Peterson & Seligman's (2004) Classification of Character Strengths

Wisdom and Knowledge – Cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge

• Creativity (originality, ingenuity): Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things; includes artistic achievement but is not limited to it.
  

• Curiosity (interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience): Taking an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering
  

• 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
  

• Love of Learning: Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one's own or formally; obviously related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows
  

• Perspective or Wisdom: Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to other people.
  

Courage– Emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition, external or internal

• Bravery (Fortitude): Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what is right even if there is opposition; acting on convictions even if unpopular; includes physical bravery but is not limited to it
  

• Perseverance (persistence, industriousness): Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of obstacles; taking pleasure in completing tasks
  

• Honesty (authenticity, integrity): 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
  

• Zest (vitality, enthusiasm, vigor, energy): Approaching life with excitement and energy; not doing things halfway or halfheartedly; living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated
  

Humanity- Interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others

• Capacity to Love and Be Loved: Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated; being close to people
  

• Kindness (generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, kindness): Doing favors and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them
  

• Social Intelligence (emotional intelligence, personal intelligence): Being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and oneself; knowing what to do to fit into different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick
  

Temperance – Strengths that protect against excess

•  Forgiveness & Mercy: Forgiving those who have done wrong; accepting the shortcomings of others; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful
  

•  Modesty & Humility: Letting one's accomplishments speak for themselves; not regarding oneself as more special than one is
  

•  Prudence: Being careful about one's choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted
  

•  Self-discipline, Self-regulation, & Self-control: Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one's appetites and emotions
  

Transcendence - Strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning

• Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence (awe, wonder, elevation): Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience
  

• Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks
  

• Hope (optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation): Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it; believing that a good future is something that can be brought about
  

• Humor (playfulness): Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokes
  

• Religiousness & Spirituality (faith, purpose): Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape conduct and provide comfort
  

Seligman, M., & Peterson, C., (Eds.). (2004). Character strengths and virtues:
     A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University.

Below you will find character and virtue resources to help you both understand and cultivate virtue and character strengths. 

Character & Virtue Resources

Xenophon, Memorabilia, Book 2, chapter 1, section 21

 

Hercules & the Path of Virtue or Vice 

 

When Hercules was passing from adolescence to young adulthood, wherein the young, now becoming their own masters, show whether they will approach life by the path of virtue or the path of vice, he went out into a quiet place, and sat pondering which road to take. And there appeared two women of great stature making towards him. The one was fair to see and of noble bearing; and her limbs were adorned with purity, her eyes with modesty; sober was her figure, and her robe was white. The other was plump and soft, with high feeding. Her face was made up to heighten its natural white and pink, her figure to exaggerate her height. Open-eyed was she; and dressed so as to disclose all her charms. She frequently looked at herself; and frequently glanced about to see if anyone was looking at her or giving her attention; and she often stole a glance at her own shadow to admire her own shapeliness. 

 

     When the two women drew near to Hercules, the first woman maintained her stride and composure: but the other, all eager to outdo her, ran to meet him, crying: “Hercules, I see that you are in doubt which path to take towards life. Make me your friend; follow me, and I will lead you along the pleasantest and easiest road. You shall taste all the sweets of life; and hardship you shall never know.  First, of weighty matters such as wars, work, challenges, and hardships you shall not think, but shall ever be considering what choice and delicious food or drink you can find, what sight or sound will delight you, what touch or perfume; what physical sensations can give you most delightful pleasure, what bed offers the softest and most comfortable of slumbers; and how to come by all these pleasures with least amount of difficulty or work.  And should there arise any misgivings that a lack of money may stint or hamper your enjoyments, never fear that I may lead you into earning the means to entertain yourself through toil and sweat of body and soul. No; you shall have the fruits of others' toil, and refrain from nothing that can bring you pleasure or delight your senses. For to those who follow me I give authority to pluck advantage where they will not according to merit.”  Now when Hercules heard this, he asked, “Lady, what is your name?”  And the lady replied, “My friends call me Pleasure and Ease, but among those that hate me I am called Weakness, Laziness, and Vice.”

