MODULE 5:CHARACTER

STRENGTH
RUPSA KARMAKAR (M.A,M.Phil,Phd)
Character strengths and virtues
“In short, if one is entitled to everything, then one is thankful for nothing.”

― Christopher Peterson, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

In 1998, in his Presidential Address at the American Psychological Association,

Martin Seligman stated, “Psychology is not just the study of weakness and
damage, it is also the study of strength and virtue. Treatment is not just fixing what
is broken, it is nurturing what is best within ourselves” (Seligman, 1998).
What are strengths
A strength can be defined as a natural capacity for behaving,
thinking, or feeling in a way that allows for optimal functioning &
performance in the pursuit of valued outcomes (Linley & Harrington,
2006). It is something that an individual has a natural inclination
towards. However, environmental factors and experiences may
nurture and support the development of specific strengths or hinder
their development, e.g., a child feels motivated to pursue her/his
creative instincts if there is encouragement from significant others
rather than ignoring or disregarding the child’s original thinking.
What Cannot be strengths
● Talents (what we naturally do well): These are naturally occurring
patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. They are potential
strengths.
● Skills (what we train ourselves to do): These are specific
competencies we develop or acquire because they are needed to
do our job well, relate better with people or the environment.
● Interests (our passions): preference towards certain activities or
goals that are significant to the individual. Character strengths
and interests are closely linked. We might choose interests that
give the opportunity to display our strengths
● Resources (our external supports): these are systems
available in our environment that help us to live well,
e.g., social network of family and friends, access to
health and education etc. We use our character
strengths (like gratitude, empathy, and social
intelligence) to build and maintain these resources.
● Values (what we internally hold dear): internalized goals
and desires that are socially and morally approved.
Strengths are values in action. When our values get
translated into behaviour, we are displaying our
character strengths
CHARACTER STRENGTHS
The global Gallup Poll shows that most people, across countries and cultures
think that focusing on weaknesses will help them improve more than focusing
on strengths (Hodges & Clifton, 2004). However, research on the significance
of strengths, across cultures, suggests that recognizing, developing, and using
your strengths have manifold benefits.
Benefits of Using Character Strengths
• brings about greater understanding, perceptivity, and perspective in your
life • provides a sense of direction
• creates a feeling of vitality and energy
• helps to buffer against stress
• generates hope and optimism
• enhances confidence and self-esteem
• fills one with a sense of joy and fulfilment
• increases motivation and helps achieve one’s goals
• Improves engagement and performance at work
Source: (Clifton & Anderson, 2001–02)
Values in Action Classification
Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman (Peterson & Seligman, p.4, 2004) created their own
“manual of the sanities” which focused on what is good about people, specifically on the character
strengths that allow for a good life. They devised the Values in Action (VIA) framework to
conceptualize character strengths - it was their handbook for human health and flourishing.

