Dr. Sherry Hamby and Dr. Victoria Banyard, in partnership with the VIA Institute on Character, are conducting a study to learn more about what helps people thrive after adversity. These questions are intended to examine how strengths of character and other resources help with stressful things in childhood and other aspects of well-being.
The strengths of character include the 24 strengths in 6 categories from the VIA Character Strengths Inventory (descriptions from the VIA Institute):
- Transcendence
Appreciation of excellence and beauty, gratitude, hope, spirituality, and humor. As a virtue, transcendence strengths connect us in a meaningful way to the world around us. - Wisdom
Curiosity, creativity, perspective, love of learning, and judgment. These strengths are useful in helping us learn and gather knowledge. - Humanity
Social intelligence, love, and kindness. Humanity strengths come into play by helping us build and maintain positive, warm relationships with others. - Courage
Bravery, zest, honesty, and perseverance. These emotional strengths empower us to tackle adversity and how we tend to work through it. - Temperance
Self-regulation, prudence, humility, and forgiveness. Temperance strengths help us “manage habits and protect against excess,” including managing and overcoming vices (VIACharacter.org, 2020). - Justice
Teamwork, leadership, and fairness. With these strengths, we relate to those around us in social or group situations.
Demographics. We are using the standard VIA Institute demographic questionnaire, which includes age, race, gender, highest level of education, marital status, number of children, zip code, income, disability status, homelessness, veteran status, employment status, occupation (if employed), and country of location at the time of the survey.
Additional strengths. We will also be asking about other positive assets and resources.
Sense of purpose: 4 items on meaning in life.
Psychological endurance: 4 items on sticking to goals and values through difficulties.
Social support received: 4 items on getting help or comfort from others.
These above 3 constructs have shown particular promise in prior resilience portfolio research.
Eco-connections: 8 new items on positive experiences with nature.
Mindfulness: 4 items on self-awareness and self-acceptance.
Workplace climate: 6 items on quality of relationships and support at employment.
Adversities. We ask these questions to learn about what kinds of experiences people might be trying to overcome.
Childhood adversities: 8 items on difficult experiences during childhood, including bullying and family dysfunction.
Institutional adversities: 4 items on negative experiences with professionals or institutions.
Current functioning.
Health-related quality of life: 4 items on physical wellbeing.
Subjective wellbeing: 4 items on psychological quality of life.
Posttraumatic growth: 4 items on positive life changes after adversity.
We hope to identify which of the character strengths or other strengths (sense of purpose, etc.) most help people thrive after adversity.
If you would like to learn more about the study or ask for permission to use our items in your research, please email Dr. Sherry Hamby at sherry.hamby@sewanee.edu.