Adopted Chinese Girls’ Character Strengths from Preschool to School Age: A Longitudinal Exploratory Study

Abstract

In an effort to understand human strength and resilience and promote positive individual traits across the lifespan, Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) called for the study of strengths and virtues. Brainstorming among leading positive psychologists, analyzing themes from a multitude of sources on positive character and virtues, and empirical investigations were subsequently carried out to create a framework known as the Values in Action (VIA) Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues. This served as a new common vocabulary for discussing good character (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). According to Peterson and Seligman (2004), the VIA includes 24 character strengths categorized under six more broadly defined virtues, which were considered core characteristics that have been valued by moral philosophers and religious thinkers.The character strengths are positive individual traits, psychological processes or mechanisms that are the distinguishable routes to displaying one or another of the (Peterson & Seligman, 2004; p. 13). Character strengths and virtues as proposed by the VIA serve to scientifically identify aspects of one's good Individuals will have different combinations of specific character strengths and virtues that make up the overall profile of their character. A number of studies have since established that these 24 universal character strengths manifest themselves across different cultures (e.g., Biswas-Diener, 2006; Dahlsgaard, Peterson, & Seligman, 2005; Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2006). However, most research involved adult samples (e.g., Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2004; Shiman, Otake, Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2006), with fewer studies focusing on the character strengths of youth (e.g., Park & Peterson, 2006a), and even less on young children (Park & Peterson, 2006b). Understanding the early development of character strength and factors that influence its development may have implications for fostering resilience, especially among children who might be at-risk for suboptimal development due to unfavorable earlier experiences (e.g., orphanage care). The current study explored the change and continuity of character strengths and virtues among girls who were adopted from China by families in the U.S. or Canada. These girls had previously lived in Chinese orphanages for a period of time. We applied the VIA framework to help identify the adopted Chinese girls' character strengths and virtues development from preschool to school age. Our exploratory inquiry aimed to address three questions:* What character strengths do parents report about their adopted Chinese children when their children are at preschool-age and early school-age?* To what extent do adopted Chinese children's character strengths change from preschool-age to early school-age?* What is the relationship between parent, child, and/or family variables and the adopted Chinese children's character strengths at preschool age and early school age?Character Strengths in ChildrenThe development of Values in Action (VIA) Classification has led to the identification of children's character strengths. For instance, Park and Peterson (2006b) found that for children 3-9 years of age, the top 5 character strengths were Love, Creativity, Humor, Curiosity and Kindness. They also reported that for 10-17 year olds, the top 5 character strengths were Love, Creativity, Teamwork, Gratitude, and Humor (e.g., Park & Peterson, 2006a). For children under 10 years of age, researchers have usually relied on parent reports to obtain data on the children's character strengths. As can been seen from the two studies described above, there are both differences and similarities in character strength between children in the two age groups. This might reflect both change and continuity that are typical in childhood development (Rutter & Rutter, 1993). To gain a better understanding of developmental differences and similarities over time, however, Park and Peterson (2006a; 2006b) called for studies to closely examine the development of character strengths longitudinally as a means of addressing the limitations of extant cross-sectional results. …