Development Of Character Strengths Research Articles

Does mindfulness matter in the development of character strengths? A RCT study comparing mindfulness-based strengths practice and character strengths-based intervention

ABSTRACT Character strengths-based interventions (CSBI) take various forms and integrate different ingredients into interventions. This study investigated the role of mindfulness in strengths development, directly comparing the effects of mindfulness-based strengths practice (MBSP) and a form of CSBI without mindfulness. Ninety-five participants were randomly assigned to MBSP, CSBI, and blank control groups. Participants’ mindfulness, character strengths, strengths knowledge, strengths use, psychological well-being (PWB), and subjective well-being (SWB) were assessed before and after the intervention, and one month later. The results showed that MBSP and CSBI were equally effective in enhancing character strengths, strengths knowledge, and strengths use. MBSP was more effective in promoting mindfulness, PWB, and overall character strengths, while CSBI was more effective in enhancing participants’ SWB. The development of strengths knowledge and strengths use served as serial mediators of the increase in character strengths, and the development of mindfulness served as the mediator of the increase in PWB.

Character strengths in weight maintenance: perceptions after a weight loss program

This study aimed to analyze which factors can favor or hinder healthy habits and the character forces associated with weight maintenance, in adults who underwent a weight loss program at a Contemporary Health and Wellness Center. This is a qualitative, cross-sectional, exploratory, and descriptive study. Seven people conducted semi-structured interviews, analyzed using the Thematic Analysis by Braun and Clarke. The results show that learning and discipline are extremely important for maintaining the habits learned in the program. Situations such as work, family, and aging can generate negative emotions and interfere with life satisfaction, making health habits more difficult. The forces of self-regulation, persistence, love of learning, humor, and appreciation of beauty can present favorable returns to weight maintenance. The development of character strengths can be extremely important for the maintenance of body weight after carrying out a weight loss program.

Linking Character Strengths and Key Competencies in Education and the Arts: A Systematic Review

Positive education, as a method for the positive development of students’ personality, embodies the 24 character strengths that Peterson and Seligman developed in their studies and that are necessary for new professional profiles. This new social and work landscape inspired supranational institutions, such as the European Union, to develop theories for new educational systems. These Key Competencies seek the comprehensive training of students, on not only the cognitive but the socioemotional plane, as occurs with arts education. With this literature review, we intend to demonstrate the relationship between the Key Competencies as catalysts for the development of character strengths in students through art education programmes. The results conclude that it is possible to define a relationship between the Key Competencies and character strengths and to outline the nature of these relationships, noting that certain patterns of combinations of strengths are repeated in the Key Competencies. Additionally, our work leads us to propose the need to increase the volume of research in this field and to design future studies that allow an empirical evaluation of the nature of these connections and whether they are efficient and enduring.

Factor Structure of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths-72 in Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis

BackgroundResearch on character strengths in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) is lacking. Moreover, measures of character strengths have not been validated in this population, limiting the opportunities for further investigation.ObjectiveTo investigate the factor structure of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA)-72 in a sample of individuals with MS.MethodsThis quantitative descriptive study included 624 individuals with MS. The factor structure of the VIA-72 was examined using principal component analysis. The internal consistency reliability and validity were assessed by computing Cronbach's alphas and correlations of the VIA-72 with other psychosocial constructs, respectively.FindingsThe principal component analysis revealed an interpretable four-factor structure of the VIA-72: intellectual and emotional strengths, temperance, transcendence, and interpersonal strengths. The factors significantly correlated with measures of quality of life, resilience, social support, depression, fatigue, and personality traits, indicating good concurrent validity. The four factors did not completely align with Peterson and Seligman's (2004) classification system.ConclusionsThe four-factor structure of the VIA-72 seems to be interpretable, valid, and reliable. Measures like VIA-72 may help rehabilitation professionals learn more about the nature and development of character strengths among persons with MS and suggest ways to cultivate it. Further studies are indicated to confirm the factor structures and psychometric properties of this scale in persons with MS.

