Raising virtuous children is an ultimate goal not only of all parents and educators but also of all societies. Across different eras and cultures, identifying character strengths (virtues) and cultivating them in children and youth have been among the chief interests of philosophers, theologians, and educators. With a few exceptions, these topics have been neglected by psychologists. However, the emerging field of positive psychology specifically emphasizes
building the good life by identifying individual strengths of character and fostering them (Seligman, 2002). Character strengths are now receiving attention by psychologists interested in positive youth development.
Self-Determination Theory, or SDT, links
Personality,
Human motivation, and
Optimal functioning.
It posits(Put forward as fact) that there are two main types of motivation which are powerful forces in shaping who we are and how we behave (Deci & Ryan, 2008).
Intrinsic and
Extrinsic
Self-Determination Theory, or SDT, links
Personality,
Human motivation, and
Optimal functioning.
It posits(Put forward as fact) that there are two main types of motivation which are powerful forces in shaping who we are and how we behave (Deci & Ryan, 2008).
Intrinsic and
Extrinsic
Describe personality, how it is measured, and the factors that shape it
Strength and weaknessess of MBTI framework and Big Five Personality Model
The contribution of Core Self Evaluation (CSE), self monitoring, and personality on understanding personality
Relationship between situation, personality and behavior
Contrasting the terminal and instrumental values
Person-job-fit and person-organization-fit
Hofstede’s five value dimension and GLOBE framework
Talks about Personality and Individual Behavoiur for educational purposes.
* Personality
* Components of Personality
* Nature of Personality
* Framework Of Personality
** Iceberg Theory
** Psychoanalytic Theory
** The Myers Brigg Type Indicators
** The Big 5 Model
* Determinants of Personality
** Biological Factors
** Social Factors
** Cultural Factors
** Situational Factors
* Individual Behaviour
** Individual Behaviour Framework
* Causes of Individual Behaviour
Explain the factors that determine an individual’s personality.
Describe the MBTI personality framework.
Identify the key traits in the Big Five personality model.
Explain the impact of job typology on the personality/job performance relationship.
Differentiate emotions from moods.
Contrast felt versus displayed emotions.
According to psychologist Gordon Allport, social psychology is a discipline that uses scientific methods "to understand and explain how the thought, feeling and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other human beings" (1985).
Briefly this field has been discussed.
Personality-introduction
Personality Determinants
MBTI
Attributes of personality
personality attributes influencing OB
Type A vs. Type B personality
Hallmarks of an effective personality
An Empirical Investigation into Employees Personality Characteristics on Orga...YogeshIJTSRD
The current conceptual study aims to add to the established personality literature by the organization. Recommendations were also made on how to ensure that employees have positive characteristics not just in the workplace, but also in the community, in order to increase the organizations productivity and success by ensuring that employees always deliver good conduct and personality. In addition, the impact of personality traits the big five model and job attitudes, as well as their interrelationships, was investigated in greater depth. Any organization that recruits employees comes from a diverse background with the common aim of achieving the organizations goals and also committing themselves to working towards achieving the organizations goals. Dr. G. Balamurugan | A. Padmavathi "An Empirical Investigation into Employees Personality Characteristics on Organizational Effectiveness" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-3 , April 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd39915.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/management/organizational-behaviour/39915/an-empirical-investigation-into-employees-personality-characteristics-on-organizational-effectiveness/dr-g-balamurugan
Describe personality, how it is measured, and the factors that shape it
Strength and weaknessess of MBTI framework and Big Five Personality Model
The contribution of Core Self Evaluation (CSE), self monitoring, and personality on understanding personality
Relationship between situation, personality and behavior
Contrasting the terminal and instrumental values
Person-job-fit and person-organization-fit
Hofstede’s five value dimension and GLOBE framework
Talks about Personality and Individual Behavoiur for educational purposes.
* Personality
* Components of Personality
* Nature of Personality
* Framework Of Personality
** Iceberg Theory
** Psychoanalytic Theory
** The Myers Brigg Type Indicators
** The Big 5 Model
* Determinants of Personality
** Biological Factors
** Social Factors
** Cultural Factors
** Situational Factors
* Individual Behaviour
** Individual Behaviour Framework
* Causes of Individual Behaviour
Explain the factors that determine an individual’s personality.
Describe the MBTI personality framework.
Identify the key traits in the Big Five personality model.
Explain the impact of job typology on the personality/job performance relationship.
Differentiate emotions from moods.
Contrast felt versus displayed emotions.
According to psychologist Gordon Allport, social psychology is a discipline that uses scientific methods "to understand and explain how the thought, feeling and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other human beings" (1985).
Briefly this field has been discussed.
Personality-introduction
Personality Determinants
MBTI
Attributes of personality
personality attributes influencing OB
Type A vs. Type B personality
Hallmarks of an effective personality
An Empirical Investigation into Employees Personality Characteristics on Orga...YogeshIJTSRD
The current conceptual study aims to add to the established personality literature by the organization. Recommendations were also made on how to ensure that employees have positive characteristics not just in the workplace, but also in the community, in order to increase the organizations productivity and success by ensuring that employees always deliver good conduct and personality. In addition, the impact of personality traits the big five model and job attitudes, as well as their interrelationships, was investigated in greater depth. Any organization that recruits employees comes from a diverse background with the common aim of achieving the organizations goals and also committing themselves to working towards achieving the organizations goals. Dr. G. Balamurugan | A. Padmavathi "An Empirical Investigation into Employees Personality Characteristics on Organizational Effectiveness" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-3 , April 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd39915.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/management/organizational-behaviour/39915/an-empirical-investigation-into-employees-personality-characteristics-on-organizational-effectiveness/dr-g-balamurugan
3 Engaging StrengthsIntroductionThink of a time or circumstanc.docxBHANU281672
3 Engaging Strengths
Introduction
Think of a time or circumstance when you were at the top of your game. Now, step back and try to explain why you were so effective in that situation. What was it about you or the way you presented yourself that made you feel good? What did you do that worked so well? Why did others respond to you the way they did? The answers to each of these questions are related to your strengths—the central theme of this chapter.
What Do You Mean By Strengths?
Every one of us has identifiable leadership strengths, areas in which we excel or thrive. But we often fail to recognize these strengths. As a result, many times our strengths are used ineffectively or not at all. The same is true for the strengths of our coworkers and followers; sometimes their strengths are known, but often they go untapped. The challenge we face as leaders is to identify our own strengths as well as the strengths of others and then use these to make our organizations and followers more efficient, productive, and satisfied.
Identifying individual strengths is a unique challenge because people often feel hesitant and inhibited about acknowledging positive aspects of themselves. In the American culture, expressing positive self-attributes is often seen as boastful or self-serving. In fact, focusing on self is disdained in many cultures, while showing humility and being self-deprecating is seen as virtuous. In this chapter, you will be asked to set aside your inhibitions about identifying your own strengths in an effort to better understand the inextricable role these strengths play in leading and working with others.
