Is Good Character All that Counts? A Comparison Between the Predictive Role of Specific Strengths and a General Factor of "Good Character" Using a Bifactor Model.

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Title: Is Good Character All that Counts? A Comparison Between the Predictive Role of Specific Strengths and a General Factor of "Good Character" Using a Bifactor Model.
Authors: Feraco, Tommaso (AUTHOR), Casali, Nicole (AUTHOR), Meneghetti, Chiara (AUTHOR), Greiff, Samuel (AUTHOR), Cona, Giorgia (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Happiness Studies. Oct2023, Vol. 24 Issue 7, p2353-2376. 24p. 4 Charts, 2 Graphs.
Subjects: Gratitude, Life satisfaction, Well-being, Mental health, Positive psychology
Abstract: Character strengths have been found to consistently predict many positive psychological outcomes, such as well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health, but research on the topic is still at its infancy and some methodological limitations must be overcome to better understand what character strengths are and what is their role. One main issue concerns the structure of character strengths and virtues, which may undermine the credibility and replicability of previous findings. Using two different samples (with 13,439 and 944 participants), we confirm that character strengths can be well described by a bifactor model reflecting the simultaneous existence of a general factor of 'good character' and the 24 specific character strengths. We found that the general factor consistently predicts participants' life satisfaction, mental health, and distress symptoms. In addition, we show that the specific character strengths (with the few exceptions represented by gratitude, hope, and zest) do not predict life satisfaction and mental health above and beyond the general factor. These results highlight the need to better understand what this general factor really represents to finally capture the mechanisms linking character strengths between each other and with external outcomes. Implications for the measurement and interpretation of character strengths and for strength-based interventions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Happiness Studies is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Is Good Character All that Counts? A Comparison Between the Predictive Role of Specific Strengths and a General Factor of "Good Character" Using a Bifactor Model.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Feraco%2C+Tommaso%22">Feraco, Tommaso</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Casali%2C+Nicole%22">Casali, Nicole</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Meneghetti%2C+Chiara%22">Meneghetti, Chiara</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Greiff%2C+Samuel%22">Greiff, Samuel</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cona%2C+Giorgia%22">Cona, Giorgia</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Happiness+Studies%22">Journal of Happiness Studies</searchLink>. Oct2023, Vol. 24 Issue 7, p2353-2376. 24p. 4 Charts, 2 Graphs.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gratitude%22">Gratitude</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Life+satisfaction%22">Life satisfaction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Well-being%22">Well-being</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+health%22">Mental health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Positive+psychology%22">Positive psychology</searchLink>
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  Data: Character strengths have been found to consistently predict many positive psychological outcomes, such as well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health, but research on the topic is still at its infancy and some methodological limitations must be overcome to better understand what character strengths are and what is their role. One main issue concerns the structure of character strengths and virtues, which may undermine the credibility and replicability of previous findings. Using two different samples (with 13,439 and 944 participants), we confirm that character strengths can be well described by a bifactor model reflecting the simultaneous existence of a general factor of 'good character' and the 24 specific character strengths. We found that the general factor consistently predicts participants' life satisfaction, mental health, and distress symptoms. In addition, we show that the specific character strengths (with the few exceptions represented by gratitude, hope, and zest) do not predict life satisfaction and mental health above and beyond the general factor. These results highlight the need to better understand what this general factor really represents to finally capture the mechanisms linking character strengths between each other and with external outcomes. Implications for the measurement and interpretation of character strengths and for strength-based interventions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Happiness Studies is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1007/s10902-023-00686-8
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        Text: English
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              Text: Oct2023
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