Character Strength Traits, States, and Emotional Well-being: A Daily Diary Study

Overview

Journal J Pers

Specialty Psychology

Date 2024 Apr 16

PMID 38623026

Authors

Lisa Wagner

Fabian Gander

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Does whole trait theory work for character strengths? This study examines the daily within- and between-person variability of the manifestations of positively valued lower-order personality characteristics, namely character strengths, their convergence with trait character strengths, and their relationships to daily measures of affect.

Background: Manifestations of personality traits vary both between- and within people. So far, research has focused on between-person differences in character strengths, while within-person differences have been neglected.

Methods: German-speaking participants (N = 199, 84.3% women; mean age = 26.0 years) participated in a two-week daily diary study. They completed a baseline measure of character strength traits and daily measures of character strength states and positive and negative affect.

Results: Results suggested that character strength traits converged well with aggregated states. Further, we observed high within-person variability in most character strengths. The trait-state convergence and the amount of within-person variability were predicted by whether the character strengths were rather phasic (i.e., more dependent on situational characteristics) or rather tonic (i.e., less dependent on situational characteristics). Higher within-person variability in character strengths was related to trait levels of perspective, honesty, social intelligence, and fairness. Regarding relationships between character strengths and affect, within-person associations were widely parallel to previously reported between-person associations and largely independent of trait levels of character strengths.

Conclusion: These findings inform research on whole trait theory and character-strengths-based interventions.

Citing Articles

Character strength traits, states, and emotional well-being: A daily diary study.

Wagner L, Gander F J Pers. 2024; 93(2):341-360.

PMID: 38623026 PMC: 11891963. DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12933.

A meeting of positive behaviors: The relations of three aspects of flexibility with character strengths.

Vylobkova V, Heintz S Front Psychol. 2023; 13:1078764.

PMID: 36817377 PMC: 9935571. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1078764.

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