They defined character strengths as a universally recognized subset of morally

valued personality traits (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). Peterson and Seligman
generated an exhaustive list of virtues and strengths that were common across
cultures by using various methods including literature survey, deliberation with
leading scholars in the field, and referring to ancient religious and philosophical
texts. They refined this list of hundreds of strengths thus obtained based on ten
criteria. This resulted in the identification of twenty-four character strengths,
that are grouped under six virtues (which are the core universal characteristics
emphasized by philosophers and religious leaders)
What are virtues
● Wisdom – this virtue incorporates strengths related to the acquisition
and use of knowledge.
● Courage – these strengths involve the exercise of will to accomplish
goals in the face of internal or external opposition.
● Love, humanity – interpersonal strengths that involve inclination
towards forming connections with others.
● Justice – civic strengths that contribute to society.
● Temperance – these strengths buffer us against excesses.
● Transcendence – these strengths help to establish a meaningful
connection with the larger universe
WISDOM
Wisdom and Knowledge As a virtue, wisdom refers to a general
intellectual strength involving the development and use of Knowledge.
Wisdom does not necessarily follow from a formal education or a high IQ
score. Wisdom refers to a more practical intelligence and good judgment
based on learning life’s lessons—perhaps through hardships. A wise person
puts things in the proper perspective and avoids the pitfalls of narrowly
focused and self-interested understandings. Wisdom means being able to
offer good counsel to others about how to live and how to understand and
deal with life’s challenges, uncertainties, and choices.
COURAGE
Courage is the emotional strength to overcome fear in the face of
opposition and adversity. Courage is exemplified in confronting and
accepting one’s own death; dealing with a debilitating illness or
disease; honestly confronting one’s own limitations, weaknesses, or
bad habits; and standing up for one’s convictions, despite the
possibility of negative consequences (e.g., chastisement by others).
HUMANITY
Humanity refers to our capacity for sympathy, empathy,
compassion, and love in our relationships with others. Humanity is
the basis for nurturing and caring relationships focused on
another’s needs rather than one’s own needs and interests.
Humanity is expressed in our willingness to help others in need, to
be kind, to be generous, and to respect the feelings and values of
others.
JUSTICE
Justice is an essential ingredient in healthy societies,communities,
and relationships with others. This virtue is shown when people are
fair minded and even-handed rather than being biased by
self-interest. Justice also includes strengths that contribute to
community well-being, such as working cooperatively with others and
taking the initiative to develop and follow through on goals and
projects.
TEMPERANCE
Temperance is the strength to control excesses and restrain impulses that may
harm the self and others. It expresses the idea of “willpower” in the face of
temptations. Temptations and the benefits of restraint might be focused on
eating; drinking; smoking; expressing of anger, hatred, or arrogance toward
others; or excessive self-promotion at the expense of others. Some of the
psychological processes are involved in self-control and self-directed actions
that are relevant to temperance. Temperance is a kind of ongoing
self-awareness and self-discipline that affirms the “look before you leap”
dictum of everyday wisdom. Temperance also involves the ability to let go and
forgive the indiscretions and hurtful actions of others.
TRANSCENDENCE
To transcend means to go beyond or rise above the ordinary and the everyday.
Transcendent thinking lifts us out of the usual concrete preoccupations of daily life and
out of an individualized sense of self by providing a broader view of the world and the
uni-verse. Transcendence puts things in perspective and keeps us from worrying about or
striving for things that don’t really matter. Religion and spirituality are the clearest
examples of transcendence because they involve a belief in a higher power and a greater
purpose for life.Transcendent beliefs connect the individual to a more encompassing
understanding and a deeper meaning of life. The character strength of religiousness
clearly fits the virtue of transcendence.
CHARACTER STRENGTH
I. Wisdom and Knowledge—cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and
use of knowledge.
Defining Strengths
1. Creativity—thinking of novel and productive ways to do things
2. Curiosity—taking an interest in all ongoing experience
3. Open-mindedness—thinking things through and from all sides
4. Love of learning—mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge
5. Perspective—being able to provide wise counsel to others
II. Courage—emotional strengths that involve exercise of will in the
face of opposition, external or internal.
Defining Strengths
6. Authenticity—speaking the truth and presenting yourself in a
genuine way
7. Bravery—not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain
8. Persistence—finishing what one starts despite obstacles along the
way
9. Zest—approaching life with excitement and energy
III. Humanity—interpersonal strengths that involve “tending and
befriending” others.

Defining Strengths

10. Kindness—doing favors and good deeds for others

11. Love—valuing close relations with others

12. Social intelligence—being aware of the motives and feelings of

self and others
IV. Justice—civic strengths that underlie healthy community life.

