Table 1.
Lists of virtues, their corresponding character strengths (Peterson and Seligman, 2004; Goldberg et al., 2006, IPIP project), and short descriptions of the character strengths (Park and Peterson, 2010, pp. 540–541).
| Virtues and character strengths (Peterson and Seligman, 2004) | Virtues and character strengths in the IPIP project (Goldberg et al., 2006) | Descriptions of character strengths |
|---|---|---|
| WISDOM/KNOWLEDGE | WISDOM | |
| Creativity [originality, ingenuity] | Originality/creativity | Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things; includes artistic achievement but is not limited to it |
| Curiosity [interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience] | Curiosity | Taking an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering |
| Open-mindedness [judgment, critical thinking] | Judgment/open-mindedness | Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions; being able to change one's mind in light of evidence; weighing all evidence fairly |
| Love of learning | Love of learning | Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one's own or formally; related to the strength of “curiosity” but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows |
| Perspective [wisdom] | Perspective/wisdom | Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to other people |
| COURAGE | COURAGE | |
| Bravery [valor] | Valor/bravery | Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what is right even if there is opposition; acting on convictions even if unpopular; includes physical bravery but is not limited to it |
| Persistence [perseverance, industriousness] | Industry/perseverance/persistence | Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of obstacles; “getting it out the door”; taking pleasure in completing tasks |
| Integrity [authenticity, honesty] | Integrity/honesty/authenticity | Speaking the truth and more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way and acting in a sincere way; being without pretense; taking responsibility for one's feelings and actions |
| Vitality [zest, enthusiasm, vigor, energy] | Zest/enthusiasm/vitality | Approaching life with excitement and energy; not doing things halfway or halfheartedly; living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated |
| HUMANITY | HUMANITARY | |
| Love | Capacity for love | Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated; being close to people |
| Kindness [generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, “niceness”] | Kindness/generosity | Doing favors and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them |
| Social intelligence [emotional intelligence, personal intelligence] | Social/personal/emotional intelligence | Being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and oneself; knowing what to do to fit into different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick |
| JUSTICE | JUSTICE | |
| Citizenship [social responsibility, loyalty, teamwork] | Citizenship/teamwork | Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group; doing one's share |
| Fairness | Equity/fairness | Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chance |
| Leadership | Leadership | Encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same time maintain good relations within the group; organizing group activities and seeing that they happen |
| TEMPERANCE | TEMPERANCE | |
| Forgiveness and mercy | Forgiveness/mercy | Forgiving those who have done wrong; accepting the shortcomings of others; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful |
| Humility and modesty | Modesty/humility | Letting one's accomplishments speak for themselves; not seeking the spotlight; not regarding oneself as more special than one is |
| Prudence | Prudence | Being careful about one's choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted |
| Self-regulation [self-control] | Self-regulation/self-control | Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one's appetites and emotions |
| TRANSCENDENCE | TRANSCENDENCE | |
| Appreciation of beauty and excellence [awe, wonder, elevation] | Appreciation for beauty | Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience |
| Gratitude | Gratitude | Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks |
| Hope [optimism, future-mindedness, future-orientation] | Hope/optimism | Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it; believing that a good future is something that can be brought about |
| Humor [playfulness] | Humor/playfulness | Liking to laugh and joke; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokes |
| Spirituality [religiousness, faith, purpose] | Spirituality/religiousness | Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape conduct and provide comfort |
Virtues are written in capital letters. The common elements of the character strengths from both catalogs are italicized. These names will be used in this article.