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Character strength traits, states, and emotional well-being – A daily diary study
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Abstract
Personality traits vary both between and within people. This study examines the daily within- and between-person variability of positively valued lower-order personality traits, namely character strengths, their convergence with trait character strengths, and their relationships to daily measures of affect. German-speaking participants (N = 172, 84.2% women; mean age = 25.5 years) participated in a two-week daily diary study. They completed a measure of character strength traits at baseline and daily measures of character strength states and positive and negative affect. Results suggested that character strength traits converged well with aggregated states. Overall, we found high within-person variability in most character strengths. Within-person associations with affect were widely parallel to previously reported between-person associations. Also, these associations were widely independent of trait levels of character strengths for most strengths. Thus, for instance, behaving more gratefully than usual is as beneficial to the habitually grateful as to the ungrateful. Finally, within-person variability in character strengths goes along with higher scores in trait levels of perspective and other strengths and might be considered adaptive. Our findings inform further research on the whole-trait theory and character-strengths-based interventions.
... The implications of distinguishing between tonic and phasic strengths for the accurate measurement of character strengths remain largely unexplored. Emerging preliminary research does suggest that certain strengths are situation-dependent while others are consistently expressed across various life contexts (Arbenz et al., 2022;Harzer & Ruch, 2013;Stuntz, 2019;Wagner & Gander, 2022). For example, Harzer and Ruch (2013) observed that some strengths, such as love, spirituality, or gratitude, are infrequently expressed in the workplace, whereas others like curiosity, integrity, and fairness are widely manifested in both professional and private settings. ...
... This nuanced differentiation between phasic and tonic strengths is conspicuously absent in most existing questionnaires, which often operate on the implicit assumption that all strengths are tonic in nature. This assumption, however, may be wrong, since for more phasic strengths like bravery, self-regulation, and citizenship, correlations between trait scores as measured by typical instruments and aggregated state measures seem to be substantially smaller than those in tonic strengths (Wagner & Gander, 2022). In sum, while the effectiveness of our questionnaires may imply that a tonic component exists for all character strengths, the relationship between these tonic aspects and phasic counterparts largely remains an open question. ...
While both practitioners and the public regard character strengths positively, some psychologists and philosophers harbor skepticism. In this analytical commentary on current research and literature, we trace such skepticism to a premature focus on positive outcomes, which eclipsed the theoretical groundwork outlined in the 2004 handbook. We propose solutions to ten key issues which, in our estimation, not only sustain this skepticism but also hinder meaningful advancement in the field of character strengths research: (1) Criteria evaluation, (2) Virtue functions, (3) Situational affordances, (4) Content validity, (5) Criterion validity, (6) Fulfillment conceptualization, (7) Adverse outcome modeling (8) Moral excellency, (9) Strengths conservatism, and (10) Methodological mainstream thinking. We contend that resolving these issues is necessary to uphold the standing of character strengths and positive psychology among its counterparts, and to establish a potent foundation for effective character development.
Introduction
The adaptation of own plans and behaviors to new circumstances seems to be a desirable personal quality in the modern world. it has been assumed that adaptability cannot be transferred to a single character strength.
Methods
The present research examines this assumption using typical and daily behaviors of three aspects of flexibility (predictability, adaptability and orderliness) and 24 character strengths across two studies (N1 = 283, N2 = 188).
Results
Flexibility showed a consistent and large overlap with character strengths. Adaptability was positively related to most of the strengths. Predictability was positively related to humility and prudence, and orderliness to perseverance, prudence, and selfregulation.
Discussion
These results support our initial assumption and build a strong basis for further examining the relationships and interplay between flexibility and character strengths. They also constitute an important first step toward integrative positive interventions that target relevant aspects of flexibility and character.
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