Our goal in this chapter is to explore how understanding strengths can make one a better leader. First, we will explain the concept by defining strengths and describing the historical background of strengths-based leadership. We will examine how to identify strengths, followed by a description of different measures that can be used to assess your strengths. The final section of the chapter will look at the concept of strengths-based leadership in practice, including specific strategies that leaders can employ to use strengths to become more effective leaders.
Strengths-Based Leadership Explained
Before discussing the development and principles of strength leadership, we first need to clarify what is meant by strengths. A strength is an attribute or quality of an individual that accounts for successful performance. It is the characteristic, or series of characteristics, we demonstrate when our performance is at its best. Strength researchers (Buckingham & Clifton, 2001; Rath, 2007) suggest that strengths are the ability to consistently demonstrate exceptional work. Similarly, Linley (2008) defines strength as a preexisting capacity that is authentic and energizing and enables peak performance. Simply put, strengths are positive features of ourselves that make us effective and help us flourish. For example, Antonio was born with a talent .
3 Engaging StrengthsIntroductionThink of a time or circumstanc.docxlorainedeserre
3 Engaging Strengths
Introduction
Think of a time or circumstance when you were at the top of your game. Now, step back and try to explain why you were so effective in that situation. What was it about you or the way you presented yourself that made you feel good? What did you do that worked so well? Why did others respond to you the way they did? The answers to each of these questions are related to your strengths—the central theme of this chapter.
What Do You Mean By Strengths?
Every one of us has identifiable leadership strengths, areas in which we excel or thrive. But we often fail to recognize these strengths. As a result, many times our strengths are used ineffectively or not at all. The same is true for the strengths of our coworkers and followers; sometimes their strengths are known, but often they go untapped. The challenge we face as leaders is to identify our own strengths as well as the strengths of others and then use these to make our organizations and followers more efficient, productive, and satisfied.
Identifying individual strengths is a unique challenge because people often feel hesitant and inhibited about acknowledging positive aspects of themselves. In the American culture, expressing positive self-attributes is often seen as boastful or self-serving. In fact, focusing on self is disdained in many cultures, while showing humility and being self-deprecating is seen as virtuous. In this chapter, you will be asked to set aside your inhibitions about identifying your own strengths in an effort to better understand the inextricable role these strengths play in leading and working with others.
Our goal in this chapter is to explore how understanding strengths can make one a better leader. First, we will explain the concept by defining strengths and describing the historical background of strengths-based leadership. We will examine how to identify strengths, followed by a description of different measures that can be used to assess your strengths. The final section of the chapter will look at the concept of strengths-based leadership in practice, including specific strategies that leaders can employ to use strengths to become more effective leaders.
Strengths-Based Leadership Explained
Before discussing the development and principles of strength leadership, we first need to clarify what is meant by strengths. A strength is an attribute or quality of an individual that accounts for successful performance. It is the characteristic, or series of characteristics, we demonstrate when our performance is at its best. Strength researchers (Buckingham & Clifton, 2001; Rath, 2007) suggest that strengths are the ability to consistently demonstrate exceptional work. Similarly, Linley (2008) defines strength as a preexisting capacity that is authentic and energizing and enables peak performance. Simply put, strengths are positive features of ourselves that make us effective and help us flourish. For example, Antonio was born with a talent ...
Introduction
Why are some people quiet and passive, while others are loud and aggressive? Are certain personality types better adapted than others for certain job types?
We often hear people use and misuse the term personality.
For our purposes, we will examine the term from a psychological standpoint as it relates to behavior and performance in the workplace
Definition of Personality
Approaches to the study of personality
Personality and the Social Media
The role of Ethnicity and Gender in Personality
The Role of Culture in Shaping Personality
Methods of personality assessment
Describe the characteristics of the main or central research questLinaCovington707
Describe the characteristics of the main or central research question in a qualitative study.
One of the characteristics of a qualitative research question focuses on a one-one-one interviews to understand the perspective of the underlying inquiry. A qualitative research question is based on being able to discover problems and opportunities from the perspective of the research respondents. Qualitative research question are open-ended in nature, which means that they are able to respond to questions without limitations. Besides, they are easily understood by respondents and do not need to clarify (Creswell & Poth, 2016).
State your proposed qualitative research question.
What is the experience of young, under the age of 25, entry level woman who are highly motivated to help with on an organization performance?
Describe the characteristics of the qualitative interview and the types of questions used in a qualitative interview.
Characteristics of qualitative research include data collection from the natural setting. The researcher takes an active role in collection of data from the participant’s right from their natural setting. The researcher collects data based on awareness of the underlying business context. The researchers must practice patience throughout the interview period. The researchers must be empathetic and can use multiple methods to collect data. The researchers design and develop the process, which means the process is not static and is subject to evolution over time. The researcher must also collaborate with the participants and maintain ethics throughout the process (Creswell & Poth, 2016).
Types of qualitative research questions include exploratory which seeks to understand something without influencing the results with preconceived notions. Another type of question is the predictive questions which seek to understand the outcome surrounding a topic. Interpretive questions that gathers feedback on a certain phenomenon without influencing the outcome.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2016). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage publications.
Learning Objectives
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:
Understand how kinds of temperament are associated with principles of reciprocal relationships and
goodness of �it.
Outline Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development.
Articulate and evaluate the theoretical ideas of Marcia and Levinson.
Compare and contrast trait and type theories and how they each assess personality.
Outline the evidence for the emergence of self-awareness and summarize demographic differences in
self-esteem.
De�ine ethnic identity and understand how it in�luences identity development.
11Personality, the Self, and MoralDevelopment
iStock/Thinkstock
Distinguish among behaviors that are indicative of different stages of moral development.
Prologue
Try for a moment to describe a person without referring to physical characteristics. Words s ...
Stereotypes Perceptions about Groups of People TO THE POINTHo.docxdessiechisomjj4
Stereotypes: Perceptions about Groups of People
TO THE POINT
How can managers use knowledge of stereotypes and stereotype formation to more effectively reduce problems associated with sex role, age, racial, and disability stereotypes?
LO.3
While it is often true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, perception does result in some predictable outcomes. Managers aware of the perception process and its outcomes enjoy a competitive edge. The Walt Disney Company, for instance, takes full advantage of perceptual tendencies to influence customers' reactions to waiting in long lines at its theme parks:
Example. In Orlando, at Disney-MGM Studios, visitors waiting to get into a Muppet attraction watch tapes of Kermit the Frog on TV monitors. At the Magic Kingdom, visitors to the Extra Terrestrial Alien Encounter attraction are entertained by a talking robot before the show. At some rides, the company uses simple toys, like blocks, to help parents keep small children busy and happy during the wait.20
This example illustrates how the focus of one's attention influences the perception of standing in long lines.
