Virtue and Positive Psychology

THE relatively new field of “positive psychology”, pioneered by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman in the early twenty-first century seeks to shift from a primary focus on psychopathology to the question of human flourishing:

[...] human goodness and excellence are as authentic as disease, disorder, and distress and therefore deserve equal attention from psychologists and human service providers.

(Peterson & Park, 2003 “Positive psychology as the evenhanded positive psychologist views it.” Psychological Inquiry, 14, 141-146)

One aspect of this approach, the Values in Action Project, explores six core virtues that are based on the seven cardinal - that is four classical and three theological - virtues. These six core virtues are considered to be expressed in twenty-four character strengths that are each assigned to one of the six core virtues. Peterson and Seligman admit that the assignment of strengths to particular core virtues is not fixed and may be modified in time.

In practice it is the twenty-four character strengths and not the core virtues that are measured in psychometric questionnaires. The full Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS; Peterson & Seligman, 2004) consists of 240 questions and may be taken at authentichappiness.com (Penn State). A shorter form, the VIA-120 is available at the Values in Action website - viacharacter.org. The instruments employed at both websites provide the subject with their unique ranking of the twenty-four character strengths. At the latter site progressively higher fees are charged for increasingly detailed analysis of results.

Therapeutic approaches include recognizing, reinforcing and strengthening highest-ranked strengths. A slow and hesitant beginning has been made in recognizing the existence of vices that impede strengths.

“CORE VIRTUE” Peterson, Seligman	REPRESENTATIVE	CHARACTER STRENGTH
WISDOM	cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge	creativity,curiosity,judgment (open-mindedness), love of learning, perspective
COURAGE	emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition, external or internal	bravery, perseverance (persistence), honesty, (integrity), zest (vitality)
HUMANITY	interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others	lovekindness,s ocial intelligence
JUSTICE	civic strengths that underlie healthy community life	teamwork (citizenship), fairness, leadership
TEMPERANCE	strengths that protect against excess	forgiveness (& mercy), humility (& modesty), prudence, self-regulation
TRANSCENDENCE		appreciation of beauty and excellence spirituality gratitude hope humor

“CORE VIRTUE” Peterson, Seligman	DESCRIPTION	CHARACTER STRENGTH
1. WISDOM [and knowledge]	cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge	creativity
		curiosity
		judgment (open-mindedness)
		love of learning,
		perspective

2. COURAGE	emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition, external or internal	bravery,
		perseverance (persistence)
		honesty, (Integrity)
		zest (vitality)

3. HUMANITY	interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others	love
		kindness
		social intelligence

4. JUSTICE	civic strengths that underlie healthy community life	teamwork (citizenship)
		fairness
		leadership

5. TEMPERANCE	strengths that protect against excess	forgiveness, (& mercy)
		humility (& modesty)
		prudence
		self-regulation

6. TRANSCENDENCE	strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning	appreciation of beauty and excellence
		spirituality
		gratitude
		hope
		humor

“CORE VIRTUE” Peterson, Seligman	CHARACTER STRENGTH	DESCRIPTION

WISDOM	creativity [originality, ingenuity]:	Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things; includes artistic achievement but is not limited to it
	curiosity [interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience]	Taking an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering
	open-mindedness [judgment, critical thinking]	Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions; being able to change one’s mind in light of evidence; weighing all evidence fairly
	love of learning	Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one’s own or formally; obviously related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows
	perspective [wisdom]	Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to other people

COURAGE	bravery, [valor]	Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what is right even if there is opposition; acting on convictions even if unpopular; includes physical bravery but is not limited to it
	persistence [perseverance, industriousness]	Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of obstacles; “getting it out the door”; taking pleasure in completing tasks
	Integrity [authenticity, honesty]	Speaking the truth but more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way and acting in a sincere way; being without pretense; taking responsibility for one’s feelings and actions
	vitality [zest, enthusiasm, energy, vigor]	Approaching life with excitement and energy; not doing things halfway or halfheartedly; living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated

HUMANITY	love	Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated; being close to people
	kindness [generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, “niceness”]	Doing favors and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them
	social intelligence [emotional intelligence, personal intelligence]:	Being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and oneself; knowing what to do to fit into different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick

JUSTICE	citizenship [social responsibility, loyalty, teamwork]	Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group; doing one’s share
	fairness	Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chance
	leadership	Encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same maintain time good relations within the group; organizing group activities and seeing that they happen

TEMPERANCE	forgiveness & mercy	Forgiving those who have done wrong; accepting the shortcomings of others; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful
	humility / modesty	Letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves; not seeking the spotlight; not regarding oneself as more special than one is
	prudence	Being careful about one’s choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted
	self-regulation [self-control]	Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one’s appetites and emotions

TRANSCENDENCE	appreciation of beauty and excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]:	Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience
	gratitude	Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks
	hope [optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation]	Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it; believing that a good future is something that can be brought about
	humor [playfulness]:	Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokes
	spirituality [religiousness, faith, purpose]	Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape conduct and provide comfort

Positive Psychology
six core virtues: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence, each with several sub-virtues or character strengths. Examples of character strengths include, in order: love of learning, bravery, kindness, fairness, self-control, and spirituality.

authentichappiness.com for VIA online strengths diagnosis questionnaire (registration required)

Character Strengths and Virtues: (pdf in /Books1) Peterson, Christopher; Seligman, Martin E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 185. ISBN 0-19-516701-5

	Strength	Opposite	Absence	Excess
Wisdom and Knowledge	creativity curiousity judgment love of learning perspective	triteness boredom gullibility orthodoxy foolishness	conformity disinterest uneffectiveness complacency shallowness	eccentricity nosiness cynicism "know-it-all"-ism ivory tower
Courage	bravery persistence authenticity vitality	cowardice helplessness deceit lifelessness	fright laziness phoniness restraint	foolhardiness obsessiveness righteousness hyperactivity
Love	intimacy kindness social intelligence	loneliness cruelty self-deception	isolation/autism indifference obtuseness	emotional promiscuity intrusiveness psychobabbling
Justice	citizenship fairness leadership	narcissism prejudice sabotage	selfishness partisanship compliance	chauvinism detachment despotism
Temperence	forgiveness humility prudence self-regulation	vengefulness arrogance recklessness impulsivity	mercilessness footless self-esteem sensation-seeking self-indulgence	permissiveness self-deprecation prudishness inhibition
Transcendence	awe gratitude hope humor spirituality	criticism entitlement despair dourness alienation	oblivion rudeness present orientation humorlessness anomie	snobbery ingratiation Pollyannaism buffoonery fanaticism

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CLASSICAL (cardinal) VIRTUES Plato/Aristotle/St.Paul/Aquinas	“VALUES in ACTION CORE VIRTUES” Peterson, Seligman
PRUDENCE (φρόνησις, phronēsis)	WISDOM
TEMPERANCE (σωφροσύνη, sōphrosynē)	TEMPERANCE
FORTITUDE (ἀνδρεία, andreia)	COURAGE
JUSTICE (δικαιοσύνη, dikaiosynē)	JUSTICE
FAITH (πίστις , pistis: lat. fides)	TRANSCENDENCE
HOPE (ἐλπίς, elpis: lat. spes)
CHARITY (ἀγάπη , agapē: lat. caritas)	HUMANITY