae (1992). NEO-PI-R Professional Manual.
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