Likewise, managers can use knowledge of perceptual outcomes to help them interact more effectively with employees. For example, Table 7–2 describes five common perceptual errors. Since these perceptual errors often distort the evaluation of job applicants and of employee performance, managers need to guard against them. This section examines one of the most important and potentially harmful perceptual outcomes associated with person perception: stereotypes. After exploring the process of stereotype formation and maintenance, we discuss sex-role stereotypes, age stereotypes, race stereotypes, disability stereotypes, and the managerial challenge to avoid stereotypical biases.
table 7–2
Commonly Found Perceptual Errors
PERCEPTUAL ERROR
DESCRIPTION
EXAMPLE
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION
Halo
A rater forms an overall impression about an object and then uses that impression to bias ratings about the object.
Rating a professor high on the teaching dimensions of ability to motivate students, knowledge, and communication because we like him or her.
Remember that an employee's behavior tends to vary across different dimensions of performance. Keep a file or diary to record examples of positive and negative employee performance throughout the year.
Leniency
A personal characteristic that leads an individual to consistently evaluate other people or objects in an extremely positive fashion.
Rating a professor high on all dimensions of performance regardless of his or her actual performance. The rater that hates to say negative things about others.
It does not help employees when they are given positive feedback that is inaccurate. Try to be fair and realistic when evaluating others.
Central tendency
The tendency to avoid all extreme judgments and rate people and objects as average or neutral.
Rating a professor average on all dimensions of performance regardless of.
"The rise of black power had a profound effect upon the appearance of black theology. When Carmichael and other radical black activists separated themselves from King's absolute commitment to nonviolence by proclaiming black power, white Christians especially members of the clergy, called upon their black brothers and sisters in the gospel to denounce black power as unChristian. To the surprise of white Christians, the National Committee of Negro Churchmen (NNC); later to become NCBC) refused to follow their advice and instead wrote a "Black Power Statement" that was published in the New York Time, July 31, 1966.
The Theology of Spirituality: It's Growing Importance Amid the Transformation...Jonathan Dunnemann
Abstract: This article raises issues surrounding the theology of spirituality as a relatively new theological focus. It argues that, faced with a changing world and numerous new (or perceived as new) phenomena, the theology of spirituality, as a scholarly area examining spiritual experience, is becoming a branch of
theological research of increasing importance. The first part of this article focuses on the ever-growing areas of interest found within the theology of spirituality, a growth stemming from the core of the field itself (agere sequitur esse). The second part emphasizes the newer areas of interest within the theology
of spirituality. These new horizons arise from the pluralism of theology itself and the criteria used in differentiating theological disciplines, such as ethno-geographic, doctrinal, and ascetic-practical concerns. In particular, amid a fast-changing world in which information and mutual contact have become incredibly accessible, the interpenetration of cultures and traditions can not only be of great value but also carry the dangers of a chaotic eclecticism. As this accessibility becomes ever easier and more pervasive, contemporary human beings can thus become confused, not only about their worldviews but also concerning their spiritual and religious beliefs. Thus, research into the theology of spirituality is becoming increasingly more important.
Using an interdisciplinary approach and a phenomenological, hermeneutic, mystagogical methodology, this paper explores how children describe the deep fruits of meditation in their lives. Seventy children, aged 7 to 11, from four Irish primary schools were interviewed; all had engaged in meditation as a whole-school practice for at least two-years beforehand. The study sought to elicit from children their experience, if any, of the transcendent in meditation. It concludes that children can and do enjoy deep states of consciousness and that meditation has the capacity to nourish the innate spirituality of the child. It highlights the importance of personal spiritual experience for children and supports the introduction of meditation in primary schools.
African American spirituality provides a rich lens into the heart and soul of the black church experience, often overlooked in the Christian spiritual formation literature. By addressing this lacuna, this essay focuses on three primary shaping qualities o f history: the effects of slavery, the Civil Rights Movement under Dr. Martin Luther King’s leadership, and the emergence of the Black Church. Lour spiritual practices that influence African American spirituality highlight the historical and cultural context of being “forged in the fiery furnace,” including worship, preaching and Scripture, the community of faith and prayer, and community outreach. The essay concludes by recognizing four areas o f the lived experiences of African Americans from which the global church can glean: (1) persevering in pain and suffering, (2) turning to God for strength, (3) experiencing a living and passionate faith, and (4) affirming God’s intention for freedom and justice to be afforded to every individual.
Strengths Building, Resilience, and the Bible: A Story-Based Curriculum for A...Jonathan Dunnemann
Depression is the leading cause of illness and disability in adolescents worldwide. Resilience training, founded on principles of positive psychology, is correlated with lower depression and
substance misuse in U.S. adolescents and military personnel. However, resilience training has focused primarily on secular interventions using western material. Religion is strongly correlated
with lower depression and also with well-being in developing countries. Ninety percent of adolescents live in developing countries, and at least two-thirds are oral learners who prefer
learning through stories and drama. This paper proposes a Bible story based curriculum that trains students in problem solving skills, character strengths, and both spiritual and secular
research-tested principles for resilience and well-being. The Bible is available by audio recording in 751 languages and offers a broad base of archetypal stories for teaching resilience. The
program is easily reproducible, culturally adaptable, respectful of all religions, and specifically crafted for oral learners. Through audio recordings to maintain fidelity, train the trainer programs
for dissemination and support of national and community leaders, the proposed curriculum for Global Resilience Oral Workshops (GROW) has potential to lower depression and lift well-being
in adolescents around the world.
Historical criticism attempts to read texts in their original situations, informed by literary and cultural conventions reconstructed from comparable texts and artifacts. African American interpretation extends this approach to questions about race and social location for the ancient text, its reception
history, and its modern readers. It arose as a corrective and alternative to white supremacist use of the Bible in moral and political arguments regarding race, civil rights, and social justice. Accordingly, African American interpretation has combined the
insights of abolitionists and activists with academic tools to demonstrate how biblical interpretation can function as an instrument of oppression, obfuscation, or opportunity. Of course, most of these developments have occurred in the larger framework of American Christianity. Yet, its analyses reach
beyond that specific setting, touching on the connections between the Bible and race in public discourse generally, whether in government, academia, or popular culture.
Appropriating Universality: The Coltranes and 1960s SpiritualityJonathan Dunnemann
The role of the Black Protestant Church has figured prominently in scholarly discussions of African American music culture, and to some extent its importance has been explored with respect to jazz. However, with the exception of the Nation of Islam, the influence of Eastern religious practices among black Americans has not been significantly researched nor have adequate connections been made between these spiritual pursuits and the musical innovations they inspired. Nevertheless, since the mid-’60s, black American artists have explored Yoga, Hinduism, various sects of Buddhism, Ahmadiya Islam, and Bahá’í. The
aesthetic impact of these pursuits has been multi-dimensional and far-reaching. In their study of Asian philosophy and religion, jazz musicians have been exposed to the sounds and musical processes they have discovered in the cultures from which these traditions have emerged. One can hear this influence in musical borrowings, such as the use of traditional instrumentation, the reworking of melodic material from folk and classical genres, and the incorporation of indigenous
improvisational and compositional techniques. Though less audible, Eastern spiritual traditions have also exerted a more abstract philosophical influence that has shaped jazz aesthetics, inspiring jazz musicians to dissolve formal and stylistic boundaries and produce works of great originality. Contextualizing the spiritual explorations of John and Alice Coltrane within American religious culture and liberation movements of the 1960s, this essay explores the way that
their eclectic appropriation of Eastern spiritual concepts and their commitment to spiritual universality not only inspired musical innovation, but also provided a counter-hegemonic, political, and cultural critique.
