The study of the character strengths in children: Relations with the psychological well-being, social desirability and personality

Abstract

This study aimed to verify the existence of associations between character strengths, psychological welfare, social desirability and personality in children of 10 to12 years old. 518 children (254 boys and 263 girls) between 10 and 12 years old and attending public and private schools in the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina) participated on this study. The following were administered: a socio–demographic survey; a survey to assess the PERMA ́s access to welfare theory five elements, the Virtues and Strengths Inventory for Children; Children’s Personality Questionnaire and Children’s Social Desirability Scale. The results showed that, as in previous studies, vitality, hope and curiosity were the strengths most associated with life satisfaction. At the same time, statistically significant correlations between the PERMA ́s access to welfare theory five elements (Seligman, 2011) and most of the character ́s strengths were found. Meanwhile, the strengths were also found associated with the Five Great Personality Factors model and social desirability. Finally, differences in the presence of the character strengths according to sex and age were found.

Keywords

• fortalezas
• niños
• bienestar
• deseabilidad social
• personalidad
• psicología positiva