 

     Eventually the other woman drew near, and said: “I, too, come to you, Hercules: I know your parents and I have taken note of your character while you were growing up and during the time of your education. Therefore I hope, for your sake and the sake of others, that, you will take the road that leads to me, that you will grow into the doer of beautiful, noble and good deeds.  I hope that your example will lead others to see clearly the blessings I bestow. But I will not deceive you by a pleasant prelude: I will rather tell you about truth and reality and about how things really are without deception.  For of all things good and fair, the gods give nothing to man without toil and sweat. If you want what is truly good and that which leads to happiness in truth, you must do the good to earn it. If you desire the love of friends, you must do good and be loving to your friends; if you desire to be honorable, you must always act honorably; if you desire to be of strong body and mind, healthy, and virtuous you must do what actually is strenuous and difficult in the pursuit of strength, health and all that is noble and best, even when or especially when it is very difficult.  If you want land to yield you fruits in abundance, you must cultivate it with toil and sweat.  If you want to use your intelligence to make a living you must cultivate your knowledge through arduous study which requires self-discipline and long hours.  If you want to be a protector of others you may need to put yourself in harm’s way and may even need to wage war upon those who would harm the helpless and rule with injustice, for this you would need to learn the arts of war from those who know them and must practice their right use: and if you want your body to be strong, you must accustom your body to be the servant of your mind, and train it with toil and sweat.

 

       And Vice said, Hercules, mark you how hard and long is that road to joy, of which this woman tells? But I will lead you by a short and easy road to happiness. And Virtue said: What good thing is thine, poor wretch, or what pleasant thing dost thou know, if thou wilt do naught to win them? Thou dost not even tarry for the desire of pleasant things, but fillest thyself with all things before thou desirest them, eating before thou art hungry, drinking before thou art thirsty, getting thee cooks, to give zest to eating, buying thee costly wines and running to and fro in search of snow in summer, to give zest to drinking; to soothe thy slumbers it is not enough for thee to buy soft coverlets, but thou must have frames for thy beds. For not toil, but the tedium of having nothing to do, makes thee long for sleep. Thou dost rouse lust by many a trick, when there is no need, using men as women: thus thou trainest thy friends, waxing wanton by night, consuming in sleep the best hours of day. Immortal art thou, yet the outcast of the gods, the scorn of good men. Praise, sweetest of all things to hear, thou hearest not: the sweetest of all sights thou beholdest not, for never yet hast thou beheld a good work wrought by thyself. Who will believe what thou dost say? who will grant what thou dost ask? Or what sane man will dare join thy throng? While thy votaries are young their bodies are weak, when they wax old, their souls are without sense; idle and sleek they thrive in youth, withered and weary they journey through old age, and their past deeds bring them shame, their present deeds distress. Pleasure they ran through in their youth: hardship they laid up for their old age. But I company with gods and good men, and no fair deed of god or man is done without my aid. I am first in honor among the gods and among men that are akin to me: to craftsmen a beloved fellow-worker, to masters a faithful guardian of the house, to servants a kindly protector: good helpmate in the toils of peace, staunch ally in the deeds of war, best partner in friendship. To my friends meat and drink bring sweet and simple enjoyment: for they wait till they crave them. And a sweeter sleep falls on them than on idle folk: they are not vexed at awaking from it, nor for its sake do they neglect to do their duties. The young rejoice to win the praise of the old; the elders are glad to be honored by the young; with joy they recall their deeds past, and their present well-doing is joy to them, for through me they are dear to the gods, lovely to friends, precious to their native land. And when comes the appointed end, they lie not forgotten and dishonored, but live on, sung and remembered for all time. O Hercules, you are the son of goodly parents, if you will work very hard on cultivating your strengths then you may have for thine own the most blessed happiness.

 

 
 

 

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