Virtue Strengths of Character Describe traits of someone
Virtue & Strengths of Character Describe traits of someone you admire & respect. Judging traits as positive: 1. Physical health 2. Happiness 3. Mental health 4. Morality & Virtue Traits & behaviors valued by all cultures & religions. Psychology historically avoided descriptions of how people should conduct themselves - science & value bias. People live moral lives - condemn others’ immoral & unethical actions; feel guilt about own violations. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
What are major virtues by which we judge a persons’ actions and character? • What is the value/purpose of virtue and morality in individual and social life? • Do cultures & religions share a common view of the most important virtues? Is a person of “good character” recognizable around the world? • Values in Action Project -Peterson & Seligman • Character strengths and virtue: A handbook and classification (2004) • All major religions (east & west), philosophies (ancient Greek to present), popular culture, Boy & Girl Scout guides, popular songs, greeting cards, famous figures (e. g. , Benjamin Franklin) Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Classification • 6 Virtues shared around the world and through time • 24 character strengths that represents the ingredients, expressions, and potential means to develop each virtue • I. Wisdom and Knowledge – Cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge Defining Strengths • 1. Creativity - thinking of novel and productive ways to do things • 2. Curiosity - taking an interest in all ongoing experience • 3. Open-mindedness - thinking things through and from all sides • 4. Love of learning - mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge • 5. Perspective – being able to provide wise counsel to others Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
VIA Project • II. Courage – Emotional strengths that involve exercise of will in the face of opposition, external or internal. Defining Strengths • 6. Authenticity – speaking the truth and presenting yourself in a genuine way • 7. Bravery – not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain • 8. Persistence – finishing what one starts despite obstacles along the way • 9. Zest – approaching life with excitement and energy • III. Humanity – Interpersonal strengths that involve “tending and befriending” others. Defining Strengths • 10. Kindness – doing favors and good deeds for others • 11. Love – valuing close relations with others • 12. Social Intelligence – being aware of the motives and feelings of self and others Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
VIA Project • IV. Justice – Civic strengths that underlie healthy community life. Defining Strengths • 13. Fairness – treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice • 14. Leadership – organizing group activities and seeing that they happen • 15. Teamwork – working well as member of a group or team • V. Temperance – Forgiving those who have done wrong. Defining Strengths • 16. Forgiveness – forgiving those who have done wrong • 17. Modesty – letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves • 18. Prudence – being careful about one’s choices; not saying or doing things that might be later regretted • 19. Self-regulation – regulating what one feels and does Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
VIA Project • VI. Transcendence – Strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and providing meaning. Defining Strengths • 20. Appreciation of beauty and excellence - noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in all domains of life • 21. Gratitude – Being aware of and thankful for good things that happen • 22. Hope – Expecting the best and working to achieve it • 23. Humor – Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people • 24. Religiousness/Spirituality – having coherent beliefs about the higher purposes and meaning of life Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Measurement VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire Inventory - 240 items and shorter version. Taken by over 500. 00 people in 50 countries. Take at authentic happiness or VIA website Reasonable reliability Shared understanding of virtue & character Most endorsed (like me): Fairness, kindness, authenticity, gratitude, open-minded. Least endorsed: prudence, self-regulation, & modesty Potential way to describe human strengths. DSM for virtue and strength of character? Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Wisdom as Foundational Strength & Virtue What is wisdom? Exemplars - 1. Think of famous people past & present who exemplify your idea of a wise person. 2. Who in your own life is the wisest person you know? 3. What makes a person wise? Wise about what? 4. How does a person develop wisdom or become wise? 5. Is wisdom the “master” virtue - foundation for others? Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Research (2002) Intelligent Creative Wise Sheer Fame 1. Einstein 2. Bill Clinton 3. Da Vinci 4. Prime Minister 5. Gates 6. Shakespeare 7. Hawking 8. Oprah Winfrey 9. Newton 10. Mozart 11. Edison 12. Suzuki 13. Madonna 14. Gorbachev 15. Trudeau Da Vinci Picasso Michelangelo Mozart Spielberg Shakespeare Michael Jackson Beethoven Walt Disney Robin Williams Salvador Dali Madonna Freud Alexander G. Bell Margaret Atwood Ghandi Confucious Jesus M. L. King Socrates Mother Theresa Solomon Buddha Pope Oprah Winston Churchill Dali Lama Ann Landers Nelson Mandela Queen Elizabeth Princess Dianna Elvis Presley Michael Jordan Muhammand Ali Michael Jackson Bill Clinton Madonna Wayne Gretzky Bill Gates JF Kennedy Nelson Mandela Marilyn Monroe Adolph Hitler George Bush Sr. Jesus Christ No overlap creativity & wisdom; 27% overlap-creative & intelligent; 7% between wisdom & creativity. Oprah only one listed in both intelligent & wisdom. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Defining Wisdom Surveys - Attributes of Wise People 1. Wisdom as storehouse of knowledge about conduct of life (not technical know-how) - learned life’s lessons, values others advice, knowledge of self, environment, learned from mistakes, uncommon understanding of human nature 2. Wisdom as reasoning ability - uncommon ability to reason through problem, integrate information, see new solutions. Includes “intuition” - read between lines and see deeper truths Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
