Character strengths

The 24 character strengths: a plain-language guide

4 min read

The short answer: character strengths are the positive qualities that show up in how you think, feel and act, such as curiosity, kindness or perseverance. The best-known list has 24 strengths, grouped into six families. It comes from the VIA classification, created by psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman. Everyone has all 24 to some degree; what differs is which ones come most naturally.

Where the list comes from

In the early 2000s, a team of researchers set out to do for good qualities what medical manuals do for problems: describe them carefully. They studied philosophy, religious traditions and writing from many cultures, looking for qualities that were valued almost everywhere. The result, published in 2004, was six broad "virtues" and 24 strengths that lead to them.

Unlike personality traits such as the Big Five, which describe what you tend to be like, character strengths describe what is good in you, and they are meant to be used and developed.

The 24 strengths

Wisdom: strengths of the mind

• Creativity: coming up with new and useful ways of doing things.
• Curiosity: being interested in new experiences and ideas for their own sake.
• Judgment: thinking things through and looking at them from all sides before deciding.
• Love of learning: enjoying mastering new skills and knowledge.
• Perspective: being able to give wise advice and see the bigger picture.

Courage: strengths of will

• Bravery: not shrinking from threat, difficulty or pain; standing up for what is right.
• Perseverance: finishing what you start, even when it gets hard.
• Honesty: speaking the truth and presenting yourself as you really are.
• Zest: approaching life with energy and enthusiasm.

Humanity: strengths with people close to you

• Love: valuing close relationships and being close to others.
• Kindness: doing favors and good deeds for others.
• Social intelligence: understanding what makes people, including yourself, tick.

Justice: strengths in groups and communities

• Teamwork: working well as a member of a group and doing your share.
• Fairness: treating everyone by the same rules, without letting feelings bias your decisions.
• Leadership: organizing a group to get things done while keeping good relations.

Temperance: strengths that protect against excess

• Forgiveness: letting go of resentment and giving people a second chance.
• Humility: letting your achievements speak for themselves.
• Prudence: being careful about your choices and not taking needless risks.
• Self-control: regulating what you feel and do.

Transcendence: strengths that connect you to something larger

• Appreciation of beauty: noticing and valuing beauty and excellence in nature, art and people.
• Gratitude: being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen.
• Hope: expecting the best in the future and working to bring it about.
• Humor: liking to laugh, and bringing smiles to other people.
• Spirituality: having beliefs about meaning and purpose that shape what you do.

A few things worth knowing

• Your top strengths are the interesting part. Most people have three to seven strengths that feel most like "the real me". Researchers call these signature strengths. We explain how to use them in How to find and use your top strengths.
• A strength at the bottom of your list is not a weakness. It simply comes less naturally than the others.
• Strengths can be overdone. Honesty without kindness can hurt; perseverance can turn into stubbornness. The aim is the right amount at the right time.
• They can grow. Strengths are not fixed. Using one deliberately tends to make it easier to use.

Find your own top strengths

The Happy Me Character strengths assessment covers the 24 strengths of the VIA classification with 96 public-domain questions from the International Personality Item Pool. It takes about 15 minutes, puts your 24 strengths in order, and is free, with no account needed. Happy Me is not affiliated with the VIA Institute on Character, and this is not the VIA Survey.

Take the free character strengths test

Sources

• Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. American Psychological Association and 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.
• Goldberg, L. R., et al. (2006). The International Personality Item Pool and the future of public-domain personality measures. Journal of Research in Personality, 40(1), 84–96.