Paragons of character-Character strengths and well-being of moral, creative, and religious exemplars.
character strengths
exemplar methodology
morality
paragons
virtues
Journal
Journal of personality
ISSN: 1467-6494
Titre abrégé: J Pers
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 2985194R
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
21 Nov 2023
21 Nov 2023
Historique:
revised:
03
11
2023
received:
18
04
2023
accepted:
07
11
2023
medline:
22
11
2023
pubmed:
22
11
2023
entrez:
22
11
2023
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
Which traits best describe individuals who are recognized as exemplary in different domains? And can self-rated positively valued personality traits distinguish such individuals from the general population? The study of exemplary individuals' personality traits traditionally focused on general and broad traits. Using character strengths, which are narrower and designed to describe desirable behavior, could provide new insights. In this study, we examined 204 outstanding individuals-exemplars who received or were nominated for a public award recognizing their exemplary behavior (e.g., a Carnegie Rescuers Award; n = 119), individuals holding a patent (n = 62), and individuals living in a religious order (n = 23). We compared these exemplars to comparison samples matched based on demographic variables. All participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing character strengths and well-being (e.g., satisfaction with life). Results showed that the three groups of exemplars differed meaningfully in their character strengths and well-being from the matched comparison groups. Compared with matched counterparts, moral exemplars scored higher on the strengths related to the virtues of courage, humanity, and justice as well as the character strength of humility, creative exemplars scored higher on the character strengths of creativity and honesty, and religious exemplars scored higher on gratitude and spirituality. Overall, our findings suggest that character strengths are a useful framework for studying exemplary behavior.
Sections du résumé
OBJECTIVE
OBJECTIVE
Which traits best describe individuals who are recognized as exemplary in different domains? And can self-rated positively valued personality traits distinguish such individuals from the general population?
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
The study of exemplary individuals' personality traits traditionally focused on general and broad traits. Using character strengths, which are narrower and designed to describe desirable behavior, could provide new insights.
METHOD
METHODS
In this study, we examined 204 outstanding individuals-exemplars who received or were nominated for a public award recognizing their exemplary behavior (e.g., a Carnegie Rescuers Award; n = 119), individuals holding a patent (n = 62), and individuals living in a religious order (n = 23). We compared these exemplars to comparison samples matched based on demographic variables. All participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing character strengths and well-being (e.g., satisfaction with life).
RESULTS
RESULTS
Results showed that the three groups of exemplars differed meaningfully in their character strengths and well-being from the matched comparison groups. Compared with matched counterparts, moral exemplars scored higher on the strengths related to the virtues of courage, humanity, and justice as well as the character strength of humility, creative exemplars scored higher on the character strengths of creativity and honesty, and religious exemplars scored higher on gratitude and spirituality.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, our findings suggest that character strengths are a useful framework for studying exemplary behavior.
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Subventions
Organisme : Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
ID : 100014_172723
Informations de copyright
© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Références
Acar, S., Tadik, H., Myers, D., van der Sman, C., & Uysal, R. (2021). Creativity and well-being: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 55(3), 738-751. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.485
Baumann, D., Ruch, W., Margelisch, K., Gander, F., & Wagner, L. (2020). Character strengths and life satisfaction in later life: An analysis of different living conditions. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 15(2), 329-347. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-018-9689-x
Berthold, A., & Ruch, W. (2014). Satisfaction with life and character strengths of non-religious and religious people: It's practicing one's religion that makes the difference. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 876. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00876
Borsboom, D., Mellenbergh, G. J., & van Heerden, J. (2004). The concept of validity. Psychological Review, 111(4), 1061-1071. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.111.4.1061
Bronk, K. C. (2012). The exemplar methodology: An approach to studying the leading edge of development. Psychology of Well-Being: Theory, Research and Practice, 2(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/2211-1522-2-5
Bronk, K. C., King, P. E., & Matsuba, M. K. (2013). An introduction to exemplar research: A definition, rationale, and conceptual issues. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2013(142), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20045
Canty, A., & Ripley, B. (2022). boot: Bootstrap Functions (1.3-28.1). https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/boot/index.html
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. HarperCollins.