3. Wisdom as good judgment - superior judgment and advice, able to deal with uncertainty and limits of knowledge ( what can know) 4. Wisdom as perspective - able to take the big picture view and appreciate differences between people & cultures 5. Wisdom as virtue - use of knowledge for well-being of self and others Bottom Line: expert knowledge in confronting difficult & complex issues in life. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Two Theories of Wisdom Sternberg - Balance Theory Baltes - Wisdom as Expert Knowledge in the Conduct of Life Sternberg - Wise people build up practical knowledge in how to live successful life focused on a common rather than self-interested good. Balance Theory - balancing three interests and courses of action. Interests: 1. Own interests & needs 2. Interests & needs of important others, e. g. , kids, spouse, friends, employer 3. Needs of community, nation, religion, environment Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Balance Theory Actions 1. Change self (adaptation) 2. Change environment including others 3. Select new environment altogether Example: Sandwich Generation: Two successful careers, kids in or headed to college. Aging parents with failing health. How to balance limited financial & emotional resources and commitments to self, spouse, kids, & parents? How to balance competing interests? What is a wise course of action? Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Baltes - Wisdom as expert knowledge of the fundamental pragmatics of life Pragmatics of Life Knowledge & judgment about essence of human condition and ways/means of planning/managing a good life. Assessment: Five Criteria 1. Factual knowledge - “whats” of human condition people, relationships, human nature 2. Procedural knowledge - knowing how to solve life’s problems, conflicts, goals, etc. 3. Lifespan contextualism - knowledge of different life domains - work, family, leisure 4. Relativism of values - awareness of individual & cultural differences - life priorities 5. Aware & deal with uncertainty - recognize limits of knowledge & future Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Baltes -Expert knowledge in conduct of life Test: Present challenging life scenarios - responses judged by panel of experts according to five criteria. What should a person do and consider in such a situation: - Phone call from friend contemplating suicide. - A 15 -year-old girl wants to get married right away. What should one/she consider and do? Low Wisdom Response “A 15 -year-old girl wants to get married? No, no way, marrying at age 15 would be utterly wrong. One has to tell the girl that marriage is not possible. (Probe) It would be irresponsible to support such an idea. No, this is just crazy. ” Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
High Wisdom Response “Well, on the surface, this seems like an easy problem. On average, marriage for a 15 -year-old girl is not a good thing. But there are situations where the average case does not fit. Perhaps in this instance, special life circumstances are involved, such as the girl has a terminal illness. Or the girl has just lost her parents. And also, this girl may live in another culture or historical period. Perhaps she was raised with a value system different from ours. In addition, one also has to think about the adequacy of talking with the girl and to consider her emotional state. ” Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Baltes- Expert Knowledge in Conduct of Life Research: Are experts wiser? - A bit, but age seems more important. Clinical psychologist better than average. Are wise people happier? - No. Fewer negative emotions & positive emotions - big picture view & more self-control = less reactive, positive or negative, to life events. Master Virtue - wise people as compassionate, kind, humble, fair, prudent. SOC Model - Selection, Optimization with Compensation Wise people more likely to select life goals that matter, find ways to optimize their achievement, and compensate when means to goals are closed off. e. g. , farmer, gardener, window box Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Self-Control as Master Virtue Baumesiter & Exline - self-control as moral muscle for virtue. Especially - relationships with others - critical to well-being and society - self-control - putting others rather than self first. Self-Control & Seven Deadly Sins gluttony, sloth, greed, lust, envy, anger, pride Each requires self-control to avoid. Vices = failed control. Self-control necessary to guide virtuous behavior as a goal. Conform to own standards. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Transcendence: Religion, Spirituality, & Meaning Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl - Nazi death camps & survival Baumeister - Four sources of meaning in life related to psychological needs 1. Purpose - need for direction - personal goals & ideal ends states 2. Value - finding justification & affirmation - “right & good” 3. Self-efficacy - need for control & effectiveness, both action and interpretive control - understand “whys” of life 4. Self-worth - feelings of self-worth, esteem, recognition, admiration, achievement, own eyes & eyes of others. Life as meaningful - clear sense of purpose, clear values for making moral judgments, belief in own effectiveness, and positive sense of self. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Religion & Meaning Religion - most longstanding source of all four needs for meaning. Provides: purpose of life, moral code, basis of selfworth, & efficacy. Answers to ultimate questions of life & death. Secular means of achieving meaning - careers, causes, family, nature/science/philosophic views of “whys” of life & death. