CFLM2-CHARACTER FORMATION 2

CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTER FORMATION

Objectives: 1. Distinguish what is character.

2. Identify the character formation.

What is Character?

Character is what motivates a person’s thoughts and actions. It is the inner self made
up of personality traits. It is also taught. Students learn character development through
example and education. We want to grow teens with strong character that will help them build
a successful future.

Good character includes certain characteristics:

A strong sense of morality
Integrity
Honesty
Responsibility
Willingness to stand up for others

Character manifests itself in conduct. Conduct is not the same as character, but it
reveals character. Teens with strong character are better able to avoid risk behaviors, and their
internal compass helps them navigate away from things that might harm them or others.

On its face, “character” is a morally neutral term. Every person, from iconic scoundrels
like Hitler and saints like Mother Teresa, have a character. We use the term character to
describe a person’s most prominent attributes, it is the sum total of
the features and traits that form an individual’s nature.

A person with “good character” when to say a person has a good character or even to
admire a person’s character does not require that they are perfect but it does mean we think
this is a good person worthy of trust and admiration.

So when we say someone has good character we are expressing the opinion that his or
her nature is defined by worthy traits like integrity, courage, and compassion. People of good
character are guided by ethical principles even when it’s physically dangerous or detrimental to
their careers, social standing, or economic well-being. They do the right thing even when it
costs more than they want to pay.

No one is born with good character; it’s not a hereditary trait. And it isn’t determined by
a single noble act.

Character is established by conscientious adherence to moral values, not by lofty

rhetoric or good intentions. Another way of saying that is, character is ethics in action.

But what do we mean by ethics? All Josephson Institute programs,

including CHARACTER COUNTS! and Pursuing Victory With Honor, are based on the Six
Pillars of Character, values that transcend cultural, religious, and socioeconomic differences.
Those six values are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

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Anne Frank, the 13-year-old victim of Nazi persecution said in her diary, “The formation
of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” I have no doubt that she was right. Of course,
efforts by parents, teachers, and others to instill these values are very important. They can
have a great deal of influence on the values a child adopts, but we must never underestimate
the role of choice (and accountability for making that choice) in the formation of character.

Thus, character is both formed and revealed by how one deals with everyday situations
as well as extraordinary pressures and temptations. Like a well-made tower, character is built
stone by stone, decision by decision.

The way we treat people we think can’t help or hurt us — like housekeepers, waiters,
and secretaries — tells more about our character than how we treat people we think are
important. How we behave when we think no one is looking or when we don’t think we will get
caught more accurately portrays our character than what we say or do in service of our
reputations.

Difference between character and reputation.

Of course, our assessment of a person’s character is an opinion and it isn’t always

right. Abraham Lincoln recognized an important difference between character and reputation.
“Character,” he said “is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think
of it; the tree is the real thing.”

Because the shape of a shadow is determined by the angle of light and the perspective
of the observer, it’s not a perfect image of the tree. In the same way, reputation is not always
an accurate reflection of character. Oscar Wilde once said, Sincerity is one of the most
important qualities in a person. And once you can fake that you have it made.” This cynical
quip explains why some people are able to create a much better reputation than they deserve.
By the same token, there are others who deserve better reputations than they have.

Though reputation is merely a perception it still has very significant real impact.
Reputation is not only the result of what people think of us it often determines what people
who don’t know us think about us, treat us and whether we are held in high or low esteem.

A good reputation for integrity, for instance, is a primary determinant of credibility and
trust, two very marketable assets. Think of how the Tiger Woods “brand” crashed and his
endorsement value disappeared after it was discovered that he constantly cheated on his wife.
Similarly, the once highly respected accounting firm Arthur Anderson had to change its name
(to Accenture) to try to recapture trust after its involvement in the Enron scandal.

Whether fair or not, the indisputable truth is that people, companies and institutions
are likely to be judged by their last worst act. Thus, some unwisely became so preoccupied with
protecting their image that they actually made things worse, undermining their character and
destroying their reputations, by concealing or creating facts to make them look better.

