The 24 Character Strengths

Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence (Transcendence)

Seeing the life behind things; awe/wonder in the presence of beauty; admiration for excellence; elevation for the goodness of others. Awe and wonder for beauty, admiration for skill and moral greatness

Bravery (courage)

Facing fears; confronting adversity. Valor, not shrinking from threat or challenge, facing fears, speaking up for what’s right

Creativity (wisdom)

Original, adaptive, ingenuity, seeing and doing things in different ways

Curiosity (wisdom)

"Explorer," intrigued, open, novelty-seeker. Interest, novelty-seeking, exploration, openness to experience

Fairness (justice)

Champions equal opportunity for all; care- and justice-based; moral concern. Adhering to principles of justice, not allowing feelings to bias decisions about others

Forgiveness (temperance)

Letting go of hurt when wronged; giver of second chances; accepting shortcomings. Mercy, accepting others’ shortcomings, giving people a second chance, letting go of hurt

Gratitude (transcendence)

Attitude of thankfulness; connected; appreciating positives. Thankful for the good,

expressing thanks, feeling blessed

Honesty (courage)

True to oneself, authentic to others; truth-sharer and seeker, sincere; without pretense. Authenticity, being true to oneself, sincerity without pretense, integrity

Hope (transcendence)

Positive expectations; optimistic; confidence in goals and future. Optimism, positive future-mindedness, expecting the best & working to achieve it

Humility (temperance)

Clear view of oneself; focuses attention on others; sees own limitations; modest. Modesty, letting one’s

accomplishments speak for themselves

Humor (transcendence)

laughter/joy with others; seeing the lighter side; playful. Playfulness, bringing smiles to others, lighthearted – seeing the lighter side

Judgment (wisdom)

Seeing 360 degrees of details; analytical; detial-oriented; open-minded; rational; logical. Critical thinking, thinking through all sides, not jumping to conclusions

Kindess (humanity)

Doing for others; caring; compassionate; generous; nice and friendly. Generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruism, doing for others

Leadership (justice)

Positively influencing others; organizing groups; leading around a vision. Organizing group activities to get things done, positively influencing others

Love (humanity)

Genuine, reciprocal warmth; connected; relational fulfillment. Both loving and being loved, valuing close relations with others, genuine warmth

Love of learning (wisdom)

Going deep with knowledge; information-seeking; lifelong learner. Mastering new skills & topics, systematically adding to knowledge

Perseverance (courage)

Task completer; persistent and gritty; overcoming all obstacles. Persistence, industry, finishing what one starts, overcoming obstacles

Perspective (wisdom)

Sees and offers the wider review; wise; integrating viewpoints beyond one's own. Wisdom, providing wise counsel, taking the big picture view

Prudence (temperance)

Wisely cautious; thinks before speaks; planful; goal-oriented; risk-manager. Careful about one’s choices, cautious, not taking undue risks

Self-regulation (temperance)

Self-management of vices; mindful; disciplined. Self-control, disciplined, managing impulses, emotions, and vices

Social intelligence (humanity)

Tuned in, then savvy; knowing what makes others tick; empathetic; emotionally intelligent. Aware of the motives and feelings of oneself and others, knows what makes others tick

Spirituality (transcendance)

Connecting with the sacred; pursuing life meaning; finding purpose; expressing virtues.

Teamwork (justice)

Participative; contributing to group efforts; loyal; socially responsible; collaborative. Citizenship, social responsibility, loyalty, contributing to a group effort

Zest (courage)

Enthusiasm for life; happy; active; energized. Vitality, enthusiasm for life, vigor, energy, not doing things half-heartedly