Six Virtues of Positive Psychology
- David Tyler
- Apr 10
- 4 min read
Cultivating the Good Life: Exploring the Six Virtues of Positive Psychology
I’m constantly seeking ways to help myself flourish and experience greater well-being. The field of Positive Psychology, spearheaded by pioneers like Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterson, shifted this focus towards understanding and cultivating what makes life worth living.
At the heart of this movement lies the ground-breaking work of Peterson and Seligman in their seminal book, “Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification.” They embarked on a monumental task: to identify and classify the universally valued strengths that contribute to human flourishing. Their research, drawing from philosophical, religious, and psychological traditions across cultures, led to the identification of six overarching virtues, each encompassing a cluster of related character strengths.
Understanding these virtues and their associated strengths can provide a powerful framework for personal growth, resilience, and overall life satisfaction. Let’s delve into each of these pillars of a positive life:
Wisdom and Knowledge: This virtue encompasses strengths related to the acquisition and use of knowledge. It’s about our cognitive strengths and how we engage with the world intellectually.
Strengths:
Creativity: Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things.
Curiosity: Taking an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering.
Open-mindedness: 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; related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows.
Perspective: 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: This virtue involves emotional strengths that entail the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition, external or internal. It’s about facing our fears and persevering.
Strengths:
Bravery (Valour): Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; acting on convictions even if unpopular; includes physical bravery but is not limited to it.
Persistence (Perseverance, Industriousness): Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of obstacles; “getting it out the door”; taking pleasure in completing tasks.
Integrity (Authenticity, Honesty): Speaking the truth but more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way and acting in a sincere way; being without pretence; taking responsibility for one’s feelings and actions.
Vitality (Zest, Enthusiasm, Vigour, Energy): Feeling alive and full of energy; not feeling dull or bored; approaching life as an adventure; acting with excitement and energy.
Humanity: This virtue pertains to interpersonal strengths involving tending to and befriending others. It’s about our capacity for compassion and connection.
Strengths:
Love: Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated; being near to people.
Kindness (Generosity, Nurturance, Care, Compassion, Altruistic Love, “Niceness”): Doing favours and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them.
Social Intelligence (Social Awareness): Being aware of the motives and feelings of other people; knowing how to fit in; knowing what to do in different social situations; being attuned to the subtleties of interpersonal interaction.
Justice: This virtue encompasses civic strengths that underlie healthy community life. It’s about fairness and equity in our interactions.
Strengths:
Citizenship (Social Responsibility, Loyalty, Teamwork): Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group; doing one’s share.
Fairness: Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chance.
Leadership: Organizing group activities and seeing that they happen; includes both relational aspects (motivating, organizing, encouraging) and task-related aspects (planning, implementing).
Temperance: This virtue describes strengths that protect us against excess. It’s about moderation and self-control.
Strengths:
Forgiveness and Mercy: Pardoning those who have done wrong; accepting others’ shortcomings; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful.
Humility/Modesty: Letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves; not regarding oneself as more special than one is.
Prudence: Being careful about one’s choices; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted; being self-disciplined.
Self-Regulation (Self-Control): Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one’s appetites and emotions.
Transcendence: This virtue involves strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning. It’s about finding purpose and connection beyond oneself.
Strengths:
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.
Humour (Playfulness): Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side—making (not necessarily telling) jokes.
Spirituality (Sense of Purpose, Faith, Religiousness): 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.
By understanding these six virtues and their 24 character strengths, we gain valuable insights into what constitutes human flourishing. Identifying and cultivating our own signature strengths – those that are most energizing and authentic to us – can lead to greater happiness, engagement, and meaning in our lives.
we can utilise this framework to help individuals understand their inherent potential and actively build a more positive and fulfilling existence. The work of Peterson and Seligman has provided us with a powerful lens through which to view human strengths, reminding us that the good life is not just the absence of the bad, but the active cultivation of the best within us.
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