Exploring the Relationship Between Character Strengths and Meditation: a Cross-Sectional Study Among Long-Term Practitioners of Sahaja Yoga Meditation

A growing body of research has associated the practice of meditation with the development of character strengths. Sahaja Yoga (SY) is a spiritual practice designed to help people develop a set of character strengths. The primary goal of the current work is to determine whether practitioners of SY meditation endorse signature strengths. Using the VIA Inventory of Strengths 120, we conducted a survey to measure character strengths among 310 daily practitioners of SY meditation and compared them to a matched sample from the database of the VIA Institute on Character. Practitioners of SY meditation endorsed seven signature strengths, relative to non-meditators: spirituality, forgiveness, gratitude, self-regulation, teamwork, appreciation of beauty, and hope. Findings suggest that the practice of SY meditation may be related to a unique and broad set of character strengths. The findings pave the way for research identifying signature strength development in other group contexts.

Cross-sectional age differences in 24 character strengths: Five meta-analyses from early adolescence to late adulthood

ABSTRACT The present study comprises five meta-analyses (47 samples with a total N of 1,098,748) that investigate cross-sectional age differences in the 24 character strengths entailed in the VIA model. It is expected that most strengths show age differences, especially higher levels throughout adulthood. Ten age groups from early adolescence (10–12 years) to late adulthood (65+ years) were compared for each strength using random-effects models. Overall, significant age differences were found for 23 of the 24 character strengths (all except perspective) across the lifespan, with 91% of the effects indicating higher levels of the character strengths with age. Effect sizes were mostly very small, in line with age differences found for other traits. Most age differences were found for creativity, curiosity, love of learning, zest, and self-regulation as well as in middle adulthood. These results provide an impetus for research and applications on the development of character strengths.

Associations between parental emotional warmth, parental attachment, peer attachment, and adolescents’ character strengths

The present study sought to investigate how parental emotional warmth and attachments jointly contribute to adolescents’ character strengths. The Chinese version of the Short-Form Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran (s-EMBU-C), the simplified Chinese version of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment-Revised (IPPA-R), and the VIA Inventory of Strengths for Youth (VIA-Youth) were administered to 1380 adolescents ( M age = 14.43 years, SD = 0.93 years; 49.5% girls) to measure their parental emotional warmth, parental attachment, peer attachment, and character strengths. The results showed a significant positive correlation between parental emotional warmth, parental attachment, peer attachment, and adolescents’ character strengths. Parental emotional warmth contributed to adolescents’ character strengths via the serial multiple mediating effects of parental attachment and peer attachment. Moreover, parental attachment contributed to adolescents’ character strengths via the serial multiple mediating effects of parental emotional warmth and peer attachment. Gender-specific results were not found for these relationships. Our findings revealed the possible mechanisms of the influence of parental emotional warmth and attachments on adolescents’ character strengths and provided further insights into the development of character strengths during adolescence.

Development of character strengths across the deployment cycle among U.S. Army soldiers.

Despite a narrative of post-traumatic growth and resilience, research reliably demonstrating positive character development following adversity has proved elusive. In the current study, we examined changes in character strengths in Army soldiers deploying for the first time. The sample was comprised of 212,386 Army soldiers (Mage =26.5years old, SD=7.13; 70.8% White) who were deploying for the first time. Character strengths were assessed once before and up to three times following soldiers' return from deployment. We found evidence for two classes of change-a resilient class ("stable high") and a declining class ("persistent low"). Most soldiers were resilient-they had high levels of character strengths prior to deployment and changed very little across the deployment cycle. Approximately 40% of soldiers started with lower character and experienced initial declines post-deployment, from which they experienced no more than small gains over time. Character strengths were highly stable across the deployment transition but some soldiers experienced initial declines from which they never fully rebounded. The findings are discussed in the context of the mechanisms that drive character development.