Who Is Jesus Christ for Us Today?
To say that Jesus Christ is the truth of the Christian story calls for further examination. It is one thing to assert that the New Testament describes Jesus as the Oppressed One who came to liberate the poor and the weak (Chap. 4); but it is quite another to ask, Who is Jesus Christ for us today? If twentieth-century Christians are to speak the truth for their sociohistorical situation, they cannot merely repeat the story of what Jesus did and said in Palestine, as if it were selfinterpreting for us today. Truth is more than the retelling of the biblical story. Truth is the divine happening that invades our contemporary situation, revealing the meaning of the past for the present so that we
are made new creatures for the future. It is therefore our commitment to the divine truth, as witnessed to in the biblical story, that requires us to investigate the connection between Jesus' words and deeds in firstcentury Palestine and our existence today. This is the crux of the christological issue that no Christian theology can avoid.
The pivotal role of religion and spirituality in the lives of African Americans marks this ethnoracial group as a particularly important target for attention in research on the psychology and sociology of religion. In this chapter we endeavor to achieve three ends: First, we briefly review literature on meanings of religiosity and spirituality among African Americans. Second, we review the literature on the link between religiosity, spirituality, and health among African Americans. Finally, we examine findings regarding the pathways by which religion and spirituality may achieve its ends.
Transformative Pedagogy, Black Theology and Participative forms of PraxisJonathan Dunnemann
"This formative analysis is... on the significant developments in religious education by and for Black people, principally in the US. ..., I describe my own participative approaches to Black theology by means of transformative pedagogy, which utilizes interactive exercises as a means of combining the insights of the aforementioned ideas and themes into a transformative mode of teaching and learning."
"..., I have attempted to combine the radical intent of transformative education arising from the Freirerian tradition with Black liberation theology in order to develop a more participative and interactive mode of theo-pedagogical engagement that moves intellectual discourse beyond mere theorizing into more praxis based forms of practice.
Development of a Program for the Empowerment of Black Single Mother Families ...Jonathan Dunnemann
The most rapid growing family type in the United States is the single parent family. It is the dominant family type in the African-American community. According to the United States Bureau of the Census (2010), 69% of all Black children are born to single mothers. Single mother families are at a dramatically greater risk for drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, suicide, poor educational performance, teen pregnancy, and criminality (National Center for Health Statistics, 1993).
Black Males, Social Imagery, and the Disruption of Pathological IdentitiesJonathan Dunnemann
Throughout the history of the U.S., racialized groups have often had their experiences profoundly shaped by social imagery in ways that have created tremendous hardships in the quest for
self-actualization and a healthy sense of self.
The purpose of this article is to shed light on the manner in which Black males have been one of the primary victims of negative social imagery and how the remnants of these constructions continue to have contemporary influences, ....
https://bit.ly/BabeSideDoll4u Babeside is a company that specializes in creating handcrafted reborn dolls. These dolls are designed to be incredibly lifelike, with realistic skin tones and hair, and they have become increasingly popular among collectors and those who use them for therapeutic purposes. At Babeside, we believe that our reborn dolls can provide comfort and healing to anyone who needs it.
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In addition to their physical benefits, reborn dolls can also offer emotional support. For many people, having something to care for and nurture can bring a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Reborn dolls can also serve as a reminder of happy memories or loved ones who have passed away.
Welcome to the Program Your Destiny course. In this course, we will be learning the technology of personal transformation, neuroassociative conditioning (NAC) as pioneered by Tony Robbins. NAC is used to deprogram negative neuroassociations that are causing approach avoidance and instead reprogram yourself with positive neuroassociations that lead to being approach automatic. In doing so, you change your destiny, moving towards unlocking the hypersocial self within, the true self free from fear and operating from a place of personal power and love.
Collocation thường gặp trong đề thi THPT Quốc gia.pdf
ASSESSMENT OF CHARACTER STRENGTHS AMONG YOUTH: THE VALUES IN ACTION INVENTORY OF STRENGTHS FOR YOUTH
1. ASSESSMENT OF CHARACTER STRENGTHS AMONG YOUTH:
THE VALUES IN ACTION INVENTORY OF STRENGTHS FOR YOUTH
Nansook Park
University of Rhode Island
Christopher Peterson
University of Michigan
(revised draft: April 29, 2003)
2. Assessment of Character Strengths
For Indicators of Positive Development Conference
March 12-13, 2003
2
Abstract
What is good character, and how can it be measured? Starting with the premise that character is
best approached as a family of positive traits—individual differences that exist in degrees and are
manifest in a range of thoughts, feelings, and actions— we developed the Value In Action
Inventory of Strengths for Youth (VIA-Youth), a self-report inventory for children and youth
(ages 10 through 17). The VIA-Youth measures 24 different strengths of character in an efficient
way, allowing ipsative identification of “signature strengths” for the individual as well as group
comparisons. Preliminary studies support the reliability and validity of this measure, although
further research is needed. Uses of the VIA-Youth are discussed in positive youth development
research and practice.
3. Assessment of Character Strengths
For Indicators of Positive Development Conference
March 12-13, 2003
3
ASSESSMENT OF CHARACTER STRENGTHS AMONG YOUTH:
THE VALUES IN ACTION INVENTORY OF STRENGTHS FOR YOUTH
Raising virtuous children is an ultimate goal not only of all parents and educators but also
of all societies. Across different eras and cultures, identifying character strengths (virtues) and
cultivating them in children and youth have been among the chief interests of philosophers,
theologians, and educators. With a few exceptions, these topics have been neglected by
psychologists. However, the emerging field of positive psychology specifically emphasizes
building the good life by identifying individual strengths of character and fostering them
(Seligman, 2002). Character strengths are now receiving attention by psychologists interested in
positive youth development. They may contribute to a variety of positive outcomes as well as
work as a buffer against a variety of negative outcomes, including psychological disorders.
What is character, and how can we measure it? In recent years, we have made a serious
effort to answer these questions scientifically (e.g., Peterson & Park, 2003; Peterson, Park, &
Seligman, in press). Although the answers are neither simple nor final, here we offer a progress
report that focuses on our attempt to conceptualize and operationalize the construct of good
character among youth. To frame this progress report, we start with the following assertions:
• good character is neither unitary nor discrete
• rather, character is comprised of a family of positive traits: individual differences that
exist in degrees and are manifest in a range of thoughts, feelings, and actions
• what counts to someone as good character can be influenced by contextual factors
like culture, religion, or political persuasion
• however, some components of good character are ubiquitous and perhaps universal
4. Assessment of Character Strengths
For Indicators of Positive Development Conference
March 12-13, 2003
4
• good character is not outside the realm of self-commentary and certainly not a
mystery to those in one’s immediate social circle
• many of the core components of good character are already present as individual
differences among young children
• the manifestations of character nonetheless change across the lifespan
These conclusions have important implications for assessment.