The importance of character is captured in the mantra: “hire for character, train for skills.”

osephsononbusinessethics.com/2015/02/character-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important/

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Defining Character

There is no consensus on a definition of character. In fact there seems to be as many

definitions as there are scholars whose research and writing focus on character. In our
discussion of character, we focus on personality traits, values and virtues.

Traits

Traits are defined as habitual patterns of thought, behavior and emotion that are
considered to be relatively stable in individuals across situations and over time. Traits are not
fixed. For example, introverts may be able to learn how to behave in a less introverted way,
while extroverts may learn how to control and moderate their extroverted behaviors when
situations require it.

There are, literally, hundreds of personality traits from A (ambition) to Z (zealousness)

that have been described in the psychology literature. However, through statistical techniques
such as factor analysis, five broad domains, or dimensions, of personality have emerged, and
are now widely used in various forms in employee selection and assessment. The “Big-Five”
traits are:

• Conscientiousness
• Openness to experience
• Extroversion
• Agreeableness, and
• Neuroticism

These five traits feature prominently in tests or inventories and they have come to be
known as the FFM, or the five-factor model, a robust model of personality. Although the Big
Five dominate the personality literature, there are various other traits that
warrant consideration and measurement, such as self-confidence, ambition, perfectionism,
dominance, rigidity, persistence and impulsivity.

Some personality traits can be inherited. For example, studies have shown that
identical twins that have the same genes show more traits that are similar than non-identical
twins. Traits, of course, also evolve through life experiences and deliberate developmental
exercises such as coaching.

Values

Values are beliefs that people have about what is important or worthwhile to them.
Values influence behavior because people seek more of what they value. If they can get more
net value by behaving in certain ways, they will. Values therefore can be seen as the
guideposts for behavior. Some people value their autonomy very highly, some value social
interaction, some value the opportunity to be creative, some value work-life balance, and so
on. Values may change with life stages and according to the extent to which a particular value
has already been realized. For example, a new graduate strapped by student loans may value
a high starting salary. That same person 30 years later may well pass up a high-paying job for
one that paid less, but allowed him to live close to his grandchildren or somewhere with greater
access to recreational activities.

An individual’s values are in large part derived from the social environment in which he
or she lives. In Western democracies, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are some of the

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things we value. Other societies value order, harmony, non-violence and equality. If we are
brought up with strong religious traditions, some of us develop values based on the teachings
of those religions. Similarly, our value frameworks may be influenced by our home life,
fraternal societies we join, experiences obtaining an education, the companies we work for, our
friends, and many other social influences.

An important sub-set of values consists of those with ethical or social dimensions, such
as honesty, integrity, compassion, fairness, charity and social responsibility. Such moral
values may be strongly or weakly held and influence behavior accordingly.

Values may be espoused though they may not necessarily be manifested. For example,
it’s not unusual for people to experience value conflicts in certain situations. When loyalty
conflicts with honesty, when fairness conflicts with pragmatism, or when social responsibility
conflicts with obligation to shareholders, people become conflicted. And when their actions are
inconsistent with their values, they either experience guilt, anger and embarrassment. People
try to minimize such cognitive dissonance by rationalizing or even denying their behavior,
discounting the consequences of it or simply blaming others.

Virtues

From the time of the ancient Greeks, philosophers have defined certain clusters of
traits, values and behaviors as “good,” and referred to them as virtues. Virtues are like
behavioral habits – something that is exhibited fairly consistently. For example, Aristotle wrote
that: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Aristotle identified and defined twelve virtues: Courage, Temperance, Generosity,

Magnificence, Magnanimity, Right ambition, Good temper, Friendliness, Truthfulness, Wit, and
Justice. The twelfth virtue is Practical Wisdom, which is necessary to live the “good life” and
thus achieve happiness or well being.