Defining Strengths

13. Fairness—treating all people the same according to notions of fairness

and justice

14. Leadership—organizing group activities and seeing that they happen

15. Teamwork—working well as member of a group or team

V. Temperance—strengths that protect against excess.

Defining Strengths

16. Forgiveness—forgiving those who have done wrong

17. Modesty—letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves

18. Prudence—being careful about one’s choices; not saying or doing things
that might be later regretted

19. Self-regulation—regulating what one feels and does

VI. Transcendence—strengths that forge connections to the larger universe
and providing meaning.
Defining Strengths
20. Appreciation of beauty and excellence—noticing and appreciating beauty,
excellence, and/or skilled performance
in all domains of life
21. Gratitude—being aware of and thankful for good things that happen
22. Hope—expecting the best and working to achieve it
23. Humor—liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people
24. Religiousness/Spirituality—having coherent beliefs about the higher
purposes and meaning of life
SIGNATURE STRENGTHS
Every human being possesses each of the 24 character strengths.
However, some strengths are more dominant than the others. These
are called signature strengths. Positive Psychologists emphasize the
development and use of one’s signature strengths. These are
character strengths that an individual possesses, recognizes and uses
frequently in various aspects of their life. Signature strengths are
those that represent ‘the real you’, they bring with them a sense of
authenticity. There are three key features that can help us recognize
our signature strengths (Niemiec, 2018):
• Essential - our signature strengths feel like an integral part of who
we are. These strengths represent our positive traits. Others may use
these to describe us.
• Effortless - using our strengths feels natural and easy. Doing an
activity that feels effortless and experiencing a sense of flow in the
process indicates that we are using our strength.
• Energizing - expressing signature strengths is invigorating and
intrinsically motivating. You feel energized doing activities that put
these strengths to use, and you look forward to engaging in such
activities again.
OTHER CLASSIFICATION OF STRENGTH
• Clifton Strengthsfinder

Donald Clifton and Edward Anderson from the Gallup Corporation (Clifton
& Anderson, 2001–02) developed another popular method of
conceptualizing strengths known as Clifton’s StrengthsFinder or Gallup’s
StrengthsFinder. They defined a strength as the ability to provide
consistent, near perfect performance in a given activity (Hodges &
Clifton, 2004). According to them, a strength is a combination of talent,
knowledge and skill.
Strength = Talent + Knowledge and Skill
This definition too highlights the instinctual aspect of strengths in that it
comprises a natural talent.

A talent represents a capacity to do something.Therefore, your achievements and

successes are directly related to your talents. Knowledge comprises facts and
lessons learnt.

Skill refers to the specific steps required to perform a particular activity. A talent
when polished, honed and built upon by acquiring the necessary competence and
expertise becomes a strength.

Thus, for a talent to become a strength one needs to invest time and energy in it,
practice and develop it. Talent, knowledge and skills are all important for
building a strength.Clifton StrengthsFinder identifies 34 strengths or talents
mainly in the work setting whereas the VIA classification identifies universal
strengths that are applicable across life domains.
The Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets
The Search Institute’s Developmental Assets (Benson et al., 1998) framework
focuses on children - what makes children healthy, resilient and flourish?
Developmental Assets are the relationships, opportunities, and character
strengths that are strongly related to children and youths’ well-being (Scales,
Roehlkepartain, & Shramko, 2017).
There are certain external resources in our environment that support and
promote psychological growth, resilience and thriving in children. For example,
family support, adult role models, positive peer influences, safe
neighbourhoods, etc.
There are also internal resources specific to every child that nurture healthy
psychological development, e.g., high self-esteem, values such as honesty and
integrity, social and interpersonal capabilities, etc.
Higher levels of these developmental assets have been linked to several
positive outcomes in both males and females, across racial/ethnic
backgrounds, and socio-cultural contexts. These include better grades in
school, positive emotions, greater engagement in community activities,
better health, ability to delay gratification, and decreased engagement in
risky behaviours like violence and alcohol/drug use (Scales,
Roehlkepartain & Shramko, 2017; Roehlkepartain, 2015).

https://www.scribd.com/doc/311396795/40-developmental-assets-searc
h-institute
WISDOM AS A FOUNDATIONAL VIRTUE
Sternberg identified six groupings of attributes that characterize a wise person:

1. Reasoning ability: Uncommon ability to look at a problem and solve it through good logical
reasoning ability, by applying knowledge to particular problems, by integrating information and
theories in new ways, and by possessing a huge store of knowledge.
2. Sagacity: A keen understanding of human nature, thoughtfulness, fairness, good listening abilities,
knowledge of self, and placing value on the advice and knowledge of others.
3.Learning from ideas and the environment: Places value on ideas, is perceptive, and learns from
others’ mistakes.
4.Judgment: Has good, sensible judgment at all times, takes a long-term rather than a short-term view,
and thinks before acting and speaking.
5. Expeditious use of information: Learns and retains information from experience (both mistakes and
successes), willingness to change one’s mind based on new experience.
6. Perspicacity: Demonstrates perceptiveness, intuition, ability to see through things, read between
the lines; and discern the truth and the right thing to do.
Baltes (1993) identified seven properties describing the nature of wisdom (taken from Baltes
&Staudinger, 2000)
1. “Wisdom addresses important and difficult questions and strategies about the conduct and meaning
of life.”
2. “Wisdom includes knowledge about the limits of knowledge and the uncertainties of the world.”
3. “Wisdom represents a truly superior level of knowledge, judgment, and advice.”
4. “Wisdom constitutes knowledge with extraordinary scope, depth, measure, and balance.”
5. “Wisdom involves a perfect synergy of mind and character, that is, an orchestration of knowledge and
virtues.”
6. “Wisdom represents knowledge used for the good or well-being of oneself and that of others.”
7. “Wisdom is easily recognized when manifested, although difficult to achieve and specify.”
Balance theory of Wisdom
According to Sternberg’s balance theory, wise people are skillful in
balancing three interests and three possible courses of action in
arriving at solutions to life problems. The three interests are (a) one’s
own interests and needs (intrapersonal); (b) the interests and needs
of important others like a spouse, friend, or employer (interpersonal);
and(c) those related to community, country, environment, or religion
(extrapersonal).
Balancing these multiple interests to achieve a common good requires
consideration of three courses of action concerning whether and how
much individuals need to (a) change themselves (adaptation); (b)
change their environment, including others; or (c) select a new
environment altogether.
WISDOM AS EXPERT KNOWLEDGE IN THE CONDUCT
OF LIFE
Baltes and his colleagues at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin,
Germany, have developed a set of specific criteria for defining and
measuring wisdom that provides the basis for an ongoing program of
empirical studies. In their Berlin wisdom model,wisdom is defined as
expert knowledge concerning the “fundamental pragmatics of life”
(Baltes, 1997;Baltes & Smith, 1990, Baltes & Staudinger, 2000).
“. . . knowledge and judgment about the essence of the human
condition and the ways and means of planning, managing, and
understanding a good life”(Baltes & Staudinger, 2000, p. 124).
1. Factual knowledge: Extensive knowledge of the pragmatics of life.
Knowing the “whats” of the human condition and human nature
(e.g.,differences among people, social relationships,society, social norms,
etc).
2. Procedural knowledge: Knowing “how.”Strategies and approaches for
solving life’s problems, achieving goals, dealing with conflict, etc.
3. Lifespan contextualism: Knowledge of different life settings and social
environments (e.g.,work, education, family, leisure, and friends),and how
these roles and settings change over time, both for individuals and for
society.
4. Relativism of values: Awareness of individual cultural differences in
values and life priorities. Wise people are committed to the common
good, so this does not mean “anything goes.”Relativism means
consideration and sensitivity to value differences among people from
different backgrounds.
5. Awareness and management of uncertainty:Recognizing the limits
of knowledge. The future cannot be fully known ahead of time. An
understanding of how to cope effectively with the uncertainty of
knowledge about the world.
★ Does Wisdom Increase with Age?
★ Are “Experts” Wiser than Non-Experts?
★ Are Wise People Happier?
Wisdom in Action: The (SOC) Model of Effective Life
Management
Recent work has shifted to include a more specific model of action that
describes how theoretical wisdom about what matters in life may direct
practical wisdom concerning how to live a life that matters. Practical wisdom is
described by their SOC Model of Effective Life Management (SOC refers to
“select, optimize, and compensate”).
Focus on Theory: Wisdom or Self-Control as Master Virtues?
TRANSCENDENCE: RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY
Meanings of Life, Roy Baumeister (1991) describes four needs that
underlie the pursuit of meaning: purpose, value, self-efficacy, and
self-worth. These four needs help explain the basis for people’s
motivation to find meaning in life, but they do not specify the
specific sources of need satisfaction.
● The need for purpose refers to a desire for direction in life.
Organizing life around the pursuit of personally significant goals
and ideal end states are major ways people fulfill their need for
purpose. Working on, making progress toward, and achieving
important goals and ideals are important sources of meaning.
● A second need is for value. The need for value is fulfilled by
finding justifications for actions that affirm the positive value of
one’s life. People want to believe their actions are “right” or “good”
as judged by a system of values.
● A third need is for a sense of self-efficacy.People need to feel
that they have control over the things that happen to them so that
life does not seem chaotic, capricious, and beyond their control.An
important form of control, particularly relevant to religion and
spirituality, is interpretive control.
● Self-worth is the fourth basis for meaning. Self-worth
reflects people’s need for positive self- evaluation and self-esteem.
Unlike values, which are tied primarily to morality, a sense of
self-worth may be based on a variety of non-moral qualities and
activities. Talents, accomplishments, recognition and admiration
from others, and favorable social comparisons (i.e., doing better
than others) may all contribute to a sense of self-worth.
Pargament attempts to combine substance and function in his definition of
religion and spirituality.