Coordinating character and curriculum for learning and development

PurposeThis paper considers how online character education applications can be applied by educational practitioners within the school environment to meet curriculum requirements and increase the learning opportunities for citizenship education.Design/methodology/approachThe Draft Curriculum for Wales 2022 is used as an example of how this can be achieved through innovative applications that are linked to the areas of personal development within the Margerison C-Model.FindingsThe five aspects of the framework focus on how practical applications can be used by teachers to enable individual development of character strengths. In particular, reference is made on how technology plays an increasing role in enabling both students and teachers to access learning opportunities.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests practical applications to enable the integration of technology into personal and social learning.Social implicationsThis aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, (SDG4), which highlights social–emotional development and learning as a specific area of educational importance.Originality/valueThe paper indicates ways to enhance identity and life-long learning.

Relations Between Family Support and Character Strengths in Adolescents

Abstract This study aimed to verify whether family support has an impact on the development of character strengths in adolescents. For this purpose, we analyzed data from 304 elementary and high school students, with ages ranging from 13 and 20, of both sexes. The results indicated that the character strengths with greater predictive power over the three factors of the Perception of Family Support Inventory (Inventário de Percepção do Suporte Familiar -IPSF) were gratitude, vitality and creativity. In addition, it was observed that some strengths were more present in the regression analyses, in two of the three factors of the IPSF, namely: love, wisdom, love of learning, creativity and modesty. It is believed that if the family is capable to offer an environment that provides room for the development of character strengths in adolescents, these positive characteristics may be experienced more frequently and in other situations.

A Review of Character Strengths Interventions in Twenty-First-Century Schools: their Importance and How they can be Fostered

A main challenge of educational organizations is how to foster students’ capacity to fulfill their potential. The present paper, based on educational, psychological, and organizational research, asserts that a discussion of character strengths and their development is highly relevant to this challenge. It provides an integrative overview of the relevance of character strengths to twenty-first-century schools and discusses different mechanisms that can help foster them. Character strengths—widely valued positive traits, theorized to be the basis for optimal functioning and well-being—may derive from inner tendencies, but are expected to have broad potential for development, depending on individuals’ experiences and environments. Furthermore, character strengths are closely related to twenty-first-century competencies – cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies, identified by the American National Research Council as required for thriving in contemporary life and work, and thus considered to be desirable educational outcomes. The paper first delineates the connections between twenty-first-century competencies and character strengths, demonstrating the importance of promoting them in education. Then, mechanisms for fostering development of character strengths in schools are discussed, based on a review of the literature, including mechanisms that affect students (e.g., curriculum, relationships), teachers (e.g., training, supervisors), and schools (e.g., evaluation processes, resource allocation), while considering the interplay between these different levels. The concluding part of the paper outlines an integrative model of an optimal school system, expected to foster character strengths’ use and development and discuss its applications for research and practice.

THE PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN ABILITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION

The issue of human abilities is widely discussed in the field of psychological literature . It has been developed within specific theories as well as therapeutic practices. In the context of modern positive psychology human abilities are placed within the framework of a continuum including the understanding of them as fixed and unchangeable in time, and at the other end of the same continuum is the conviction that they can be improved and developed by making certain efforts. In the second understanding challenges and difficult situations are an integral part of the way towards the realization of the purposes and serve as a springboard for learning new things and for personal growth. The perception of the idea that competencies and skills are determined by biological laws has to do with the desire to avoid risk and failure as well as with a desire for continuous confirmation of current developments. Uncertainty is the factor responsible for choosing not to endeavour and the one which not lead to a different result. According to Carol Dweck someone’s self-acceptnce has significant impact on the choice of a way of living. It is clear that a conviction may have the power to transform an individual's perception of the world. The idea of human abilities can be viewed in the context of the development of character strengths. These are the human competencies in which the implementation of an activity is carried out with ease and leads to a feeling of satisfaction and value. The development of strengths positively correlated with wellbeing and meaning. Leading life according to personal values and goals selected corresponding to individual’s strengths have positive impact on the psychological and physical health. Due to the fact that the understanding of the abilities is formed in early childhood the emphasis in modern educational practices was placed on individual skills and traits to be identified and encouraged. An essential aspect in these two theoretical paradigms is the fact that someone’s self-acceptance as well as the development of strengths are relevant to all other areas of life, i.e. there are a transfer of these skills in areas such as professional commitment, personal life, hobbies, etc. Everyone has his/her own strengths but not everyone has differentiated them. When recognized, the path to their development should go, so that the activities of the individual correspond to the most prominent skills and competences. The set of 24 character strengths includes spheres such as spiritual life, good-heartedness, curiosity, justice. Related to Carol Dweck’s theory we may conclude that they have the powr to change some strategies used in interpersonal relationships as well as in the school environment.

