Think of a new leader, a high performer and a great project manager. Chances are you would have heard of at least a dozen instances where they would have roughed up people, been impolite to a stakeholder, lost temper at their reportees, burnt bridges with peers or simply gone overboard with an argument. Common issues of not being able to get along with others are often underpinned by Antagonism cluster of risks.
From Big Five standpoint Antagonism is a complex mish mash of traits. It is largely concerned with low agreeableness, high neuroticism and often low emotionality. Individuals prone to Antagonism often have trouble getting along with people and while they can survive most interpersonal transactions, it is difficult for others to cope with them in interpersonal situations. Chances are many individuals with Antagonism proneness may not be aware of how rude or callous they come across to others. This is tricky because Antagonism prone individuals are often scary to give feedback to. When in position of power, people adapt to Antagonism prone individuals by treading carefully around them, not getting involved into arguments with them and in general assuming a meek stance when interacting with them. This often wins them a 'toxic' adjective.
Antagonism within the purview of SPS Scan is based on 6 key commonly overlapping challenges:
| Risk | Description | Impact on others |
| Indifference | Indifferent to others' needs | Others may not share their emotions with them and may not reach out for help |
| Arrogance | Considers self to be better than others | Others may feel insulted, judged or humiliated by them |
| Provocation | Argues frequently | Others may not speak their mind and may not share feedback with them |
| Aggression | Loses composure, easily angered | Others may try and not anger them, handle them with kid-gloves or avoid them altogether |
| Fickle | Subjective morals, double standards | Others may not trust them and may find them deceptive |
| Criticism | Critical without consideration | Others may lose motivation and feel inhibited around them |
It is rare to find individuals with all 6 as high risk 7 in 1000 are likely to exhibit all 6 risks. But even 3 of 6 risks indicate antagonism related challenges for individuals in professional and personal life.