Table 5.

Definitions of the top-five signature character strengths (Peterson and Seligman 2004)

Character strength	Definition
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
Honesty	[integrity, authenticity]: Speaking the truth but 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
Judgment	[open-mindedness, critical thinking]: 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
Kindness	[generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, “niceness”]: Doing favors and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them
Love	Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated; being close to people