Dahlsgaard, K., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Shared virtue: The convergence of valued human strengths across culture and history. Review of General Psychology, 9(3), 203-213. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.3.203
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71-75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
Ebstyne King, P., Clardy, C. E., & Ramos, J. S. (2014). Adolescent spiritual exemplars: Exploring spirituality in the lives of diverse youth. Journal of Adolescent Research, 29(2), 186-212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558413502534
Eysenck, H. J. (1944). Types of personality: A factorial study of seven hundred neurotics. Journal of Mental Science, 90, 851-861. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.90.381.851
Feraco, T., Casali, N., & Meneghetti, C. (2022). Do strengths converge into virtues? An item-, virtue-, and scale-level analysis of the Italian values in action inventory of strengths-120. Journal of Personality Assessment, 104(3), 395-407. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2021.1934481
Fleeson, W., Furr, R. M., Jayawickreme, E., Luke, D., Prentice, M., Reynolds, C. J., & Parham, A. H. (2023). Consensus, controversy, and chaos in the attribution of characteristics to the morally exceptional. Journal of Personality. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12867
Fleeson, W., Miller, C., Furr, R. M., Knobel, A., & Jayawickreme, E. (2022). Moral, extreme, and positive: What are the key issues for the study of the morally exceptional? In A. W. Kruglanski, C. Kopetz, & E. Szumowska (Eds.), The psychology of extremism: A motivational perspective (pp. 230-258). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Franco, Z. E., Blau, K., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2011). Heroism: A conceptual analysis and differentiation between heroic action and altruism. Review of General Psychology, 15(2), 99-113. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022672
Frimer, J. A., Walker, L. J., Dunlop, W. L., Lee, B. H., & Riches, A. (2011). The integration of agency and communion in moral personality: Evidence of enlightened self-interest. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(1), 149-163. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023780
Funder, D. C., & Ozer, D. J. (2019). Evaluating effect size in psychological research: Sense and nonsense. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 2(2), 156-168. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515245919847202
Garssen, B., Visser, A., & Pool, G. (2021). Does spirituality or religion positively affect mental health? Meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 31(1), 4-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2020.1729570
Hausler, M., Huber, A., Strecker, C., Brenner, M., Höge, T., & Höfer, S. (2017). Validierung eines Fragebogens zur umfassenden Operationalisierung von Wohlbefinden: Die deutsche Version des Comprehensive Inventory of Thriving (CIT) und die Kurzversion Brief Inventory of Thriving (BIT). Diagnostica, 63(3), 219-228. https://doi.org/10.1026/0012-1924/a000174
Heintz, S., Kramm, C., & Ruch, W. (2019). A meta-analysis of gender differences in character strengths and age, nation, and measure as moderators. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(1), 103-112. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2017.1414297
Heintz, S., & Ruch, W. (2022). Cross-sectional age differences in 24 character strengths: Five meta-analyses from early adolescence to late adulthood. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 17(3), 356-374. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2021.1871938
Jayawickreme, E., & Di Stefano, P. (2012). How can we study heroism? Integrating persons, situations and communities. Political Psychology, 33(1), 165-178. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2011.00861.x
Jorgensen, T. D., Pornprasertmanit, S., Schoemann, A. M., & Rosseel, Y. (2021). semTools: Useful tools for structural equation modeling. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=semTools
Kassambara, A. (2021). rstatix: Pipe-friendly framework for basic statistical tests [Manual]. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=rstatix
Kelley, K. (2021). MBESS: The MBESS R package [Manual]. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=MBESS
Kelley, K., & Pornprasertmanit, S. (2016). Confidence intervals for population reliability coefficients: Evaluation of methods, recommendations, and software for composite measures. Psychological Methods, 21(1), 69-92. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040086
Kitsantas, A., & Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Comparing self-regulatory processes among novice, non-expert, and expert volleyball players: A microanalytic study. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14(2), 91-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200252907761
Kretzschmar, A., Wagner, L., Gander, F., Hofmann, J., Proyer, R. T., & Ruch, W. (2022). Character strengths and fluid intelligence. Journal of Personality, 90(6), 1057-1069. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12715
Lakens, D. (2022). Sample size justification. Collabra: Psychology, 8(1), 33267. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.33267
Lambert, N. M., Fincham, F. D., Braithwaite, S. R., Graham, S. M., & Beach, S. R. H. (2009). Can prayer increase gratitude? Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 1(3), 139-149. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016731
Lambert, N. M., Fincham, F. D., Stillman, T. F., Graham, S. M., & Beach, S. R. H. (2010). Motivating change in relationships: Can prayer increase forgiveness? Psychological Science, 21(1), 126-132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797609355634
Martela, F., & Ryan, R. M. (2016). The benefits of benevolence: Basic psychological needs, beneficence, and the enhancement of well-being. Journal of Personality, 84(6), 750-764. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12215
Martinsen, Ø. L., & Diseth, Å. (2011). The assimilator-explorer cognitive styles: Factor structure, personality correlates, and relationship to inventiveness. Creativity Research Journal, 23(3), 273-283. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2011.595998
Maslow, A. H. (1971). The farther reaches of human nature. Viking.
McCrae, R. R., & John, O. P. (1992). An introduction to the five-factor model and its applications. Journal of Personality, 60(2), 175-215. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1992.tb00970.x
McCullough, M. E., & Willoughby, B. L. B. (2009). Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 69-93. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014213
Mullet, E., Barros, J., Veronica Usaï, L. F., Neto, F., & Rivière Shafighi, S. (2003). Religious involvement and the forgiving personality. Journal of Personality, 71(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.t01-1-00003
Ng, V., Cao, M., Marsh, H. W., Tay, L., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2017). The factor structure of the values in action inventory of strengths (VIA-IS): An item-level exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) bifactor analysis. Psychological Assessment, 29(8), 1053-1058. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000396
Noftle, E. E., Schnitker, S. A., & Robins, R. W. (2011). Character and personality: Connections between positive psychology and personality psychology. In K. M. Sheldon, T. B. Kashdan, & M. F. Steger (Eds.), Designing positive psychology: Taking stock and moving forward (pp. 207-227). Oxford University Press.
Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Strengths of character and well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23(5), 603-619. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.23.5.603.50748
Peterson, C., Park, N., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Assessment of character strengths. In G. P. Koocher, J. C. Norcross, & S. S. Hill, III (Eds.), Psychologists' desk reference (2nd ed., pp. 93-98). Oxford University Press.
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Oxford University Press.
Pievsky, M. A., & McGrath, R. E. (2022). National valuing of character strengths and indicators of national development: A pilot study. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 17(2), 703-721. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-021-09938-2
R Core Team. (2021). R: A language and environment for statistical computing [Manual]. https://www.R-project.org/
Revelle, W. (2021). psych: Procedures for psychological, psychometric, and personality research [Manual]. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=psych
Rosseel, Y. (2012). lavaan: An R package for structural equation modeling. Journal of Statistical Software, 48(2), 1-36.
Ruch, W., Gander, F., Wagner, L., & Giuliani, F. (2021). The structure of character: On the relationships between character strengths and virtues. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 16(1), 116-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1689418
Ruch, W., Heintz, S., & Wagner, L. (2020). Co-occurrence patterns of character strengths and measured core virtues in German-speaking adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 599094. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.599094
Ruch, W., & Proyer, R. T. (2015). Mapping strengths into virtues: The relation of the 24 VIA-strengths to six ubiquitous virtues. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 460. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00460
Ruch, W., Proyer, R. T., Harzer, C., Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2010). Values in action inventory of strengths (VIA-IS): Adaptation and validation of the German version and the development of a peer-rating form. Journal of Individual Differences, 31(3), 138-149. https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000022
Shadish, W. R., Luellen, J. K., & Clark, M. H. (2006). Propensity scores and quasi-experiments: A testimony to the practical side of Lee Sechrest. In R. R. Bootzin & P. E. McKnight (Eds.), Strengthening research methodology: Psychological measurement and evaluation (pp. 143-157). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11384-008
Stahlmann, A. G., & Ruch, W. (2020). Scrutinizing the criteria for character strengths: Laypersons assert that every strength is positively morally valued, even in the absence of tangible outcomes. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 591028. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591028
Su, R., Tay, L., & Diener, E. (2014). The development and validation of the comprehensive inventory of thriving (CIT) and the brief inventory of thriving (BIT). Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 6(3), 251-279. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12027
Sun, J., Wu, W., & Goodwin, G. (2022). Moral people tend to be happier. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/sd8t4
Thrash, T. M., & Elliot, A. J. (2003). Inspiration as a psychological construct. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 871-889. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.871
Vylobkova, V., Heintz, S., Gander, F., Wagner, L., & Ruch, W. (2023). Convergence and psychometric properties of character strengths measures: The VIA-IS and the VIA-IS-R. Journal of Personality Assessment, 105(1), 14-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2022.2044342
Wagner, L. (2019). Good character is what we look for in a friend: Character strengths are positively related to peer acceptance and friendship quality in early adolescents. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 39(6), 864-903. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431618791286
Wagner, L., Gander, F., Proyer, R. T., & Ruch, W. (2020). Character strengths and PERMA: Investigating the relationships of character strengths with a multidimensional framework of well-being. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 15(2), 307-328. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-018-9695-z
Walker, L. J. (1999). The perceived personality of moral exemplars. Journal of Moral Education, 28(2), 145-162. https://doi.org/10.1080/030572499103188
Walker, L. J., & Frimer, J. A. (2007). Moral personality of brave and caring exemplars. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(5), 845-860. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.93.5.845
Walker, L. J., Frimer, J. A., & Dunlop, W. L. (2010). Varieties of moral personality: Beyond the banality of heroism. Journal of Personality, 78(3), 907-942. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00637.x
Walker, L. J., & Hennig, K. H. (2004). Differing conceptions of moral exemplarity: Just, brave, and caring. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86, 629-647. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.86.4.629
Wickham, H. (2016). ggplot2: Elegant graphics for data analysis. Springer-Verlag. https://ggplot2.tidyverse.org
Wickham, H., François, R., Henry, L., & Müller, K. (2022). dplyr: A grammar of data manipulation [Manual]. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=dplyr
Wright, J. C. (2020). The moral psychology of humility. In M. Alfano, M. P. Lynch, & A. Tanesini (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of philosophy of humility (1st ed., pp. 401-410). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351107532-41
Wright, J. C., Nadelhoffer, T., Perini, T., Langville, A., Echols, M., & Venezia, K. (2017). The psychological significance of humility. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 12(1), 3-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2016.1167940
Zagzebski, L. (2013). Moral exemplars in theory and practice. Theory and Research in Education, 11(2), 193-206. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878513485177
Zettler, I., Thielmann, I., Hilbig, B. E., & Moshagen, M. (2020). The nomological net of the HEXACO model of personality: A large-scale meta-analytic investigation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(3), 723-760. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619895036