Relations between character strengths and subjective well-being in children and adolescents: A brief overview
Main Article Content
Abstract
This brief overview focuses on the relations between character strengths and subjective well-being in children and adolescents. The VIA classification of good character encompasses 24 character strengths, positive personality traits that contribute to a good life, which includes but is not limited to satisfaction, happiness, and success. Subjective well-being is a multi-dimensional construct that can be differentiated into positive and negative affect as well as global and domain-specific satisfaction. Cross-national results show that specific character strengths are positively related to positive affect, global life satisfaction, and domain-specific satisfaction. Furthermore, specific character strengths are negatively related to negative affect. Effect sizes are typically small to medium in magnitude. It is concluded that character strengths are clearly relevant correlates of young people’s subjective well-being. Because most - albeit not all - of the results are based on cross-sectional data, more longitudinal studies are needed to further validate these important findings. Nevertheless, the reported findings suggest that it could be very helpful for health-related and other youth-related professionals to be aware of a child or adolescent’s character strengths in order to better interpret their level of subjective well-being.
Keywords:
character strengths, subjective well-being, positive affect, negative affect, life satisfaction, domain-specific satisfaction, childhood, adolescence
Article Details
How to Cite
WEBER, Marco.
Relations between character strengths and subjective well-being in children and adolescents: A brief overview.
Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 9, n. 6, june 2021.
ISSN 2375-1924.
Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/2427>. Date accessed: 21 nov. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v9i6.2427.
Section
Review Articles
The Medical Research Archives grants authors the right to publish and reproduce the unrevised contribution in whole or in part at any time and in any form for any scholarly non-commercial purpose with the condition that all publications of the contribution include a full citation to the journal as published by the Medical Research Archives.
References
1. DeNeve KM, Cooper H. The happy personality: A meta-analysis of 137 personality traits and subjective well-being. Psychol Bull. 1998;124:197-229.
2. Proctor CL, Linley PA, Maltby J. Youth life satisfaction: A review of the literature. J Happiness Stud. 2009;10:583-630.
3. Weber M, Huebner ES. Early adolescents' personality and life satisfaction: A closer look at global vs. domain-specific satisfaction. Pers Individ Dif. 2015;83:31-6.
4. Ovejero Bruna MM, Cardenal Hernáez V, Ortiz-Tallo M. Fortalezas humanas y bienestar biopsicosocial: Revisión sistemática [Character strengths and biopsychosocial well-being: A systematic review]. Escr Psicol. 2016;9:4-14.
5. Lyubomirsky S, King L, Diener E. The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychol Bull. 2005;131:803-55.
6. Peterson C, Seligman MEP. Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 2004.
7. Park N, Peterson C. Moral competence and character strengths among adolescents: The development and validation of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth. J Adolesc. 2006;29:891-909.
8. Proyer RT, Ruch W, Buschor C. Testing strengths-based interventions: A preliminary study on the effectiveness of a program targeting curiosity, gratitude, hope, humor, and zest for enhancing life satisfaction. J Happiness Stud. 2013;14:275-92.
9. Peterson C. A primer in positive psychology. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 2006.
10. Diener E, Suh EM, Lucas RE, Smith HL. Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychol Bull. 1999;125:276-302.
11. Watson D, Clark LA, Tellegen A. Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988;54:1063-70.
12. Diener E, Emmons RA, Larsen RJ, Griffin S. The satisfaction with life scale. J Pers Assess. 1985;49:71-5.
13. Dametto D M, Noronha APP. Character strengths and subjective well-being in adolescence. Estudos de Psicologia. 2019;24:340-8.
14. Shoshani A. Young children’s character strengths and emotional well-being: Development of the Character Strengths Inventory for Early Childhood (CSI-EC). J Posit Psychol. 2018;14:86-102.
15. Shoshani A, Shwartz L. From character strengths to children’s well-being: Development and validation of the Character Strengths Inventory for Elementary School Children. Front Psychol. 2018;9:2123.
16. Shoshani A., Slone M. Middle school transition from the strengths perspective: Young adolescents’ character strengths, subjective well-being, and school adjustment. J Happiness Stud. 2013;14:1163-81.
17. Weber M, Ruch W, LittmanOvadia H, Lavy S, Gai, O. Relationships among higher-order strengths-factors, subjective well-being, and general self-efficacy - The case of Israeli adolescents. Pers Individ Dif. 2013;55:322-7.
18. Weber M, Wagner L, Ruch W. Positive feelings at school: On the relationships between students’ character strengths, school-related affect, and school functioning. J Happiness Stud. 2016;17:341-55.
19. Van Eeden C, Wissing MP, Dreyer J, Park N, Peterson C. Validation of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth (VIA-Youth) Among South African learners. J Psychol Afr. 2008;18:143-54.
20. Chaves C, Hervas G, García FE, Vazquez C. Building life satisfaction through well-being dimensions: A longitudinal study in children with a life-threatening illness. J Happiness Stud. 2015;17:1051-67.