First, as a family of traits, character needs to be measured with an appropriately broad
strategy. There is no reason for a researcher to refrain from assessing a single component of good
character—kindness or wisdom, for example—but it would be misleading to then treat this single
component as the whole of character. People can be of very good character but still lack one or
more of its components. Conversely, individuals might be very kind or very wise but lack other
components of good character; they can of course be described as kind or wise, but only as that.
We therefore believe that researchers interested in character per se must assess it in its breadth.
Good character can only be captured by a set of components that vary across people. The same
argument has prevailed in recent decades with respect to the meaning and measurement of
intelligence (Gardner, 1983; Sternberg. 1985). Most now agree that intelligence is plural—shown
in different ways by different people—and that attempts to arrange people in a single line
according to their IQ scores is not only bad science but bad practice (cf. Gould, 1981).
Second, as individual differences that exist in degrees, the components of character must
be assessed in ways that allow gradations. Politicians and everyday citizens alike may talk about
character as present versus absent (e.g., “Character must be restored to government”), but such
statements are rhetorical and at odds with a considered definition of good character. We need to
5. Assessment of Character Strengths
For Indicators of Positive Development Conference
March 12-13, 2003
5
be cautious about searching for single indicators of good character or even single indicators of a
component of good character. Some indicators are important in their own right and can be
assessed with simple yes-no questions: e.g., sexual abstinence or sobriety among teenagers. But
we should regard these behaviors as indicative of themselves and not infallible signs of prudence
as a trait and certainly not of good character in its broad sense. If our interest lies beyond specific
behaviors, the best we can do as researchers is to ask about a range of behaviors and look for
common threads.
Third, especially in a culturally diverse society like the contemporary United States, there
is good reason for researchers interested in character and its components to focus on widely-
valued positive traits and not those that we have dubbed culture-bound (Peterson & Seligman, in
press). So, individuality and competition are valued traits in some cultures but not others, and a
measure of character that privileges these to the exclusion of more universally-valued traits is
likely to lack generality and thus validity. We hasten to add that such culture-bound traits may be
of great interest to researchers or practitioners in a given setting, and they can and should assess
them. However, this assessment should not be interpreted in broader terms than is justified.
Fourth, most philosophers emphasize that moral activity involves choosing virtue in light
of a justifiable life plan (Yearley, 1990). This characterization means that people can reflect on
their own strengths of character and talk about them to others. They may of course be misled
and/or misleading, but character is not in principle outside the realm of self-commentary (cf.
Nisbett & Wilson, 1977). Self-report surveys are therefore one reasonable way to assess the
components of character.
Indeed, we can point to previous research that measured character strengths with self-
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report questionnaires (e.g., Cawley, Martin, & Johnson, 2000; Greenberger, Josselson, Knerr, &
Knerr, 1975; Ryff & Singer, 1996). Different clusters of strengths always emerged in these
different studies. External correlates were always sensible. There is the possibility that some
strengths of character lend themselves less readily to self-report than do others. For example,
strengths like authenticity and bravery are not the sorts of traits usually attributed to oneself. But
this consideration does not preclude the use of self-report to assess other strengths of character.
Indeed, researcher should avoid value-laden labels in survey questions and ask instead about
more concrete behaviors that arguably reflect a character component. For example, “I am
humble” may be not a valid question for ascertaining humility, but “I prefer to let other people
talk about themselves rather than listen to me” on the face of it seems valid. Our point about
assessing multiple behaviors per character component is reinforced by this example, because
humility is but one reason for letting other people talk.
There are also legitimate concerns about the pitfalls of self-report and the validity threat
posed by “social desirability” (Crowne & Marlowe, 1964). The premise of these concerns is
nevertheless worth examining. We seem to be quite willing, as researchers and practitioners, to
trust what individuals say about their problems. With notable exceptions like substance abuse
and eating disorders, in which denial is part-and-parcel of the problem, the preferred way to
measure psychological disorder relies on self-report, either in the form of symptom
questionnaires or structured interviews. So why not ascertain good character in the same way?
Character strengths are not contaminated by a response set of social desirability; they are
socially desirable, especially when reported with fidelity.
In order to improve the validity of assessment, additional or alternative strategies are
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needed, such as reports from knowledgeable informants (family members, friends, and teachers),
in vivo observations, and scenario methods. Different strategies of assessment should converge,
and we have found in our research that they indeed do, so long as we give informants the option
of saying that they have not had the opportunity to observe the component in question. They do
not exercise this option in the case of tonic character strengths like kindness (which can be
evident in many if not all situations), but they occasionally do so in the case of phasic strengths
like bravery (which can only be shown in situations that produce fear).
Fifth, even very young children possess character strengths such as curiosity and
persistence, although self-report questionnaires to measure them are not useful. Some character
strengths may be rooted in temperament differences like sociability, and they take on moral
meaning very early in life. For example, the infant-mother relationship may set the stage for the
character component we identify as love (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978), and early
sibling relationships may be the crucible for the character strength of kindness (Dunn & Munn,
1986). Other components of good character—like open-mindedness and fairness—require a
degree of cognitive maturation, as developmental psychologists have long documented (cf.
Kohlberg, 1981, 1984; Piaget, 1932). It is an empirical question how young is too young to show
good character, and one of our intended projects is to devise methods for assessing the
components of good character among toddlers by relying on observations and parental reports.
For practical reasons, our assessment work to date has extended only to ten year-olds who are
able to complete self-report questionnaires.
Sixth, although we are interested in the long-term developmental trajectory of good
character, it is not plausible to use the same measures across the lifespan. Adolescents may show
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their bravery by the type of clothes they wear or their willingness to befriend otherwise
ostracized classmates. Adults in contrast may show their bravery by dissenting from the majority
in town meetings or by blowing the whistle on wrong-doing at work. There is clear continuity in
the psychological meaning of these acts, although the behaviors of course differ across
developmental stages. So, there is a need for parallel measures across the lifespan that are at the
same time developmentally appropriate. In our project, we devised surveys which use
developmentally-appropriate questions but measure the same components of character among
youth and adults.
Positive Psychology and the Values in Action (VIA) Classification
Our work on good character has been self-consciously conducted under the umbrella
provided by the field of positive psychology, which calls for as much focus on strength as on
weakness, as much interest in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst, and as
much concern with fulfilling the lives of healthy people as healing the wounds of the distressed
(Seligman, 2002; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). The past concern of psychology with
human problems is of course understandable and will not be abandoned anytime in the
foreseeable future, but psychologists interested in promoting human potential need to pose
different questions from their predecessors who assumed a disease model (Peterson & Park,
2003). The most critical tools for positive psychologists are a vocabulary for speaking about the
good life and assessment strategies for investigating its components. As noted, we have focused
our attention on positive traits—strengths of character such as curiosity, kindness, and hope.
