Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

"Character" has become a front-and-center topic in contemporary discourse, but this term does not have a fixed meaning. Character may be simply defined by what someone does not do, but a more active and thorough definition is necessary, one that addresses certain vital questions. Is character a singular characteristic of an individual, or is it composed of different aspects? Does character--however we define it--exist in degrees, or is it simply something one happens to have? How can character be developed? Can it be learned? Relatedly, can it be taught, and who might be the most effective teacher? What roles are played by family, schools, the media, religion, and the larger culture? This groundbreaking handbook of character strengths and virtues is the first progress report from a prestigious group of researchers who have undertaken the systematic classification and measurement of widely valued positive traits. They approach good character in terms of separate strengths-authenticity, persistence, kindness, gratitude, hope, humor, and so on-each of which exists in degrees.

Character Strengths and Virtues classifies twenty-four specific strengths under six broad virtues that consistently emerge across history and culture: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Each strength is thoroughly examined in its own chapter, with special attention to its meaning, explanation, measurement, causes, correlates, consequences, and development across the life span, as well as to strategies for its deliberate cultivation. This book demands the attention of anyone interested in psychology and what it can teach about the good life.

• Character Strengths Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners
• The Power of Character Strengths: Appreciate and Ignite Your Positive Personality
• Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being
• Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life
• Mindfulness and Character Strengths A Practical Guide to Flourishing
• Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment
• A Primer in Positive Psychology (Oxford Positive Psychology Series)
• The Hope Circuit: A Psychologist's Journey from Helplessness to Optimism
• The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (Oxford Library of Psychology)
• Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the 3-to-1 Ratio That Will Change Your Life