ABSTRACT

The rise of the positive psychology movement over the past several years has witnessed a marked increase in interest and empirical research on character strengths and virtues (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Empirical research continues to mount and to deepen scientific understanding of positive psychological constructs such as forgiveness, gratitude, and happiness. Humility research has been a bit slower to accumulate, primarily for two reasons. First, there have been concerns over its definition, and second, its empirical measurement has proven elusive (Davis, Worthington, & Hook, 2010). However, as this book can attest, there is growing consensus as to the primary factors associated with humility (Davis et al., Chapter 7, this volume). Furthermore, instruments recently developed to measure humility are promising (e.g., Exline & Hill, 2012; Jankowski, Sandage, & Hill, 2013). Growth in these two areas has allowed for the recent surge in literature in this area. In fact, a significant amount of the work in this area has occurred just over the past six to eight years.