Family functioning profiles and character strengths in young elite athletes from Argentina

The goals of this present study were to explore family functioning in terms of cohesion, flexibility, communication, and promotion of challenges in young athletes and to study how family functioning is related to character strengths in elite versus recreational athletes. Adolescents (n = 476) of both genders (56.50% male) between 11 and 19 years old (M = 15.22; SD = 1.50) participated in the study. The elite athletes group (n = 238) was made up of adolescents from youth national teams of different sports from Argentina. The recreational athletes group (n = 238) played sports as an extracurricular activity and were recruited from secondary schools in Buenos Aires. All athletes completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, Parental Promotion of Challenges Scale, Parent-adolescent Communication Inventory, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale, and Values in Action Inventory for adolescents. A cluster analysis revealed three distinct family functioning profile groups: Cluster 1: positive family functioning (n = 164); Cluster 2: moderate family functioning (n = 215); and Cluster 3: negative family functioning (n = 97). Elite athletes differed from recreational athletes in their family functioning perceptions. A multivariate analysis showed that positive family functioning is related to the development of character strengths in adolescent athletes regardless of whether they are recreational or elite athletes. The results are discussed with regard to the role of family functioning in development opportunities for adolescents to reach their sporting potential and make sports a positive experience.

Psychotherapy for Character Strength Development

Many dislike psychology and psychologists due to their tendency to identify what is wrong with people. Positive psychology has made an innovative impact on this reality by making a radical 'turning point' by focusing on what is best in people along with human issues. The aim of positive psychology is to build people, community, nation and organisation by fostering the development of strengths and virtues at large. The main stream of positive psychology is involved in the study of three domains like, positive character strengths, positive subjective experiences, and positive institutions (Seligman & Peterson, 2004).Character strengthsCharacter strengths, the corner stone of positive psychology, are the psychological ingredients that define virtues (Seligman & Peterson, 2004). Lopez (2008 ) defines character strength as the capacity for feeling, thinking, and behaving as morally valued. There are 24 character strengths which can be categorized under six virtues: wisdom and knowledge (creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning, perspective) courage (bravery, perseverance, honesty, zest), humanity (love, kindness, social intelligence), justice (team work, fairness, leadership), temperance (forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation) and transcendence (appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humour, spirituality) (Seligman & Peterson, 2004). They are trait-like qualities. Peterson and Seligman differentiate character strengths from talents and abilities. However, literature on positive psychology has not given a clear distinction between the terms character strengths, signature strengths and virtues (Wong, 2006).Integral approach to character strength developmentThe integral approach, which has a sound anthropological horizon, situates human development in the light of the 'mystery' of the human person. Although the word 'mystery' denotes vague and obscure aspects of life, Imoda (1998) has described it in a positive sense, namely, that human life cannot be grasped in its full meaning because it transcends the immediate capacity of senses and intellect. Kiely (1987) unfolded this concept of 'mystery' by describing human mystery as being grounded in the existential fact that the person may live simultaneously in two different 'worlds', a 'world of desire' and a 'world of limits'. World of desires include anything which the person desires to have, and there are no necessary limits in desires. On the contrary, world of limits entails the things which the person cannot change, and so, it needs to be accepted. Since two worlds have contrasting characteristics, they follow different and divergent lines of development. The very notion of limit and desire imply an inherent tension, and the way each individual deals with this tension has far-reaching consequences for character strength development (Kiely, 1987; Masten & Coatsworth, 1998; Costello, 2002). In this context, 'mystery' is the fundamental anthropological reality of the person, understood as tension between finite and infinite (Imoda, 1998; Sebastian, 2014). The way individual deals with these unavoidable tensions determine the persons' strength development. Aveline (2001) adds that people leam adaptive patterns in order to cope with these daily tensions which can become either maladaptive or adaptive as they are repeated in new contexts. For some, the daily events become opportunities for confronting the mystery of self and for others the same events are perceived as a threat. A great deal of character strength development depends on whether this tension is resolved and on how this tension is resolved (Tharayil, 2012). Here the character strength development takes place by transcending life circumstances. It is a moment to find meaning and purpose of that event in their lives, which goes beyond here and now, and hence a movement toward adaptation. Smith (2006) repeatedly depicts that strength development occurs as the end product of a dialectical process involving a person's struggle with adversity. …