21. Giménez M. La medida de las fortalezas psicológicas en adolescentes (VIA-Youth): Relación con clima familiar, psicopatología y bienestar psicológico. Doctoral dissertation, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; 2010. https://eprints.ucm.es/11578/1/T32253.pdf
22. Cohen J. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. 2nd ed. Hillsdale (NJ): Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 1988.
23. Grinhauz AS. El estudio de las fortalezas del carácter en niños: Relaciones con el bienestar psicológico, la deseabilidad social y la personalidad. Psicodebate. 2015;15:43-68.
24. Toner E, Haslam N, Robinson J, Williams P. Character strengths and wellbeing in adolescence: Structure and correlates of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Children. Pers Individ Dif. 2012;52:637-42.
25. Ruch W, Weber M, Park N, & Peterson C. Character strengths in children and adolescents: Reliability and initial validity of the German Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth (German VIA-Youth). Eur J Psychol Assess. 2014;30:57-64.
26. Weber M, Ruch W. The role of character strengths in adolescent romantic relationships: An initial study on partner selection and mates’ life satisfaction. J Adolesc. 2012;35:1537-46.
27. Abasimi E, Gai X, Wang G. Character strengths and life satisfaction of high school students. Int J Appl Psychol. 2017;7:36-43.
28. Datu JAD, Bernardo ABI. The blessings of social-oriented virtues: Interpersonal character strengths are linked to increased life satisfaction and academic success among Filipino high school students. Soc Psychol Personal Sci. 2020;11:983-90.
29. Blanca MJ, Ferragut M, Ortiz-Tallo M, Bendayan R. Life satisfaction and character strengths in Spanish early adolescents. J Happiness Stud. 2017;19:1247-60.
30. Gimenez M, Hervas G, Vazquez C. Human strengths and life satisfaction in adolescents. Poster presented at the 5th European Conference on Positive Psychology; 2010 June 23-26; Copenhagen, Denmark.
31. Kabakci OF, Ergene T, Dogan N. Character strengths in Turkey: Initial adaptation study of Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth (VIA-Youth) and life satisfaction in young people. Int J Educ Method. 2019;5:489-501.
32. Dahlsgaard KK. Is virtue more than its own reward? Character strengths and their relation to well -being in a prospective longitudinal study of middle school-aged adolescents. Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania; 2005. https://search.proquest.com/docview/305446183?accountid=11210
33. Gillham J, Adams-Deutsch Z, Werner J, Reivich K, Coulter-Heindl V, Linkins M et al.. Character strengths predict subjective well-being during adolescence. J Posit Psychol. 2011;6:31-44.
34. Huebner ES. Preliminary development and validation of a multidimensional life satisfaction scale for children. Psychol Assess. 1994;6:149-58.
35. Wagner L. Good character is what we look for in a friend: Character strengths are positively related to peer acceptance and friendship quality in early adolescents. J Early Adolesc. 2019;39:864-903.
36. Weber M. Examining positive schooling: On the relations between character strengths, school satisfaction, enjoyment of learning, academic self-efficacy, and school achievement. Paper presented at the 9th European Conference on Positive Psychology; 2018 June 27-30; Budapest, Hungary.
37. Weber M, Ruch W. Das gute Leben bei Kindern und Jugendlichen [The good life of children and adolescents]. Psychologie und Erziehung. 2009;35:21-39.
38. Weber M, Ruch W. The role of a good character in 12-year-old school children: Do character strengths matter in the classroom? Child Indic Res. 2012;5:317-34.
2. Proctor CL, Linley PA, Maltby J. Youth life satisfaction: A review of the literature. J Happiness Stud. 2009;10:583-630.
3. Weber M, Huebner ES. Early adolescents' personality and life satisfaction: A closer look at global vs. domain-specific satisfaction. Pers Individ Dif. 2015;83:31-6.
4. Ovejero Bruna MM, Cardenal Hernáez V, Ortiz-Tallo M. Fortalezas humanas y bienestar biopsicosocial: Revisión sistemática [Character strengths and biopsychosocial well-being: A systematic review]. Escr Psicol. 2016;9:4-14.
5. Lyubomirsky S, King L, Diener E. The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychol Bull. 2005;131:803-55.
6. Peterson C, Seligman MEP. Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 2004.
7. Park N, Peterson C. Moral competence and character strengths among adolescents: The development and validation of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth. J Adolesc. 2006;29:891-909.
8. Proyer RT, Ruch W, Buschor C. Testing strengths-based interventions: A preliminary study on the effectiveness of a program targeting curiosity, gratitude, hope, humor, and zest for enhancing life satisfaction. J Happiness Stud. 2013;14:275-92.
9. Peterson C. A primer in positive psychology. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 2006.
10. Diener E, Suh EM, Lucas RE, Smith HL. Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychol Bull. 1999;125:276-302.
11. Watson D, Clark LA, Tellegen A. Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988;54:1063-70.
12. Diener E, Emmons RA, Larsen RJ, Griffin S. The satisfaction with life scale. J Pers Assess. 1985;49:71-5.
13. Dametto D M, Noronha APP. Character strengths and subjective well-being in adolescence. Estudos de Psicologia. 2019;24:340-8.
