Strengths of Character and Well-Being

Park, Nansook; Peterson, Christopher; Seligman, Martin E. P.

doi:10.1521/jscp.23.5.603.50748

Cited by 1,329 publications

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“…First correlations between self-reports of character strengths and life satisfaction were computed. This was aimed at replicating prior findings; the strengths of zest, hope, love, gratitude and curiosity were expected to demonstrate the numerically highest correlation coefficients with life satisfaction and the three orientations to happiness (e.g., Park et al, 2004b;Peterson et al, 2007). Second, the relationship of peer-rated character strengths with life satisfaction and the three orientations to happiness were tested.…”

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confidence: 84%

“…Thus, character strengths and life satisfaction might share some unwanted variance and artificially inflate the correlation coefficients. When Park et al (2004b) correlated rank ordered strengths and satisfaction with life, the highest correlating strengths (i.e., hope) yielded coefficients of an absolute size between .31 and .45; i.e., they were approximately 15% lower on average.Likewise, some of the strengths, such as modesty, creativity and appreciation of beauty, typically yielded low coefficients of around .10. Nevertheless, it seems to be widely accepted that the direct contribution of strengths to life satisfaction differs from strength to strength (see Peterson 6 et al, 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

“…For example, using rank ordered strengths instead of raw scores, or testing for correlations of the VIA-IS with social desirability scales (e.g., Park et al, 2004b;. While these strategies can be useful for addressing some of the problems, also suggested for the inclusion of peer ratings when working in this area.…”

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Self- and peer-rated character strengths: How do they relate to satisfaction with life and orientations to happiness?

Buschor¹,

Proyer²,

Ruch³

2013

The Journal of Positive Psychology

112

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This paper addresses the question as to whether previously reported findings on a positive relation between character strengths, satisfaction with life, and orientations to happiness (OTH) can be replicated for peer ratings of character strengths. A sample of 334 Swiss adults completed questionnaires and collected informant ratings by 634 peers. Selfand peer ratings converged well and suggest that, primarily: the strengths of hope, zest, and curiosity -but also gratitude and love -play key roles in the interplay of strengths and satisfaction with life. Peer ratings of strengths also related positively with the endorsement of a pleasurable, engaged, and meaningful life. Further analyses show that the OTH predict satisfaction with life beyond self-and peer-rated character strengths. There, the engaged life (i.e. endorsement of flow) was most relevant. This study supports earlier findings that argue for an important role of character strengths when describing the well-being of a person. AbstractThis paper addresses the question as to whether previously reported findings on a positive relation between character strengths, satisfaction with life and orientations to happiness can be replicated for peer-ratings of character strengths. A sample of 334 Swiss adults completed questionnaires and collected informant ratings by 634 peers. Self-and peer ratings converged well and suggest that, primarily: the strengths of hope, zest, and curiosity-but also gratitude and love-play key roles in the interplay of strengths and satisfaction with life. Peer-ratings of strengths also related positively with the endorsement of a pleasurable, engaged, and meaningful life. Further analyses show that the orientations to happiness predict satisfaction with life beyond self-and peer rated character strengths. There, the engaged life (i.e., endorsement of flow) was most relevant. This study supports earlier findings that argue for an important role of character strengths when describing the well-being of a person.Keywords: character strengths, life satisfaction, self and peer-ratings, VIA, well-being 4 Self-and peer-rated character strengths: How do they relate to satisfaction with life and orientations to happiness?The question of how individuals can achieve enduring happiness has been an important topic of discussion from the time of ancient philosophers to today's empirical researchers of various disciplines. Various aspects of well-being such as life satisfaction have been studied in relation to demographics, health issues, social contact, activity, personality and many other variables. Recently, the idea that traits valued as morally positive (strengths of character) are robustly related to satisfaction with life has gained considerable attention in the literature and encourages further research along these lines.Character strengths and life satisfaction. Virtues and character have become important topics of research in positive psychology (Dahlsgaard, Peterson, & Seligman, 2005). One influential contribution to this area is...

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confidence: 84%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Self- and peer-rated character strengths: How do they relate to satisfaction with life and orientations to happiness?

Buschor¹,

Proyer²,

Ruch³

2013

The Journal of Positive Psychology

112

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“…This classification provides a starting point for a comparative psychology of character (Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2004). …”

Section: Strengths Of Character Orientations To Happiness and Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

Strengths of character, orientations to happiness, and life satisfaction

Peterson

Ruch

Beermann

et al. 2007

The Journal of Positive Psychology

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Why are certain character strengths more associated with life satisfaction than others? A sample of U.S. adults (N = 12,439) completed on-line surveys in English measuring character strengths, orientations to happiness (engagement, pleasure, and meaning), and life satisfaction, and a sample of Swiss adults (N = 445) completed paper-and-pencil versions of the same surveys in German. In both samples, the character strengths most highly linked to life satisfaction included love, hope, curiosity, and zest. Gratitude was among the most robust predictors of life satisfaction in the U.S. sample, whereas perseverance was among the most robust predictors in the Swiss sample. In both samples, the strengths of character most associated with life satisfaction were associated with orientations to pleasure, to engagement, and to meaning, implying that the most fulfilling character strengths are those that make possible a full life.This manuscript was published as:

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