He defines religion as “a search for significance in ways related to the sacred”

(1997, p. 32), and spirituality as a “search for the sacred” (1997, p. 39).“Search”
incorporates a functional view of religion and spirituality as a means to
address life’s most important questions. “Sacred” identifies the special
substance of this search that distinguishes religion and spirituality from other
life domains.
RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY AND WELLBEING
● HEALTH PRACTICES
● SOCIAL SUPPORT
● PSYCHOSOCIAL RESOURCES AND MEANING
● Religious Orientation
● INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION
Attachment Theory and Relationship to God
Secure Attachment. “God is generally warm and

responsive to me. He always seems to know when

to be supportive and protective of me, and when to

let me make my own mistakes. My relationship with

God is always comfortable, and I am very happy

and satisfied with it” (Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1992,

p. 270).
● Avoidant Attachment. “God is generally impersonal, distant, and
often seems to have little or no interest in my personal affairs and
problems. I frequently have the feeling that He doesn’t care very
much about me, or that He might not like me” (Kirkpatrick &
Shaver, 1992, p. 270).
● Anxious/Ambivalent Attachment. “God seems to be inconsistent
in His reactions to me. He sometimes seems warm and responsive
to my needs, but sometimes not. I’m sure that He loves me and
cares about me, but sometimes He seems to show it in ways I
don’t really understand” (Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1992, p. 270)
Styles of Religious Coping
● Self-Directing Style. In this approach, people rely on themselves
rather than God to solve their problems.People maintain their
church affiliation, but score low on measures of religiousness.The
self-directing style was associated with a heightened sense of
personal control in life, higher self esteem, and a religious quest
orientation
● Deferring Style. The deferring style refers to people who put their
problems and responsibility for solutions in God’s hands. “Rather
than trying to come up with the right solution to a problem myself, I
let God decide how to deal with it.lowest levels of personal
competence,self-esteem, and effective problem-solving. The strong
reliance on an external source of coping may contribute to feelings
of helplessness and passivity.
Collaborative Style. In this style, God and the individual are active
partners in the problem-solving process. “When it comes to deciding how
to solve a problem, God and I work together as partners.”A collaborative
style was associated with a strong intrinsic religious orientation and
commitment to religious beliefs and practice. The collaborative
approach to problem solving showed positive correlations with personal
control, competency, and self-esteem.