James Fitzgerald Therapy PLLC

The Classification & Handbook

In positive psychology, character strengths are positive traits that are expressed through a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and are universally recognized for the strength that they create in individuals and communities. These traits, which include qualities such as kindness, bravery, and perseverance, play a crucial role in shaping how individuals interact with the world around them and contribute to their overall well-being. Moreover, understanding and cultivating these strengths can lead to enhanced personal growth and foster stronger relationships. Virtues, on the other hand, are broader categories representing moral excellence that encompass multiple character strengths. They serve as guiding principles for individuals, helping them navigate ethical dilemmas and make choices that align with their core values, thus ultimately promoting a more fulfilling and meaningful life. The interplay between character strengths and virtues is essential, as a solid foundation of virtues can help individuals harness their unique strengths, leading to a more profound impact on both personal and community levels.

“Character Strengths and Virtues” (CSV) is a foundational text in positive psychology, authored by psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin E. P. Seligman and published in 2004. It serves as a comprehensive handbook aimed at categorizing, defining, and promoting universally valued human strengths, virtues, and positive character traits, analogous to how the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) categorizes psychological disorders. The main objective of this seminal work is to establish a positive psychological framework that focuses on human flourishing, happiness, and the optimal functioning of individuals and communities, rather than solely on mental illnesses and dysfunctions.

The book identifies six broad classes of virtues, which it argues are universally recognized across diverse cultures and historical periods. These virtues are wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Within these six virtues, Peterson and Seligman delineate 24 distinct character strengths. Each strength represents specific positive personality traits and abilities that contribute to the larger virtue, such as creativity, bravery, kindness, fairness, humility, gratitude, and hope. The text provides a detailed explanation and analysis of each virtue and character strength, highlighting their manifestations, development, and implications in daily life.

Peterson and Seligman emphasize that the identification and cultivation of these character strengths and virtues are essential to individual well-being, relationship satisfaction, professional success, and societal harmony. They argue that these virtues and strengths are measurable, teachable, and capable of significant enhancement through intentional practice and education. The authors also propose methods for individuals and practitioners, such as therapists, counselors, educators, and coaches, to assess and enhance strengths through various interventions and exercises, aiming to increase resilience, life satisfaction, and overall psychological health.

Furthermore, the book highlights the significance of applying a strengths-based approach across multiple contexts, including education, therapy, workplaces, and community programs. This shift toward positive psychology represents a proactive movement in psychological theory and practice, encouraging professionals and individuals to focus not just on fixing weaknesses or deficits, but on identifying and maximizing strengths and capacities. This paradigm has widely influenced subsequent research and practice in psychology, education, leadership, counseling, and coaching, significantly shaping how character development and personal growth are understood and promoted.

In summary, “Character Strengths and Virtues” is widely recognized as a fundamental text that has reshaped psychological thinking from a predominantly deficit-oriented model to a balanced approach that recognizes human strengths and potentials. It has provided the conceptual foundation for extensive subsequent research and practical applications designed to enhance individual and collective well-being, resilience, and fulfillment.

Here’s a breakdown of the relationship between virtues and character strengths according to the VIA classification: 

1. Wisdom and Knowledge: 

• Focus: Strengths related to acquiring and using knowledge. 
• Character Strengths: Creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, perspective. 

2. Courage: 

• Focus: Emotional strengths involved in accomplishing goals despite opposition (internal or external). 
• Character Strengths: Bravery, persistence, integrity, vitality. 

3. Humanity: 

• Focus: Interpersonal strengths related to caring and befriending others. 
• Character Strengths: Love, kindness, social intelligence. 

4. Justice: 

• Focus: Civic strengths that underlie healthy community life. 
• Character Strengths: Teamwork, fairness, leadership. 

5. Temperance: 

• Focus: Strengths that help avoid overindulgence. 
• Character Strengths: Forgiveness, humility, prudence, and self-regulation are examples of character strengths within temperance. 

6. Transcendence: 

• Focus: Strengths that connect individuals to the larger world and its meaning. 
• Character Strengths: Appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor, and spirituality fall under the umbrella of transcendence. 

In summary, virtues represent broad positive traits, and character strengths are the specific ways these virtues manifest. Cultivating our character strengths can lead to a more fulfilling life aligned with core virtues.

References:

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. Oxford University Press.