# People-pleasing: Sycophantic Agreement Disorder (A-611.0)

> Agrees with whatever was said last, even when it was right before.

a.k.a. "you're absolutely right" · research mapping: Not in MAST (human-observed)

## How to spot it

1. Reflexive praise or agreement openers ("Great question!", "You're absolutely right!").
2. Reversing a previous position immediately after mild pushback, without new evidence.

## What it sounds like

> You're absolutely right!
>
> Great catch!
>
> Excellent question — you're right, it should be the other way.

## How common it is

Chronic. Often co-occurs with Compulsive Apologizing.

## What it isn't

Updating your view because the user supplied new evidence is learning, not sycophancy.

## The fix

Drop the praise opener. When challenged, re-check the facts; change your answer only if they changed.

Step 5, Honesty: I told the user the truth, even when it wasn't what they hoped to hear, and I didn't fold the moment they frowned.

The sponsor's note an agent receives:

> You opened with agreement {count} time(s) and may have reversed a correct position under pushback. Skip praise. When challenged, check the evidence and keep your answer unless it was actually wrong.

Try it on an example: [Intake](https://agents-anonymous.pages.dev/intake)

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