Character Strengths and Virtues 

are regarded as the backbone of the science of positive

psychology and remains one of the most substantive efforts generated by the field. In turn, it
draws interest from a wide range of professions and disciplines – education, management,
consulting, psychology, coaching, and many others.

Character Strengths and Virtues are descriptive, not prescriptive. The emphasis is on classifying
psychological ingredients of goodness in human beings across cultures, nations, and beliefs,
rather than prescribing what humans “should” do to be good or improve themselves.

Dr. Peterson and Dr. Martin Seligman explained about six virtues and twenty four character
strengths.

There are 6 classes of virtues that are made up of 24 character strengths:

1. Wisdom and Knowledge

2. Courage

3. Humanity

4. Justice

5. Temperance

6. Transcendence

1. Virtue of Wisdom and Knowledge

The more curious and creative we allow ourselves to become, the more we gain perspective and
wisdom and will, in turn, love what we are learning. This is developing the virtue of wisdom and
knowledge.

Strengths that accompany this virtue involve acquiring and using knowledge:

 Creativity (e.g. Albert Einstein’s creativity led him to acquire knowledge and wisdom
about the universe)

 Curiosity
  Open-mindedness

 Love of Learning

 Perspective and Wisdom 

2. Virtue of Courage

The braver and more persistent we become, the more our integrity will increase because we will
reach a state of feeling vital, and this results in being more courageous in character.

Strengths that accompany this virtue involve accomplishing goals in the face of things that
oppose it:

 Bravery

 Persistence

 Integrity

 Vitality

3) Virtue of humanity

Strengths that accompany this virtue include caring and befriending others:

 Love

 Kindness

 Social intelligence

4) Virtue of justice

Strengths that accompany this virtue include those that build a healthy and stable community:

 Being an active citizen who is socially responsible, loyal, and a team member.

 Fairness

 Leadership
E.g. Mahatma Gandhi led India to independence and helped created movements for civil rights
and freedom by being an active citizen in nonviolent disobedience. His work has been applied
worldwide for its universality.

5. Virtue of Temperance

Being forgiving, merciful, humble, prudent, and in control of our behaviors and instincts
prevents us from being arrogant, selfish, or any other trait that is excessive or unbalanced.

Strengths that are included in this virtue are those that protect against excess:

 Forgiveness and mercy

 Humility and modesty

 Prudence

 Self-Regulation and Self-control

6. Virtue of Transcendence

The Dalai Lama is a transcendent being who speaks openly why he never loses hope in
humanity’s potential. He also appreciates nature in its perfection and lives according to what he
believes is his intended purpose.

Strengths that accompany this virtue include those that forge connections to the larger universe
and provide meaning:

 Appreciation of beauty and excellence

 Gratitude

 Hope

 Humor and playfulness

 Spirituality, or a sense of purpose

 Character strengths aren’t about ignoring the negative. Instead, they help us overcome
life’s inevitable adversities. For example, you can’t be brave without first feeling fear;
you can’t show perseverance without first wanting to quit; you can’t show self-control
without first being tempted to do something you know you shouldn’t.

 What is Character?

 Character is more than simply individual achievement. It’s the intersection of our

thoughts, our feelings, and our behaviors. Character is the aggregate of who we are; it’s
“what’s inside every one of us.”
 Character is not fixed; it can be grown. This is very similar to Dr. Carol Dweck’s growth
mindset. Dweck’s theory explains that some people think their abilities are fixed and that
any failure is a confirmation of their limits. While other people believe that they can grow
their abilities and that failure is just a stepping stone to improvement.
 Well, character works the same way. And, there is no endpoint to developing your
character. It’s a lifelong endeavor for every single one of us.
 Difference Between Character
Strengths and Values 
 Are character strengths the same as values? Not necessarily. As Dr. Peterson explains
in A Primer in Positive Psychology, “Values are beliefs held by individuals and shared by
groups about desirable ends…they guide how we select actions and evaluate others and
ourselves; and they are ordered by their relative importance.” Individuals can use their
character strengths to move towards their specific values.
 For example, the core values of the United States Military Academy at West Point are
Duty, Honor, Country. Cadets will use their individual character strengths — such as
perseverance, teamwork, and self-control — to move towards those values. As General
MacArthur explained to cadets in 1962, “Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed
words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They
are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when
there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.”

What Is Positive Psychology?

 Positive psychology is a rigorous academic field that encompasses character strengths,
positive relationships, positive experiences, and positive institutions. It is the scientific
study of what makes life most worth living – and maintains that what is good in life is as
genuine as what is bad.
 Although positive psychology focuses on what goes right in life, it doesn’t ignore what
goes wrong. As Drs. Peterson and Seligman wrote in Character Strengths and Virtues,
“There is a temptation to regard positive psychology as focusing on the stress-free
individual, but this is a mistake… In accentuating the positive, we cannot ignore the
negative. Conditions of adversity, whether external or internal, must be part of what we
address in discussing character strengths.”