The relationships of character strengths with coping, work-related stress, and job satisfaction

Abstract

Personality traits have often been highlighted to relate to how people cope with stressful events. The present paper focuses on character strengths as positive personality traits and examines two basic assumptions that were derived from a core characteristic of character strengths (i.e., to determine how individuals deal with adversities): (1) character strengths correlate with coping and (2) buffer the effects of work-related stress on job satisfaction. Two different samples (i.e., a mixed sample representing various occupations [N = 214] and a nurses sample [N = 175]) filled in measures for character strengths, coping, work-related stress, and job satisfaction. As expected, intellectual, emotional, and interpersonal strengths were related to coping. Interpersonal strengths played a greater role for coping among nurses, as interactions with others are an essential part of their workday. Furthermore, intellectual strengths partially mediated the negative effect of work-related stress on job satisfaction. These findings open a new field for research on the role of personality in coping with work-related stress. Character strengths are trainable personal characteristics, and therefore valuable resources to improve coping with work-related stress and to decrease the negative effects of stress. Further research is needed to investigate this assumed causality.

Character strengths, social anxiety, and physiological stress reactivity

“…Individuals with high character strengths are likely to perceive less stress and demonstrate healthy psychophysiological responses (Duan et al, 2015; Harzer & Ruch, 2015; Li & Liu, 2016). HR, SBP, and DBP are believed to be highly physical stress tests in comparison with state anxiety, which is a mental stress test.…”

“…Furthermore, wisdom strength provides participants with coping strategies to present adaptive responses to stress. Another study identified intellectual, emotional, and interpersonal strengths as coping-related components in a work-stress area, and these strengths significantly mediate the negative effect of stress on job satisfaction (Harzer & Ruch, 2015). Papousek et al (2010) examined the influence of trait positive affect on cardiovascular stress responses and found that a high trait positive affect is associated with complete cardiovascular and subjective post-stress recovery.…”

Development of Cynicism in Medical Students: Exploring the Role of Signature Character Strengths and Well-Being

“…They are components of the good character, morally valued, trait-like and can be facilitated by rituals or institutions (Peterson and Seligman, 2004). Furthermore, they are considered essential, as they relate to stress coping behavior in health care professionals (Harzer and Ruch, 2015). Character strengths have positive associations with overall perceived health (Proyer et al, 2014) and a unique value in predicting physical health (Hanks et al, 2014).…”

A WeChat‐based “Three Good Things” positive psychotherapy for the improvement of job performance and self‐efficacy in nurses with burnout symptoms: A randomized controlled trial

“…Martin () reported that personal strengths and positive work environment are critical to promote people's job motivation, job contribution and job satisfaction. Through motivating people's inherent talents, strengths and increasing interaction with a positive environment, positive psychotherapy could help participants overcome adversities and become more engaged in work and life (Harzer & Ruch, ; Pang & Rush, ).…”