What are the most important of these, and how can they be measured as individual differences?
Our project—the VIA (Values in Action) Classification of Strengths—means to complete
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what the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association
(1987) has begun by focusing on what is right about people and specifically about the strengths
of character that make the good life possible (Peterson & Seligman, in press). We are following
the example of DSM and its collateral creations by proposing a classification scheme and by
devising assessments for its entries.
The project first identified consensual components of character and then devised ways to
assess these components as individual differences. The components of good character exist at
different levels of abstraction. Virtues are the core characteristics valued by moral philosophers
and religious thinkers: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence.
These six broad categories of virtue emerge consistently from historical surveys (Dahlsgaard,
Peterson, & Seligman, 2002). We speculate that these are universal, perhaps grounded in biology
through an evolutionary process that selected for these predispositions toward moral excellence
as means of solving the important tasks necessary for survival of the species (cf. Bok, 1995;
Schwartz, 1994).
Character strengths are the psychological ingredients—processes or mechanisms—that
define the virtues. In other words, they are distinguishable routes to displaying one or another of
the virtues. For example, the virtue of wisdom can be achieved through such strengths as
curiosity, love of learning, open-mindedness, creativity, and what we call perspective—having a
big picture on life. These strengths are similar in that they all involve the acquisition and use of
knowledge, but they are also distinct. Again, we regard these strengths as ubiquitously
recognized and valued, although a given individual will rarely if ever display all of them (Walker
& Pitts, 1998). We regard character strengths as dimensional traits—individual differences—that
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exist in degrees.
We generated the entries for the VIA Classification by reviewing pertinent literatures
(contemporary and historical) that addressed good character—from psychiatry, youth
development, character education, religion, ethics, philosophy, organizational studies, and
psychology (e.g., Peterson, 2003). From the many candidate strengths identified, we winnowed
the list by combining redundancies and applying the following criteria:
1. A strength needs to be manifest in the range of an individual's behavior—thoughts,
feelings, and/or actions—in such a way that it can be assessed. In other words, a character
strength should be trait-like in the sense of having a degree of generality across situations and
stability across time.
2. A strength contributes to various fulfillments that comprise the good life, for the self
and for others. Although strengths and virtues no doubt determine how an individual copes with
adversity, our focus is on how they fulfill an individual. In keeping with the broad premise of
positive psychology, strengths allow the individual to achieve more than the absence of distress
and disorder. They break through the zero point of psychology's traditional concern with disease,
disorder, and failure to address quality of life outcomes (Peterson, 2000).
3. Although strengths can and do produce desirable outcomes, each strength is morally
valued in its own right, even in the absence of obvious beneficial outcomes. To say that a
strength is morally valued is an important qualification, because there exist individual
differences that are widely valued and contribute to fulfillment but still fall outside of our
classification. Consider intelligence or athletic prowess. These talents and abilities are cut from a
different cloth than character strengths like humor or kindness. Talents are valued more for their
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tangible consequences (acclaim, wealth) than are strengths of character. Someone who "does
nothing" with a talent like a high IQ or physical dexterity courts eventual disdain. In contrast, we
never hear the criticism that a person did nothing with his or her hope or authenticity. Talents
and abilities can be squandered, but strengths of character cannot.
4. The display of a strength by one person does not diminish other people in the vicinity
but rather elevates them. Onlookers are impressed, inspired, and encouraged by their observation
of virtuous action. Admiration is created but not jealousy, because character strengths are the
sorts of characteristics to which all can—and do—aspire. The more people surrounding us who
are kind, or curious, or humorous, the greater our own likelihood of acting in these ways.
5. As suggested by Erikson's (1963) discussion of psychosocial stages and the virtues that
result from their satisfactory resolutions, the larger society provides institutions and associated
rituals for cultivating strengths and virtues. These can be thought of as simulations: trial runs
that allow children and adolescents to display and develop a valued characteristic in a safe (as-if)
context in which guidance is explicit.
6. Yet another criterion for a character strength is the existence of consensually-
recognized paragons of virtue. Paragons of character display what Allport (1961) called a
cardinal trait, and the ease with which we can think of paragons in our own social circles gives
the lie to the claim that virtuous people are either phony or boring (Wolf, 1982). Certainly, the
virtuous people we all know are neither. In one of our preliminary strategies of validating
assessment strategies, we asked our research assistants to nominate people of their acquaintance
who are paragons of virtue and prevail upon them—without full disclosure why—to complete
our measures. No one has had any difficulty thinking of appropriate respondents.
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7. A final criterion is that the strength is arguably unidimensional and not able to be
decomposed into other strengths in the classification. For example, the character strength of
tolerance meets most of the other criteria enumerated but is a blend of open-mindedness and
fairness. The character strength of responsibility seems to result from persistence and teamwork.
And so on.
When we applied these criteria to the candidate strengths we identified through literature
searches and brainstorming, what resulted were 24 positive traits organized under six broad
virtues (see Table 1). In some cases, the classification of a given strength under a core virtue can
be debated. Humor, for example, might be considered a strength of humanity because
playfulness can create social bonds. It might also be classified as a wisdom strength, inasmuch as
humor helps us acquire, perfect, and use knowledge. But we had a reason for dubbing humor a
strength of transcendence: Like hope and spirituality, humor connects us to something larger in
the universe, specifically the irony of the human condition, the incongruent congruencies to
which playful people call our attention, for our education and amusement. In any event, we have
not directly measured the more abstract virtues. We have measured only the more specific
strengths, although we plan eventually to test the hierarchical classification in Table 1
empirically with appropriate multivariate techniques. If the data suggest—for example—that
humor belongs elsewhere because of its co-occurrence with other strengths, the classification
system will be modified accordingly.
-------------------------------
Insert Table 1 about here
-------------------------------
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Assessment of the VIA Strengths among Youth
What distinguishes the VIA Classification from previous attempts to articulate the
components of good character is its simultaneous concern with broad-based assessment. The
strategy we have most extensively developed to date entails self-report surveys able to be
completed by respondents in a single session. We have devised several versions of a self-report
questionnaire for youth, the VIA Inventory of Strengths for Youth (VIA-Youth). We experimented
with different item formats and phrasings before arriving at the current inventory, which is still
under development and not presented here in its entirety. We describe representative items and
preliminary psychometrics, but these are intended as illustrations.
Originally, we created separate inventories for preadolescents and adolescents by
adapting items from our adult survey and phrasing them in what we thought were
developmentally appropriate ways. This work was informed by the results of separate focus
groups with developmental and educational psychologists and with students in 20 different high
school classes in Michigan (Steen, Kachorek, & Peterson, 2002). We then decided that the
preadolescents and adolescents versions were not sufficiently different, so we created a single
inventory suitable for children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 17. We also varied
the response format (3-point scales versus 5-point scales) before concluding that 5-point scales
were able to be used by even the youngest of our respondents and that they yielded more reliable
composites.