14. Shoshani A. Young children’s character strengths and emotional well-being: Development of the Character Strengths Inventory for Early Childhood (CSI-EC). J Posit Psychol. 2018;14:86-102.
15. Shoshani A, Shwartz L. From character strengths to children’s well-being: Development and validation of the Character Strengths Inventory for Elementary School Children. Front Psychol. 2018;9:2123.
16. Shoshani A., Slone M. Middle school transition from the strengths perspective: Young adolescents’ character strengths, subjective well-being, and school adjustment. J Happiness Stud. 2013;14:1163-81.
17. Weber M, Ruch W, LittmanOvadia H, Lavy S, Gai, O. Relationships among higher-order strengths-factors, subjective well-being, and general self-efficacy - The case of Israeli adolescents. Pers Individ Dif. 2013;55:322-7.
18. Weber M, Wagner L, Ruch W. Positive feelings at school: On the relationships between students’ character strengths, school-related affect, and school functioning. J Happiness Stud. 2016;17:341-55.
19. Van Eeden C, Wissing MP, Dreyer J, Park N, Peterson C. Validation of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth (VIA-Youth) Among South African learners. J Psychol Afr. 2008;18:143-54.
20. Chaves C, Hervas G, García FE, Vazquez C. Building life satisfaction through well-being dimensions: A longitudinal study in children with a life-threatening illness. J Happiness Stud. 2015;17:1051-67.
21. Giménez M. La medida de las fortalezas psicológicas en adolescentes (VIA-Youth): Relación con clima familiar, psicopatología y bienestar psicológico. Doctoral dissertation, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; 2010. https://eprints.ucm.es/11578/1/T32253.pdf
22. Cohen J. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. 2nd ed. Hillsdale (NJ): Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 1988.
23. Grinhauz AS. El estudio de las fortalezas del carácter en niños: Relaciones con el bienestar psicológico, la deseabilidad social y la personalidad. Psicodebate. 2015;15:43-68.
24. Toner E, Haslam N, Robinson J, Williams P. Character strengths and wellbeing in adolescence: Structure and correlates of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Children. Pers Individ Dif. 2012;52:637-42.
25. Ruch W, Weber M, Park N, & Peterson C. Character strengths in children and adolescents: Reliability and initial validity of the German Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth (German VIA-Youth). Eur J Psychol Assess. 2014;30:57-64.
26. Weber M, Ruch W. The role of character strengths in adolescent romantic relationships: An initial study on partner selection and mates’ life satisfaction. J Adolesc. 2012;35:1537-46.
27. Abasimi E, Gai X, Wang G. Character strengths and life satisfaction of high school students. Int J Appl Psychol. 2017;7:36-43.
28. Datu JAD, Bernardo ABI. The blessings of social-oriented virtues: Interpersonal character strengths are linked to increased life satisfaction and academic success among Filipino high school students. Soc Psychol Personal Sci. 2020;11:983-90.
29. Blanca MJ, Ferragut M, Ortiz-Tallo M, Bendayan R. Life satisfaction and character strengths in Spanish early adolescents. J Happiness Stud. 2017;19:1247-60.
30. Gimenez M, Hervas G, Vazquez C. Human strengths and life satisfaction in adolescents. Poster presented at the 5th European Conference on Positive Psychology; 2010 June 23-26; Copenhagen, Denmark.
31. Kabakci OF, Ergene T, Dogan N. Character strengths in Turkey: Initial adaptation study of Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth (VIA-Youth) and life satisfaction in young people. Int J Educ Method. 2019;5:489-501.
32. Dahlsgaard KK. Is virtue more than its own reward? Character strengths and their relation to well -being in a prospective longitudinal study of middle school-aged adolescents. Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania; 2005. https://search.proquest.com/docview/305446183?accountid=11210
33. Gillham J, Adams-Deutsch Z, Werner J, Reivich K, Coulter-Heindl V, Linkins M et al.. Character strengths predict subjective well-being during adolescence. J Posit Psychol. 2011;6:31-44.
34. Huebner ES. Preliminary development and validation of a multidimensional life satisfaction scale for children. Psychol Assess. 1994;6:149-58.
35. Wagner L. Good character is what we look for in a friend: Character strengths are positively related to peer acceptance and friendship quality in early adolescents. J Early Adolesc. 2019;39:864-903.
36. Weber M. Examining positive schooling: On the relations between character strengths, school satisfaction, enjoyment of learning, academic self-efficacy, and school achievement. Paper presented at the 9th European Conference on Positive Psychology; 2018 June 27-30; Budapest, Hungary.
37. Weber M, Ruch W. Das gute Leben bei Kindern und Jugendlichen [The good life of children and adolescents]. Psychologie und Erziehung. 2009;35:21-39.
38. Weber M, Ruch W. The role of a good character in 12-year-old school children: Do character strengths matter in the classroom? Child Indic Res. 2012;5:317-34.