Scale- and Item-Level Factor Analyses of the VIA Inventory of Strengths

Abstract

The VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) has emerged as the primary instrument for gauging individual strengths and virtues. Prior studies have generated inconsistent results concerning the latent structure of the VIA-IS. The present study attempted to address some of these inconsistencies. VIA-IS results from a large sample (N = 458,998) of U.S. adults who completed the inventory online were subjected to a series of principal components and factor analyses. The sample was 66.46% female with a mean age of 34.36 years (SD = 14.13 years) and consistent with the general U.S. population in terms of geographic distribution. Information on ethnicity was not available. The size of the sample permitted both scale- and item-level analyses. The scale-level analyses produced findings similar to those of previous studies, but raised concerns about multidimensionality in the scales. Item-level analyses suggested an alternate set of 24 scales, 20 of which overlapped substantially with existing VIA-IS scales. A second-order analysis suggested five factors, including a new one labeled Future Orientation, versus the original six virtues proposed in the development of the VIA-IS. The results were used to speculate about elements of a second-generation model of strengths.