Character strengths and service leadership

AbstractCharacter strengths refer to the moral aspects of personality that have multiple dimensions. As a basic requirement of a service leader, character strengths provide the most inherent power for fulfilling different tasks and pursuing continuous development. In this paper, a lecture that aims to foster character strengths in undergraduate students is introduced. The theoretical foundation of the lecture on character strengths is first presented, including the concepts and theories related to character strengths, their relevance to service leadership and methods to promote the development of character strengths. The basic content and activities designed for this particular lecture are then outlined for the reader to have an overall view of the lecture. Finally, reflection on the role of the lecturer in the cultivation of character strengths in students and additional topics for consideration are highlighted.

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

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. …

Skinner's Walden Two: An Anticipation of Positive Psychology?

B. F. Skinner's, 1948 novel, Walden Two has some remarkable parallels to the growing Positive Psychology movement which emphasizes the promotion of subjective well being, the development of character strengths, and establishing positive institutions. Despite Skinner's reputation for neglecting emotion and subjective well being, one finds the opposite in the Walden Two community. Misunderstandings of Skinner's views have obscured the common themes between his ideas and Positive Psychology including positive use of leisure, value of positive emotions, and seeking happiness through engagement or gratification rather than through pleasure. Moreover, at Walden Two, the community develops Positive Psychology's character strengths such as creativity, persistence, humility, love, fairness, and communal gratitude. Particularly memorable was the shaping of self-regulation. The consequences of comparing Walden Two and Positive Psychology may be to shed some of the myths about contemporary behaviorism and Skinner's ideas, and to remind workers in Positive Psychology of the power of the empirically documented methods for building the automaticity of behavioral skills which may underlie character strengths advocated by Positive Psychology. Finally, this paper suggests the need for finding common ground in current psychology rather than emphasizing divisions.

Character Strengths and Happiness among Young Children: Content Analysis of Parental Descriptions

Parents’ written descriptions (average length = 211 words) of children between the ages of 3 and 9 years were collected on a password-protected website (n = 680). The presence of the 24 character strengths in the VIA Classification and the level of child’s happiness were coded with content analysis. Descriptions were rich in character language (average strengths mentioned per description = 3.09), and coding was reliable. Consistent with previous research with youth and adults, the character strengths of love, zest, and hope were associated with happiness; gratitude was associated with happiness among older children. The early development of character strengths and possible ways of fostering them are discussed.

Character Strengths and Positive Youth Development

The goal of positive youth development is to build and strengthen assets that enable youth to grow and flourish throughout life. In this article, the definition, origins, and assessment of character strengths and ways of fostering them are discussed. Character strengths are here defined as a family of positive traits reflected in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Character strengths are important in their own right, but they additionally promote well-being and buffer against psychological disorders among youth. Good parenting, close relationships with peer and family, positive role models, positive institutions, and various youth development programs play important roles in the development of character strengths. Character strengths exist in degrees, and they can be measured as individual differences. Future studies should approach character strengths as multidimensional constructs to understand better the structure and development of character, and how it contributes to positive youth development.