Virtues and Character Strengths in Persons with Mild Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias

The Values in Action (VIA) framework, from positive psychology, consists of 6 virtues (wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence) which can be broken down into 24 strengths of character (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). Although this framework has been used to understand virtues and strengths in various populations, persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other progressive dementias have been largely excluded from such studies. The aims of our study were to utilize the VIA framework to: 1) examine the expression of virtues and character strengths in a sample of persons diagnosed with probable AD (who were clinically designated as having mild disease based on neuropsychological assessment); and 2) provide implications for further strengths-based research and clinical practice with this population. Twenty-eight older adults, between the ages of 56 and 93 (M = 77.88, SD = 9.88), participated in the study. All had a Clinical Dementia Reacting Scale (CDR) of 1 which suggested mild dementia. The Dimensions of Living with Dementia Interview (DLD; McGee & Carlson, 2013) was utilized for data collection. Interviews lasted approximately 45 minutes per participant. The interviews were professionally transcribed, audit checked, and uploaded to NVivo (2018) for analysis. Directed content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005) was utilized to extend the VIA framework to this sample. The virtues of wisdom, courage, humanity, temperance, and transcendence were demonstrated. We share how these virtues and corresponding character strengths can assist people with early-stage dementia in adaptation to the disease. Implications for clinical practice and further research are provided.

Women are the Better Halves: Gender-based Variations in Virtues and Character Strengths

Several feminists have been arguing on the superiority of women over men. This debate, instead of being biological, revolves around the gender roles and moral characteristics of humans, based on which women have been regarded better than men. The current study supported this claim by involving 620 participants, including men and women. Character Strengths Rating Form (Ruch et al., 2014) was used to obtain data. Women projected significantly higher levels on a variety of character strengths as compared to men. The results revealed that women had significantly higher levels of wisdom, justice, curiosity, love of learning, social intelligence, leadership and appreciation of beauty and excellence. The overall picture confirmed women to be more virtuous than men.

Virtues, Character Strengths, and Graduate Student Organizations

Research in the area of student life has shown that student engagement in student organizations improves a number of undergraduate and graduate student outcomes. Because of the critical importance that student organizations play in student development, continued research is needed to understand the elements that make such organizations successful. This chapter will utilize the reflections of three faculty advisors and two student presidents to explore how virtues and character strengths played a critical role in the continued success of a student organization within the context of a college of education.

Fostering the Human Spirit

This chapter introduces a positive ethical framework for supporting the experience of meaningfulness at work. Three specific virtues are conceptually linked to meaningfulness (humanity, courage, and transcendence) and a number of character strengths that these encompass (such as morality, gratitude, and spirituality). It is argued that experiencing meaningfulness is more likely to result in the experience of positive emotions, contributing to a positive ethical culture at work and producing a “virtuous upwards spiral” of positive agency. Positive emotions attract more support and facilitate positive social relations inside and outside the workplace. Evidence about the links between meaningfulness and volunteering are explored in turn to consider what organizations might do to foster positive work culture. The chapter recognizes the potential for conflict and paradox between virtues and character strengths. However, even paradoxes and conflicts of this kind can generate positive experiences.

Construction and Validation of the Character Strengths Scale for Youth (CSS-Youth)

Character strengths are positive individual characteristics that may be expressed through thoughts, feelings and actions. The present study aimed to build an instrument to assess the virtues and character strengths of adolescents and to seek psychometric evidence for the scale. A total of 836 adolescents participated, between the ages of 14 and 18 and enrolled in high school, being 60.4% girls. Students responded to the Character Strengths Scale for Youth (CSS-Youth). Judges’ analysis indicated that CSS-Youth has evidence of content validity. Confirmatory factorial analysis allowed the extraction of five factors, and the alpha coefficient showed good accuracy. The initial psychometric data for CSS-Youth is promising, but further studies are necessary to find other validity evidence, as well as new analyses to test the factorial structure of the model used.

An examination of the relationship between emotional intelligence, positive affect and character strengths and virtues.

<p>The present study had the objective of analysing the relationship between Emotional Intelligence, Positive Affect, VIA's virtues and character strengths. Additionally, it was explored if Emotional Intelligence predicted the virtue's levels of the participants, and if Positive Affect constituted a possible mediator. To that end, different measures were used: 419 undergraduate students completed the Spanish version of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale for emotional intelligence (TMMS, Fernández-Berrocal, Extremera &amp; Ramos, 2004). Character strenghts and virtues were assessed with the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS; Peterson, Park, &amp; Seligman, 2005), and Positive Affect (PA) was measured with the Spanish version of the Positive and Negative Affect (NA) Schedule (PANAS; Sandín et al., 1999). Our results showed a significant positive correlation between all the VIA strengths and virtues with TMMS scales Emotional Clarity and Emotion Repair. Emotional Attention showed significant correlations for all the virtues except Temperance. Further analyses demonstrated that TMMS scales predicted VIA virtues, and Positive Affect appeared as a possible mediator in the prediction of Temperance and Humanity virtues. These results support the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and strength of character, as well as the importance of Positive Affect in this relationship.<strong></strong></p>

Character strengths in Spanish music students: An exploratory study / Fortaleses de caràcter en els estudiants de música espanyols: un estudi exploratori

Summary. The factors in the choice of musical instruments and how it influences and modifies the personality of the musicians are a common theme in research. However, less attention has been given to the formative effect of music on the character of music students, whose long-term commitment to acquiring professional competences as performers, teachers, conductors or composers can be examined using the research on Positive Psychology, which is mainly concerned with furthering people’s psychological wellbeing. This paper profiles the virtues and character strengths of a sample of eighty Spanish students completing bachelor’s degrees in music during the academic year 2016-2017, using the VIA Inventory of Strengths –free version (VIA-IS) (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) to analyse the respondents’ key strengths. The survey showed high scores in judgment and lower scores in self-regulation. The results were contrasted with samples of students in bachelor’s degrees in the social sciences.Resum. Els factors que contribueixen a l’elecció dels instruments musicals i la seva influència i modificació en la personalitat dels músics són un tema comú en la recerca. Tanmateix, s’ha posat menys atenció a en aspectes com l’efecte formatiu de la música en el caràcter dels estudiants de música; el compromís d’aquestes persones amb l’adquisició de competències professionals a llarg termina com a intèrprets, professors, directors o compositors pot ser examinat aplicant la Psicologia Positiva, que s’ocupa principalment del benestar psicològic de les persones. Aquest article estudia les virtuts i les fortaleses del caràcter d’una mostra de vuitanta estudiants espanyols cursant el grau en música durant el curs 2016-2017 amb el VIA Inventory of Strengths – versió lliure (VIA-IS; Peterson & Seligman, 2004) per analitzar les fortaleses clau dels enquestats. Els resultats van mostrar puntuacions altes en judici i menors en auto-regulació. Els resultats es contrasten amb mostres d’estudiants de grau en ciències socials.