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Surveys - most Americans approach “ultimate questions” (origins/meaning of life & death) from religious/spiritual view. Last 50 years - 90 -95% believe in God or higher power - 90% say they pray -70% members of church or synagogue (40% attend regularly) - 60% say religion very important in their life (30% fairly) - 55% Protestant, 28% Roman Catholic, 2% Jewish, 6% other, & 8% none Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Defining Religion & Spirituality • Diversity of views - use different basis - even clergy - know that it’s more than church attendance. • Recent history - 1960 s and anti-establishment views and alternative spiritual philosophies (e. g. , New Age). - “religion” gotten bad name - evangelical scams, priests and abuse, power & religion, religious justifications of self-interest. • Led to some separation of religion & spirituality. - Religion = established religious dogma = bad - Spirituality = individually liberating = good Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Religion & Spiritulaity - Same or Different? Surveys; People make distinction, but majority identify themselves as both. I am spiritual and religious - 74% I am spiritual but not religious -19% I am religious but not spiritual - 4% I am neither spiritual or religious - 3% Only 7% said no overlap of R & S; 3% said compete overlap 19% Spiritual not religious - found to be non-conformists. Negative view of traditional religious as needing to feel superior to others, or only religious for extrinsic reasons (image/status). Grew up in less religious families, more educated and individualistic fit pattern of baby boomers. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Defining Religion & Spirituality Pargament: What makes religion special? Answer: Its unique substance & function. Substance: defining essence is the sacred, set apart from ordinary life, God, the divine, sacred, holy, transcendent forces. Ultimate truth and reality. Function: not just set of beliefs & practices. Addresses life’s most profound existential questions. How did life begin? What happens after you die? Why are we here? What is the meaning of pain, tragedy, suffering, injustice? Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Definitions Religion: “Search for significance in ways related to the sacred. ” Spirituality: “Search for the sacred. ” Search for significance refers to function of addressing life’s most important questions as well as sense of worth, peace of mind, coping with tragedy. Sacred identifies unique substance of religion compared to other domains of life (secular world). Find, know, experience that which is perceived as sacred. Sanctification - profane to sacred - wine. Religion is broader concept. “Related” means religion/church may provide other kinds of significance, e. g. , sense of community & caring relations. Related but not sacred themselves. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Religion/Spiritulaity & Well-Being Measuring Religiosity/Spirituality 1. Frequency of church attendance 2. Participation in religious activities - prayer, study groups 3. Affiliation with major religion (Protestant, Lutheran, etc. ) 4. Private religious practices - prayer, meditation, Bible study Ratings of closeness to God, degree of commitment 5. Use of religion to cope with stress & tragedy Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Research: Generally small positive correlations to life satisfaction, physical & mental health. Church attendance biggest predictor of longevity & coping. Regular attendees enjoy better health, recover faster, & live longer. Critical: correlations remain after factoring out health- related variables (age, sex, race, marital status, smoking, obesity, existing medical conditions, socioeconomic class), i. e. , maybe attendees are healthier people to begin with. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Religion & Well-Being Somewhat amazingly: Large-scale longitudinal studies find regular church attendance (health variables statistically controlled) are associated with 23% lower death rate. Regular church attendees do seem to lead healthier & longer lives. Why? 1. Health practices - some religions view “body as temple of soul… i. e. , take care of it… (example: Mormons - attendees smoke less, use less drugs, etc. ). 2. Social support - buffer against stress, comfort, confidence 3. Psychosocial resources & meaning - stronger sense of purpose & meaning in life - more optimism and positive emotions, Fredrickson. Better coping - All sources of more personal strength. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
BUT Studies limited to North American religions Religion has many misuses & abuses - can be “good” or “bad” Puzzling & Contradictory Effects of Religion 1. Religion & prejudice 2. Attachment styles 3. Positive & negative styles of religious coping 4. Religion & virtue - are religious people virtuous? Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
1. Religion & prejudice Allport - religion paradoxical - both makes and unmakes prejudice. • Religions teach compassion & tolerance, but church attendees consistently more prejudiced than nonattendees. • Fundamentalists most prejudiced, especially to gays. But: most frequent attendees less prejudiced? i. e. , religion not cause Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Allport’s Resolution Effect of religion depends on orientation to it - function. Developed I/E Religious Orientation Scale to measure. Intrinsics - live religion least prejudiced - apply religion, not Sunday Christians - internalize teachings of humility, compassion, & love neighbor. Extrinsics - use religion - more prejudiced, status, comfort, social image, social support, religion not value in own right, but serves other needs. . . prejudice too is useful in secular society, offers solidarity with prejudiced culture and relations. But some controversy - some studies show more attendance is related to more prejudice - fundamentalist religions especially. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
