ABSTRACT
W hat is the good of a person? Answers to this question lie at the heart of traditional moral philosophy as well as contemporary positive psychology (Peterson, 2006). Despite the importance of good character, scholars largely neglected this topic throughout much of the 20th century. Positive psychology has refocused scientifi c attention on character, identifying it as one of the pillars of this new fi eld and central to the understanding of the psychological good life (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). In their introduction to positive psychology, Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) described the study of positive traits as a central pillar of this new fi eld, and Park and Peterson (2003) proposed that positive traits link together the other central topics of positive psychology: positive experiences, positive social relationships, and positive institutions. Positive traits enable positive experiences and close relationships with others, which in turn have important consequences in the contexts of families, schools, workplaces, and communities. Positive psychology specifi cally emphasizes building individual and societal well-being by identifying and fostering strengths of character (Peterson, 2006; Peterson & Park, 2003).