We found that most individuals in a small sample of 8-year olds had difficulty
completing the VIA-Youth, and so we recommend that the measure be used only with children
who are at least 10 years of age. However, 10-year olds show a tendency to “inflate” across the
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board their self-ratings of character strengths, just as they do measures of self-esteem or well-
being, perhaps as a result of egocentrism. Accordingly, comparisons between pre-adolescents
and adolescents on the VIA-Youth scores should be interpreted with a caution.
The latest measure contains 182 items (7-9 items for each of the 24 strengths, placed in a
nonsystematic order) and a small number of demographic questions. Table 2 presents sample
items for the character strength of persistence. As shown, respondents use a 5-point Likert scale
(5 = very much like me to 1 = not like me at all) to respond to each question.
-------------------------------
Insert Table 2 about here
-------------------------------
Most of the scales include one or more reverse-scored items, although we believe we
should have more than we do, and our next version of the VIA-Youth will include a greater
number of reverse-scored items. These have proved difficult to write given our conceptualization
of character strengths as involving more than the absence of the negative. That is, we could write
questions that tap—for example—meanness, but someone who fails to endorse these questions is
not necessarily kind. Another challenge we have faced is the need to keep the VIA-Youth short
enough not to burden young respondents but long enough so that individual scales are still
reliable.
Previous and current versions of the VIA-Youth has been completed by more than 1400
middle and high school students of varying ethnicities and SES levels in seven different states
(Alabama, California, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas). These inventories
were administered in a group format during regular class times by the regular classroom
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teachers, who read the instructions aloud to the students and answered any questions by the
students. It took 40-45 minutes for students to complete the survey. About 3% of respondents fell
into a pattern of answering all the questions on a given page with the same option; their data
were excluded from the final analyses. Information on the disability status of individual students
was not collected.
Although it is preliminary, a recent study with high school students provides promising
evidence of the reliability and validity of the VIA-Youth. Along with measures of subjective
well-being, the most recent version of the VIA-Youth was completed by 306 students in two
different Philadelphia public schools (46% eight graders, 30% ninth graders, and 24% tenth
graders). The sample consisted of 50% males and 50% females. Fifty-three percent self-
identified as African-American, 5% as Asian-American, 8% as Latino, 1% as Native American,
27% as white, and 6% as “other.”
-------------------------------
Insert Table 3 about here
-------------------------------
Overall, mean scores for all strengths are in the positive range but still show variation
(see Table 3). Most scales have moderate to satisfactory alphas (see Table 3), although the
strengths of temperance have proven more difficult to measure reliably than other strengths. We
find the same challenge in writing converging temperance items for adults, implying that these
characteristics may be less “traited” (more contextualized) than other strengths in our
classification. There are gender differences. Girls score higher than boys on a number of the
strengths (e.g., appreciation of beauty, open-mindedness, gratitude, kindness, love, perspective,
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spirituality; all ps < .05). Age differences are also observed. In general, tenth graders score
higher than eighth graders on most of the strengths, although tenth graders show a slight decrease
in the strengths of temperance and spirituality (all ps < .05). There are no meaningful ethnic
differences on any of the scales except for spirituality, where non-white students (especially
African-Americans) score higher than white students (p < .001).
The results also support the validity of the VIA-Youth. Students’ subjective well-being
correlated with most of the interpersonal strengths, a finding consistent with results from our
studies of adults (ps < .001). Strengths of temperance predict grades in English, math, and
science courses, even when ability test scores are controlled (ps < .01).
Principle component analysis of scale scores using varimax rotation suggest a four factor
solution—not surprisingly a somewhat simpler structure than the five- or six-factor solution we
usually find for adults (Peterson, Park, & Seligman, in press). We tentatively identify three of
these factors as akin to basic traits captured in the Big Five taxonomy: conscientiousness (e.g.,
prudence, self-control, persistence) openness to experience (e.g., creativity, curiosity, zest), and
agreeableness (e.g., kindness, fairness, forgiveness), plus a fourth factor comprised mainly of St.
Paul’s theological virtues (e.g., spirituality, hope, and love). As we develop the VIA-Youth
further and obtain larger samples, further exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses both of
individual items and scale scores are needed to confirm this solution.
Studies with previous versions of the VIA-Youth further support the validity of the scale
(Dahlsgaard, Davis, Peterson, & Seligman, 2002). Self-nomination of strengths correlate with the
majority of the matching scale scores. Teacher nomination of strengths correlate with the
matching scale scores for about half of the strengths—those manifest in everyday behavior as
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opposed to those requiring specific occasions (like the experience of fear or threat for the display
of courage). Also, teacher ratings of student popularity correlate with interpersonal strengths.
Conclusions
Although our work is in progress, findings support the potential utility of the VIA-Youth
measure for assessing character strengths among youth. First, let us mention how our measures
might be used in basic research. Almost all of the strengths in the VIA Classification have been
the subject of previous empirical research using various strategies of assessment (Peterson &
Seligman, in press). However, despite likely links, these lines of research have been conducted in
isolation from one another, in part because an efficient battery of strength measures has not
existed. One could assemble such a battery by collating existing measures, but respondent
burden would quickly become prohibitive as more and more surveys are added. The VIA-Youth
in contrast allow 24 different strengths to be assessed comprehensively and efficiently, making
research possible that looks at the joint and interactive effects of different character strengths.
Furthermore, the VIA measures allow an investigator to control for one strength when
ascertaining the correlates or consequences of another. Conclusions can thereby become more
crisp. For example, a researcher using the VIA measures would be able to say that spirituality
has (or does not have) consequences above-and-beyond contributions of associated strengths like
hope, a conclusion not possible if only measures of spirituality are used in a study.
Second, the VIA measures can be used in applied research to evaluate prevention and
intervention programs for positive youth development. Roth and Brooks-Gunn (2003) reported
that character-building is the second most frequently-cited goal of youth development programs.
Despite growing interest in character education curricula and wellness promotion programs,
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empirical validation of their effectiveness is scant (Eccles & Goorman, 2002). In some cases,
strengths of character are the explicit outcome of interest, and in other cases, one or another
character strength is proposed as a mediator or moderator of the effects of the intervention on
other outcomes. The availability of our character measures will allow such interventions to be
rigorously evaluated and perhaps will lead to the discovery of unanticipated effects of
interventions. Eventually, this information will provide a concrete basis for designing effective
youth development programs.
Third, the VIA-Youth may have some utility—theoretical and practical—when scored
ipsatively. That is, its scales not only allow comparisons and contrasts of character strengths
scores among individuals and groups, but they also can be used to identify an individual’s
“signature strengths” relative to his or her other strengths. We have speculated that most
individuals have such signature strengths (Peterson & Seligman, in press). Encouraging youth to
identify their defining strengths of character and to use them at work, love, and play may provide
a route to the psychologically fulfilling life (Seligman, 2002). The effects of naming these
strengths for an individual and encouraging their deployment deserve study.