2. Attachment style & effects of religion Relationship to God, divine, transcendent, highly personal form of relationship may determine effects. Kirkpatrick - God as attachment figure like attachment to parents. Maybe relationship between two? Freud - God as father figure - transfer ideas about own father to God? Good family - good relation to God. Harsh family - see God also as punishing? Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Attachment Styles Secure Attachment “God is generally warm and responsive to me. Knows when to be supportive and protective & when to let me make my own mistakes. I am happy & comfortable with my relationship to God. Avoidant Attachment “God is generally impersonal & distant, seems to have little or no interest in my personal problems. Feel He doesn’t care very much about me & may not like me. Anxious-Ambivalent Attachment “God seems inconsistent in His reactions to me. Sometimes warm and responsive other times not. Sure He loves me, but sometimes shows it in ways I really don’t understand. Secure attachment better than other two in self-reported life satisfaction, physical health, levels of anxiety, & mental health. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
3. Styles of religious coping Pargament - Religious beliefs most important in times of tragedy - “No atheists in foxholes. ” Positive Religious Coping Style Secure relationship with God, belief that deeper meanings can be found even in tragedy, growth, seeking spiritual support & help from church. Negative Religious Coping Less secure relation with God, more uncertain & threatening view of world, more punitive appraisals of tragedy (punishment or abandonment by God), spiritual confusion & discontent, passively waiting for God to solve problem. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Research on Coping Styles Diverse Community Samples: community member following Oklahoma City bombing of Federal building, college students dealing with life stresses (e. g. , death of loved one), hospitalized patients, older terminally ill, & clergy. Good outcomes for positive coping styles (majority). Neutral to poor outcomes for negative styles. Positive styles - related to higher well-being, more religious growth, less distress, and better mental health. Effect of style largest for clergy - Positive style = more benefits Negative style = worse, especially depression Why: Crisis of faith much worse when identity tied to religious beliefs…more painful struggle Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Explaining Religion versus Explaining it Away Pargament: anything unique or special about effects of religion that cannot be explained by biological, psychological, or social processes. Is religion nothing but? Social support, meaning, feelings of competence & worth, source of optimism, and biological effects on immune system. If so, any belief system might do the same. Answer is dividing line between spiritual and non-spiritual people (and most psychologists from religious people). Does sacred dimension of life make independent contribution? Control for health variables - still effect is suggestive but not definitive. Perhaps science can’t answer. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
4. Religion & virtue Are religious people more virtuous - e. g. , forgiving, compassionate, humble, tolerant, etc. ? Religion - longstanding basis for morality - what is right and wrong Research: “On average” - religious more conservative towards prevailing social issues - pornography, divorce, premarital sex, feminism, homosexuality, AIDS & sex education, rap music. More likely to approve of severe sentences for criminals, support censorship of pornography & violence on TV, and be politically conservative. But many are liberal - oppose death penalty & more compassion for offenders and disadvantaged. Trouble: depends on individualized form of religious beliefs. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Two virtues connected to religion: Forgiveness - seeking God’s forgiveness Gratitude -giving gratitude for God’s love and support Forgiveness - betrayal, insulted, exploited, wronged. What does it mean to forgive someone? Theory: 1. Offset debilitating effects of anger & hostility - all-consuming desire to get even…marriage 2. Give up desire for revenge 3. Altruistic gift 4. Not excuse, condone, deny, forget, or reconcile Genuine forgiveness involves compassion, benevolence, and letting go of revenge, resentment, and avoidance. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Forgiveness Research Forgiveness - Needs to be genuine - not out of obligation Lowers harmful physiological arousal (e. g. , blood pressure) Lowers level of anger Forgiving married couples - happier - forgiveness expresses and enhances close/caring relationships. Expresses love, empathy, and commitment, and enhances same feelings. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Gratitude as virtue & ingratitude as vice Stems from being recipient of helpful acts. Stronger when help is freely given and involves cost & sacrifice. Guinness important. Gratitude enhances well-being of giver & receiver - enhances quality of relationship. Research: Emmons & Mc. Cullough Students in 10 -week study Grateful: “… many things in life might be grateful about. Think over last week and write down things in your life that you are grateful or thankful for. ” Hassle: Many irritants & annoying things in life. Write down. Events: Many things have impact on us. Write down. Results: Over 10 weeks felt better about selves & life, more grateful generally, fewer negative emotions, fewer health problems. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Gratefulness among neuromuscular disease sufferers Recruits from neuromuscular disease clinic 21 -day diary study No-Manipulation Condition - well-being measures only Grateful Manipulation - think about things grateful/thankful for Grateful group - higher well-being, more optimistic about future, more frequent positive emotions, better sleep, more connected to others. Affirmed by spouse & other observers. Gratitude may contribute to positive emotions and upward spiral of well-being - Fredrickson. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
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