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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

Author

Listed:
  • Tommaso Feraco

    (University of Padova)

  • Nicole Casali

    (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law)

  • Chiara Meneghetti

    (University of Padova)

  • Samuel Greiff

    (University of Luxembourg)

  • Giorgia Cona

    (University of Padova
    University of Padova
    University of Padova)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Tommaso Feraco & Nicole Casali & Chiara Meneghetti & Samuel Greiff & Giorgia Cona, 2023. "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," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(7), pages 2353-2376, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:24:y:2023:i:7:d:10.1007_s10902-023-00686-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-023-00686-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Claudia Harzer & Willibald Ruch, 2013. "The Application of Signature Character Strengths and Positive Experiences at Work," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 965-983, June.
    2. Massimiliano Pastore & Luigi Lombardi, 2014. "The impact of faking on Cronbach’s alpha for dichotomous and ordered rating scores," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 1191-1211, May.
    3. Lisa Wagner & Fabian Gander & René T. Proyer & Willibald Ruch, 2020. "Character Strengths and PERMA: Investigating the Relationships of Character Strengths with a Multidimensional Framework of Well-Being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 15(2), pages 307-328, April.
    4. Feraco, Tommaso & Cona, Giorgia, 2022. "Differentiation of general and specific abilities in intelligence. A bifactor study of age and gender differentiation in 8- to 19-year-olds," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    5. Nicole Casali & Tommaso Feraco & Marta Ghisi & Chiara Meneghetti, 2021. "“Andrà tutto bene”: Associations Between Character Strengths, Psychological Distress and Self-efficacy During Covid-19 Lockdown," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 2255-2274, June.
    6. Rosseel, Yves, 2012. "lavaan: An R Package for Structural Equation Modeling," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 48(i02).
    7. Nicola S. Schutte & John M. Malouff, 2019. "The Impact of Signature Character Strengths Interventions: A Meta-analysis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 1179-1196, April.
    8. Coyle, Thomas R. & Greiff, Samuel, 2021. "The future of intelligence: The role of specific abilities," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    9. Eleni Petkari & Margarita Ortiz-Tallo, 2018. "Towards Youth Happiness and Mental Health in the United Arab Emirates: The Path of Character Strengths in a Multicultural Population," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 333-350, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tommaso Feraco & Nicole Casali, 2025. "20 Years of Character Strengths: A Bibliometric Review," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1-22, March.
    2. Nicole Casali & Silvia Filippi & Tommaso Feraco, 2024. "Does Inequality Shape Human Character? Cross-Cultural Associations between Character Strengths and the Gini Index in 68 Countries," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 1-17, April.

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