Consider the virtue of Courage. Traits such as openness to experience, self-confidence

and persistence contribute to individuals acting in distinctive ways – for example, putting
themselves on the line and acting in a courageous fashion. Having values such as integrity,
treating individuals with respect and achievement predisposes individuals to demonstrate
courageous behavior. Furthermore, a person with integrity tends to act in a different way than
a person who lacks integrity, even if both individuals find themselves in the same situation.
Then there is a set of actual behaviors that individuals engage in – on a fairly consistent basis
(meaning across situations and over time) – and that friends, colleagues and observers
characterize or describe as courageous. These behaviors may have become societal
expectations.

https://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/developing-leadership-character/

Character Formation
Character formation is concerned with “being.” It helps a leader reflect greater Christ-
like characteristics in his personality and everyday actions. Character formation sustains
greater levels of influence. Character formation means developing greater intimacy with Christ
and experiencing more of his presence and power for ministry.

Four kinds of checks, or tests, help form character:

1. Integrity checks
Integrity checks test inner convictions against outward actions. Early in their
development, leaders face personal inconsistencies. Resolving them forces leaders to grow
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deeper in their walk with Christ.

2. Obedience checks
Obedience checks test a leader’s desire and willingness to respond to the truth God has
revealed. It is a call for action. These checks build greater character depth.

3. Spiritual authority
Spiritual authority is the source of true credibility in leadership. While there are other
legitimate means of authority, spiritual authority is foundational to accomplishing vision.
Spiritual authority is the direct result of God doing a greater work in the deeper areas of a
leader’s life.

4. Word checks
Word checks test a leader’s ability to hear from God through his Word and through
prayer, fellowship and divine intervention. Leaders must learn to hear from God, especially in
their personal growth and development. Effective leaders minister out of who they are in
Christ. As a leader grows in character, God grants a greater ability to lead (spiritual authority).
Followers recognize this growth in spiritual authority and grow in their capacity to trust and
follow a leader.
https://acts29-today.blogspot.com/2011/08/leadership-101-character-formation.html

The Six Pillars of Character

The Six Pillars of Character are the core ethical values of CHARACTER COUNTS! These
values were identified by a nonpartisan, secular group of youth development experts in 1992 as
core ethical values that transcend cultural, religious and socioeconomic differences.
The Six Pillars of Character are: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness,
caring, and citizenship. We recommend using the Pillars in your character education initiative
in this specific order and using the acronym “T.R.R.F.C.C.” (terrific).
Each of the Six Pillars of Character help instill a positive school climate and a culture of
kindness, making schools a safe environment for students to learn.

TRUSTWORTHINESS
Be honest in communications and actions.
Don’t deceive, cheat or steal.
Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do.
Have the courage to do the right thing.
Build a good reputation.
Be loyal — stand by your family, friends, and
country.
Keep your promises.

RESPECT
Treat others with respect and follow the Golden Rule.
Be tolerant and accepting of differences.
Use good manners, not bad language.
Be considerate of the feelings of others.
Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone.
Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements.

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RESPONSIBILITY
Do what you are supposed to do.
Plan ahead.
Be diligent.
Persevere.
Do your best.
Use self-control.
Be self-disciplined.
Think before you act.
Be accountable for your words, actions and attitudes.
Set a good example for others.
Choose a positive attitude.
Make healthy choices.

FAIRNESS
Play by the rules.
Take turns and share.
Be open-minded; listen to others.
Don’t take advantage of others.
Don’t blame others carelessly.
Treat all people fairly.

CARING
Be kind.
Be compassionate and show you care.
Show empathy.
Express gratitude.
Forgive others and show mercy.
Help people in need.
Be charitable and altruistic.

CITIZENSHIP
Do your share to make your home, school, community and greater world better.
Cooperate.
Get involved in community affairs.
Stay informed; vote.
Obey laws and rules.
Respect authority.
Protect the environment.
Volunteer.
https://charactercounts.org/character-counts-overview/six-pillars/

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