VIA Strengths

What It Measures

The VIA (Values in Action) Character Strengths assessment identifies your signature strengths from 24 universally valued character strengths organized under 6 core virtues. Unlike assessments that focus on problems or deficits, VIA takes a positive psychology approach by identifying what's best in you.

The 24 Character Strengths

Wisdom & Knowledge (Cognitive Strengths)

1. Creativity - Thinking of novel and productive ways to do things
2. Curiosity - Taking an interest in experience; exploring and discovering
3. Judgment - Thinking things through and examining them from all sides
4. Love of Learning - Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge
5. Perspective - Being able to provide wise counsel to others

Courage (Emotional Strengths)

1. Bravery - Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain
2. Perseverance - Finishing what one starts; persistence
3. Honesty - Speaking the truth and presenting oneself genuinely
4. Zest - Approaching life with excitement and energy

Humanity (Interpersonal Strengths)

1. Love - Valuing close relations with others
2. Kindness - Doing favors and good deeds for others
3. Social Intelligence - Being aware of motives and feelings of self and others

Justice (Civic Strengths)

1. Teamwork - Working well as a member of a group or team
2. Fairness - Treating all people fairly according to justice and fairness
3. Leadership - Organizing group activities and seeing that they happen

Temperance (Strengths of Self-Protection)

1. Forgiveness - Forgiving those who have done wrong
2. Humility - Letting accomplishments speak for themselves
3. Prudence - Being careful about choices; not taking undue risks
4. Self-Regulation - Regulating what one feels and does

Transcendence (Strengths that Forge Connections)

1. Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence - Noticing and appreciating beauty and excellence
2. Gratitude - Being aware of and thankful for good things
3. Hope - Expecting the best and working to achieve it
4. Humor - Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to others
5. Spirituality - Having beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of life

History & Research Foundation

• Founders: Dr. Martin Seligman and Dr. Christopher Peterson
• Launched: 2004 by VIA Institute on Character
• Research Base: 3+ years of research reviewing virtue traditions across cultures and history
• Validation: Over 20 million assessments taken worldwide in 190+ countries
• Cross-Cultural: Strengths found to be universal across cultures and religions

Scientific Validity

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highest Rating

• Reliability: High internal consistency and test-retest reliability
• Validity: Strong convergent and discriminant validity
• Cross-Cultural: Validated across diverse populations
• Research: Thousands of peer-reviewed studies on character strengths

Understanding Your Results

Signature Strengths (Top 5-7)

• Core to who you are
• Energizing and authentic when using them
• Easy to develop further
• Feel natural and essential

Middle Strengths

• Available when needed
• May require more effort to use
• Can be developed with practice
• Situationally dependent

Lesser Strengths (Bottom 5-7)

• Not central to your identity
• May feel draining to use extensively
• Still valuable when needed
• Can be developed if desired

Key Principles

All 24 are strengths - No strength is better than another

Context matters - Different situations call for different strengths

Overuse is possible - Even signature strengths can be overused

Balance is important - Optimal well-being comes from using multiple strengths

Use Cases

Personal Development

• Identify and leverage your natural talents
• Build confidence by recognizing what you do well
• Set goals that align with your strengths
• Create routines that energize rather than drain

Career & Work

• Choose careers that use your signature strengths
• Find meaning and engagement at work
• Improve job crafting and role design
• Enhance performance and satisfaction

Relationships

• Appreciate diversity of strengths in others
• Communicate more effectively
• Resolve conflicts by understanding different approaches
• Build stronger partnerships and teams

Mental Health & Well-Being

• Increase life satisfaction and happiness
• Build resilience during challenging times
• Reduce depression and anxiety
• Enhance meaning and purpose

Education

• Tailor learning approaches to student strengths
• Increase engagement and motivation
• Build character and ethical development
• Improve academic performance

Key Insights

Strengths-Based Approach: Focusing on strengths is more effective for growth than fixing weaknesses.

Universal Yet Unique: All humans share these 24 strengths, but in different combinations and intensities.

Dynamic Not Static: Strengths can be developed and may shift in ranking over time.

Balanced Use: Using multiple strengths in combination leads to best outcomes.

Overuse Warning: Even signature strengths can become liabilities when overused (e.g., bravery becoming recklessness).

Research-Backed Benefits

Using signature strengths leads to:

• Increased happiness and life satisfaction
• Greater work engagement and meaning
• Improved relationships and social connections
• Enhanced resilience and stress management
• Better academic and job performance
• Reduced depression and anxiety

Limitations

• Self-Report: Relies on accurate self-assessment
• Cultural Variation: Some strengths may be valued differently across cultures
• Context Dependency: Strengths may manifest differently in different situations
• Not Comprehensive: Doesn't capture all aspects of personality or ability

Practical Applications

Daily Practice

• Use a signature strength in a new way each day
• Notice when you're energized vs. drained
• Reflect on which strengths you used during peak experiences
• Share strengths with others to build connections

Problem-Solving

• Apply signature strengths to current challenges
• Identify which strengths could help overcome obstacles
• Combine multiple strengths for creative solutions
• Learn from how others use different strengths

Goal Setting

• Set goals that leverage your signature strengths
• Identify which strengths you want to develop
• Create action plans aligned with your natural talents
• Track progress using strengths-based metrics

Complementary Assessments

Pair VIA Strengths with:

• Big Five - Understand personality traits alongside character strengths
• Strengths Profile (CliftonStrengths) - Explore talent themes for career application
• Grit Scale - Measure perseverance and passion for long-term goals
• Emotional Intelligence - Develop emotional and social competencies

Further Reading

• Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification
• Niemiec, R. M. (2018). Character Strengths Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners
• Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). Practicing Positive Psychology Coaching
• VIA Institute: www.viacharacter.org

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The VIA Character Strengths assessment empowers you to understand and leverage what's best in you, leading to greater well-being, engagement, and flourishing.