ABSTRACT

While character strengths are expected to contribute to the ‘good life,’ they also may serve specific purposes (e.g., the strength of curiosity should support the acquisition and use of knowledge). This study explored the potential functions of character strengths from a within-person perspective. We used a literature review and qualitative and quantitative surveys to determine potential functions. This resulted in 17 distinguishable functions (e.g., ‘feeling free and independent’). We used a diary study that included N = 196 participants (84.4% women, mean age: 25.68 years) who reported their daily character strength enactments and their experiences of the functions for 14 consecutive days. Our results suggested that the enactment of character strengths was positively related to several functions. However, the character strengths also showed distinguishable patterns of relationships with the functions, which were largely in line with – but not limited to – the functions suggested in the VIA classification.

摘要

虽然人们期望性格优势有助于“美好生活”，但它们也可能服务于特定目的（例如，好奇心的力量应该支持知识的获取和使用）。本研究从个人的角度探讨了性格优势的潜在功能。我们使用文献综述以及定性和定量调查来确定潜在功能。这导致了 17 个可区分的功能（例如，“感觉自由和独立”）。我们使用了一项日记研究，其中包括N= 196 名参与者（84.4% 女性，平均年龄：25.68 岁），他们连续 14 天报告了他们每天的性格强度表现和功能体验。我们的结果表明，性格优势的制定与几个功能正相关。然而，性格优势也显示出与功能的可区分关系模式，这在很大程度上符合 - 但不限于 - VIA 分类中建议的功能。