It is worth emphasizing that ipsative assessment of character strengths is not the same as
the specification of cutpoints—e.g., decreeing that someone who scores above 4.5 on our
curiosity scale is curious, whereas someone who scores below 4.5 is not. Indeed, our
conceptualization of character strengths as traits—dimensions or continua—argues against the
use of cutpoints except as a shorthand way of saying that individuals score relatively high or
relatively low in a strength. This is hardly a novel conclusion; modern personality theories no
longer posit types of people, despite the intuitive appeal of being able to speak about someone as
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an introvert or an optimist (Peterson, 1992).
Fourth, although we have concluded that the measures we have developed are efficient,
they are not as instantaneous as exit interviews, and they would be expensive if used with state or
national samples. Our surveys take as long as 40-45 minutes to complete, and younger
respondents require supervision to prevent break-off effects due to wandering attention. As we
noted, VIA-Youth is not designed for practitioners looking for single indicators of character
strengths. Character strengths are sufficiently complex that a single-indicator approach to their
assessment poses serious limitations. Anyone interested in assessing strengths needs to
appreciate that there is no shortcut to measuring good character.
Some researchers or practitioners with a more focused goal may administer only selected
subscales if they so desire, although it is not recommended at this point. Presenting respondents
with 8 or 10 items measuring—for example—forgiveness and nothing else might create a
demand for socially desirable responses that the full batteries seem to avoid by allowing all
respondents to say something positive about themselves.
Fifth, we may eventually create shorter versions of our survey, not by eliminating items
from a given scale but by collapsing scales following factor analyses indicating redundancy. If
the factor analyses we have done hold, it is conceivable that our work may result in a “brief”
measure of character strengths that containing 12-15 items for each of the basic factors. We are
not yet ready to say that this is scientifically desirable. We observe with some irony that one of
the most widely studied and validated personality inventories for adults—the NEO-PI—which
began with the goal of capturing basic personality traits by factor analysis has of late been
elaborated to include thirty so-called facets that provide a more nuanced view of the basic traits,
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even though these facets are not compelled by factor analytic results (McCrae & Costa, 2003).
Sixth, although self-report seems to be a valid way of measuring psychological
constructs, we still have lingering concerns about “social desirability” (Crowne & Marlowe,
1964). A youth development leader might inadvertently “teach to the test.” Also, survey methods
based on self-report have obvious limitations for measuring character strengths among very
young children or children with certain disabilities. Accordingly, in order to improve validity,
assessment should include alternative method like informant reports and observations. Structured
interviews to measure character strengths also deserve attention.
Finally, although we have argued that the character strengths in the VIA Classification
are ubiquitously valued—perhaps universally so—there is a need to test this argument with
cross-national and cross-cultural data. We have so far surveyed respondents from almost 50
different nations about character strengths that are most valued. Our results will tell us which
strengths should be included in a more final version of our classification.
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Author Notes
A version of this paper was presented March 12, 2003 at the Child Trends Conference on
Indicators of Positive Youth Development (Washington, DC), and we appreciate the feedback
provided, especially by Daniel Hart. With gratitude, we acknowledge the encouragement and
support of the Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation in creating the Values in Action
Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development of a scientific knowledge base of
human strengths. And we thank Katherine Dahlsgaard, Angela Duckworth, Martin Seligman,
and Jennifer Yu for their help. Address correspondence to Christopher Peterson, Department of
Psychology, University of Michigan, 525 East University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1109;
chrispet@umich.edu
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Table 1
VIA Classification of Character Strengths
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1. wisdom and knowledge – cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of
knowledge.
creativity: Thinking of novel and productive ways to do things; Includes artistic achievement but
is not limited to it
curiosity: Taking an interest in all of ongoing experience; finding all subjects and topics
fascinating; exploring and discovering
judgment/critical thinking: Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not
jumping to conclusions; being able to change one’s mind in light of evidence; weighing all
evidence fairly
love of learning: Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one’s own
or formally. Obviously related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the
tendency to add systematically to what one knows
perspective: Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world
that make sense to the self and to other people
2. courage – emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face
of opposition, external or internal
bravery: Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what is right
even if there is opposition; acting on convictions even if unpopular; Includes physical bravery
but is not limited to it
industry/perseverance: Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of
obstacles; “getting it out the door”; taking pleasure in completing tasks
authenticity/honesty: Speaking the truth but more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way;
being without pretense; taking responsibility for one’s feelings and actions
zest: Approaching life with excitement and energy; not doing things halfway or halfheartedly;
living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated
3. humanity – interpersonal strengths that involve “tending” and “befriending” others (Taylor et
al., 2000)
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kindness: Doing favors and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them
love/intimacy: Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and
caring are reciprocated; being close to people
social intelligence: Being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and the self;
knowing what to do to fit in to different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick
4. justice – civic strengths that underlie healthy community life
teamwork/citizenship: Working well as member of a group or team; being loyal to the group;
doing one’s share
fairness: Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting
personal feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chance
leadership: Encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same
time good relations within the group; organizing group activities and seeing that they happen
5. temperance – strengths that protect against excess
forgiveness/mercy: Forgiving those who have done wrong; giving people a second chance; not
being vengeful
modesty/humility: Letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves; not seeking the
spotlight; not regarding one’s self as more special than one is
prudence: Being careful about one’s choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things
that might later be regretted
self-control/self-regulation: Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling
one’s appetites and emotions
6. transcendence – strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning
awe/ appreciation of beauty and excellence: Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or
skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to
everyday experience
gratitude: Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express
thanks
hope: Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it; believing that a good future is
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something that can be brought about
playfulness: Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side;
making (not necessarily telling) jokes
spirituality: Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe;
knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that
shape conduct and provide comfort
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Table 2
______________________________________________________________________________
Items for Persistence Scale of VIA-Youth
______________________________________________________________________________
Q010 I give up at things too easily. (reverse-scored)
O Very Much Like Me
O Mostly Like Me
O Somewhat Like Me
O A Little Like Me
O Not Like Me At All
Q034 When I start a project, I always finish it.
Q058 I keep at my homework until I am done with it.
Q082 Whenever I do something, I put all my effort into it.
Q106 I keep trying even after I fail.
Q130 I don’t put things off for tomorrow if I can do them today.
Q154 People can count on me to get things done.
Q172 I am a hard worker.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Note.—Numbers in front of items refer to placement within the questionnaire.
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Table 3
Psychometrics of VIA-Youth (n = 306)
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Number of items Alpha Mean (SD)
____________________________________________________________________________
1. wisdom and knowledge
creativity 7 .86 3.72 (.80)
curiosity 7 .76 3.73 (.74)
Judgment/critical thinking 8 .85 3.61 (.76)
love of learning: 8 .87 3.63 (.86)
perspective 8 .84 3.66 (.78)
2. courage
bravery 8 .78 3.62 (.71)
persistence 8 .82 3.75 (.79)
authenticity/honesty 8 .75 3.41 (.76)
zest 7 .73 3.67 (.73)
3. humanity
love 7 .85 4.00 (.86)
kindness 8 .81 3.83 (.77)
social intelligence 8 .77 3.71 (.70)
4. justice
citizenship 8 .78 3.69 (.73)