VIA Character Strengths
6 Virtues and 24 Character Strengths
Wisdom & Knowledge
Curiosity: Taking an interest in all of ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating.
Creativity: Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things.
Judgment: Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions.
Love of Learning: Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one's own or formally.
Perspective (wisdom): Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself/others.
Courage
Bravery: Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what is right even if there is opposition.
Perseverance (persistence, industriousness): Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action despite obstacles.
Honesty (authenticity, integrity): Speaking the truth but more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way; being without pretense; taking responsibility for one's feelings and actions.
Zest (vitality, enthusiasm, vigor, energy): Approaching life with excitement and energy; feeling alive and activated.
Temperance
Forgiveness: Forgiving those who have done wrong; accepting others' shortcomings; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful.
Humility: Letting one's accomplishments speak for themselves; not seeking the spotlight.
Prudence: Being careful about one's choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted.
Self-Regulation (self-control): Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one's appetites and emotions.
Transcendence
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence (awe, wonder, elevation): Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life.
Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks.
Hope (optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation): Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it; believing that a good future is something that can be brought about.
Humor (playfulness): Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokes.
Spirituality (faith, purpose, religiousness): Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape conduct and provide comfort.
Humanity
Love: Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated; being close to people.
Kindness (generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, "niceness"): Doing favors and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them.
Social Intelligence (emotional intelligence, personal intelligence): Being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and oneself.
Justice
Teamwork (citizenship, social responsibility, loyalty): Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group.
Fairness: Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings bias decisions about others.
Leadership: Encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same time maintain good relations within the group.
The Values in Action (VIA) Inventory of Strengths is a free online survey to identify your unique character strengths. Currently over 30 million users have taken the survey, in 37 different languages across the globe. It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and provides a summary of your ranked character strengths. After taking the survey, you can download your profile so you can it within the ARIA stages of change. A more in-depth report of your character strengths is also available with purchase.