IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/edt/aucspp/v45y2023i2p70-79.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

About Kindness As A Character Trait. An Exploratory Study

Author

Listed:
  • Razvan-Alexandru CALIN

    (Teaching Training Department, University of Craiova, Romania)

Abstract

Kindness is a subject of study that is equally concerned with psychology, religion, philosophy, or pedagogy. Seen through the prism of the significantly different explanations and meanings associated with these sciences, the debate over its innate or acquired character and the research conducted on the benefits of practicing kindness, represent as many points of departure for our scientific approach, which seeks to identify the defining components of kindness, such as are they currently felt by young people in Romania. To achieve this objective, following an exploratory study, there were identified a series of attributes/behaviors of a good person, and organized in the form of a list of qualities, as they were detected after interviewing several 545 young people, students at several faculties of the University of Craiova. The conclusions regarding the possibility of acquiring these qualities through training, our vision regarding the referred subject as well as the openings to future interesting areas of exploration regarding kindness as a character trait, conclude this non-exhaustive material, which, however, aimed to reflect a current reality regarding the researched subject.

Suggested Citation

  • Razvan-Alexandru CALIN, 2023. "About Kindness As A Character Trait. An Exploratory Study," Annals of the University of Craiova, Series Psychology, Pedagogy, Teacher Training Department, University of Craiova, vol. 45(2), pages 70-79, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:edt:aucspp:v:45:y:2023:i:2:p:70-79
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://aucpp.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/6.-CALIN_AUC_PP_2023_no_45_issue_2_pp_70-79.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Keiko Otake & Satoshi Shimai & Junko Tanaka-Matsumi & Kanako Otsui & Barbara Fredrickson, 2006. "Happy People Become Happier through Kindness: A Counting Kindnesses Intervention," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 361-375, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Vasoontara Yiengprugsawan & Boonchai Somboonsook & Sam-ang Seubsman & Adrian Sleigh, 2012. "Happiness, Mental Health, and Socio-Demographic Associations Among a National Cohort of Thai Adults," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 13(6), pages 1019-1029, December.
    2. Holli-Anne Passmore & Ying Yang & Sarena Sabine, 2022. "An Extended Replication Study of the Well-Being Intervention, the Noticing Nature Intervention (NNI)," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 2663-2683, August.
    3. Carmel Proctor & John Maltby & P. Linley, 2011. "Strengths Use as a Predictor of Well-Being and Health-Related Quality of Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 153-169, March.
    4. Schippers, M.C., 2017. "IKIGAI: Reflection on Life Goals Optimizes Performance and Happiness," ERIM Inaugural Address Series Research in Management EIA-2017-070-LIS, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam..
    5. Sara Erreygers & Heidi Vandebosch & Ivana Vranjes & Elfi Baillien & Hans Witte, 2019. "Feel Good, Do Good Online? Spillover and Crossover Effects of Happiness on Adolescents’ Online Prosocial Behavior," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 1241-1258, April.
    6. N. Rickard & D. Vella-Brodrick, 2014. "Changes in Well-Being: Complementing a Psychosocial Approach with Neurobiological Insights," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 117(2), pages 437-457, June.
    7. Jesus Alfonso D. Datu & Xunyi Lin, 2022. "The Mental Health Benefits of kind University Climate: Perception of Kindness at University Relates to Longitudinal Increases in Well-Being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(3), pages 1663-1680, June.
    8. Fabian Gander & René Proyer & Willibald Ruch & Tobias Wyss, 2013. "Strength-Based Positive Interventions: Further Evidence for Their Potential in Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depression," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 1241-1259, August.
    9. Katie J. Shillington & Andrew M. Johnson & Tara Mantler & Shauna M. Burke & Jennifer D. Irwin, 2021. "Kindness as an Intervention for Student Social Interaction Anxiety, Resilience, Affect, and Mood: The KISS of Kindness Study II," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 3631-3661, December.
    10. Jing Xiao & Chuanyi Tang & Soyeon Shim, 2009. "Acting for Happiness: Financial Behavior and Life Satisfaction of College Students," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 92(1), pages 53-68, May.
    11. L. Lambert & H.-A. Passmore & N. Scull & I. Al Sabah & R. Hussain, 2019. "Wellbeing Matters in Kuwait: The Alnowair’s Bareec Education Initiative," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 143(2), pages 741-763, June.
    12. Gul Gunaydin & Hazal Oztekin & Deniz Hazal Karabulut & Selin Salman-Engin, 2021. "Minimal Social Interactions with Strangers Predict Greater Subjective Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1839-1853, April.
    13. Henry C. Y. Ho & Wai Kai Hou & Kai-Tak POON & Angel N. M. Leung & Joyce L. Y. Kwan, 2023. "Being Virtuous Together: A One-Year Prospective Study on Organizational Virtuousness, Well-Being, and Organizational Commitment," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 521-542, February.
    14. Jacolyn Norrish & Dianne Vella-Brodrick, 2008. "Is the Study of Happiness a Worthy Scientific Pursuit?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 87(3), pages 393-407, July.
    15. Solntsev, Ilya V.(Солнцев, Илья) & Osokin, Nikita A. (Осокин, Никита) & Taranenko, Maksim A. (Тараненко, Максим) & Zheleznyakov, Anton O. (Железняков, Антон), 2018. "Bargaining Power or Player Statistics: What Determines the Transfer Fees in Professional Football? [Переговорная Сила Или Спортивные Показатели: Что Влияет На Формирование Стоимости Трансферных Сде," Ekonomicheskaya Politika / Economic Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, vol. 4, pages 134-159, August.
    16. Kathryn Page & Dianne Vella-Brodrick, 2013. "The Working for Wellness Program: RCT of an Employee Well-Being Intervention," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 1007-1031, June.
    17. Sarinda Taengnoi, 2014. "Economic man and social woman: Determinants of immigrants' life satisfaction," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 34(3), pages 1530-1549.
    18. Andrew Howell & Karen Buro, 2015. "Measuring and Predicting Student Well-Being: Further Evidence in Support of the Flourishing Scale and the Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 121(3), pages 903-915, April.
    19. Dariusz Drążkowski & Radosław Trepanowski, 2022. "A Longitudinal Experimental Study Examining How and Whether Practicing Acts of Kindness Affects Materialism," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-12, December.
    20. Fritz, Charlotte & Taylor, Morgan R., 2022. "Taking in the good: How to facilitate savoring in work organizations," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 139-148.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Kindness; Character trait; Moral value; Humanism.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:edt:aucspp:v:45:y:2023:i:2:p:70-79. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dan Valeriu Voinea (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://cis01.central.ucv.ro/DPPD/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.