VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS)

Abstract

The VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) is a prominent 240-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure 24 core character strengths. This instrument organizes these strengths under six broad categories known as **virtues**: Wisdom and Knowledge, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence. Participants respond to descriptive statements using a 5-point Likert scale, which quantifies their degree of agreement. The output provides a personalized ranking of all 24 strengths, identifying an individual’s “signature strengths” (Peterson & Seligman, 2004).

Keywords

VIA-IS, character strengths, virtues, positive psychology, assessment, personality, clinical intervention, self-report, taxonomy

Authors

Christopher Peterson, Martin Seligman

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Purpose

The primary **purpose** of the VIA-IS, developed in 2004, was to establish a comprehensive, non-pathological classification system for human excellence, serving as a counterpoint to the traditional focus on disorders found in manuals like the DSM. The scale aims to identify and systematize what is “right” with people by defining a universal taxonomy of core human strengths (Niemiec, 2013).

In applied settings, the VIA-IS is highly suitable for clinical work, though its length can make it cumbersome for certain research applications. Clinicians utilize the results to identify client strengths, inform and tailor therapeutic interventions, bolster self-esteem, build resilience, strengthen the therapeutic relationship, and empower the client through a focus on positive attributes (VIA Institute of Character, 2017).

Construct

The VIA-IS measures the construct of character strengths, which are positive traits that are valued across cultures and contribute to individual fulfillment and well-being. These strengths are organized hierarchically under six key **virtues**:

• Wisdom and Knowledge: Creativity, Curiosity, Love of Learning, Open-mindedness, Perspective.
• Courage: Bravery, Perseverance, Honesty.
• Humanity: Love, Kindness, Social Intelligence.
• Justice: Teamwork, Fairness, Leadership.
• Temperance: Forgiveness, Humility, Self-Regulation.
• Transcendence: Appreciation of Beauty, Humour, Spirituality.

The development of this classification system involved extensive consultation of global sources, including religious texts, moral philosophy, literature, and popular culture, guided by 12 criteria established to ensure the identified traits were core and universal (Lopez & Snyder, 2011).

Validity

The VIA-IS has demonstrated reasonable **psychometric properties**, particularly concerning its validity. Evidence of **concurrent validity** was established through its positive correlations with other well-known strength assessment tools, such as the Wellsprings and the Gallup Strengths Finder. Furthermore, the results obtained from the VIA-IS correlated reasonably with participants’ own self-nominations of their strengths (r=0.5) (LaFollette, 2010).

Later research has bolstered the scale’s external validity. Studies involving over one million participants spanning 75 nations have found good **cross-cultural convergence**, suggesting that the structure of the character strengths is largely consistent across diverse global populations, supporting the claim of universality inherent in the scale’s design (McGrath, 2014).

Reliability

The overall **internal consistency** of the 240-item VIA-IS is reported as high, with a Cronbach’s alpha ($alpha$) of **0.83**. The psychometric soundness extends to the sub-scales, as each of the 24 individual strength sub-scales also demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, with all alpha coefficients exceeding $alpha$ > 0.70 (VIA Institute of Character, 2017).

In terms of temporal stability, the instrument also exhibits fair **test-retest reliability**. When measured over a four-month period, the correlation coefficients were found to be greater than r > 0.70 (VIA Institute of Character, 2017), indicating that the scale provides stable measurements of an individual’s signature strengths profile over time.

Factor Analysis

During its initial development, a factor analysis was conducted to assess the fit between the observed data and the a priori theoretical model proposed by Peterson and Seligman (2004). This analysis indicated a **reasonable fit** between the data and the hypothesized structure, which organizes the 24 strengths under six major virtues (McGrath, 2014).

Subsequent scale- and item-level factor analyses, particularly those leveraging large international datasets, have continued to support the underlying structure of the VIA-IS, confirming the stability and cross-cultural consistency of the six-virtue, 24-strength model.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Character Assessment

Format: 240 items, rated on a 5-point Likert scale (typically ranging from “Very Much Unlike Me” to “Very Much Like Me”).

Language Available: Widely translated into numerous languages, available via the official website.

Population Group: General population

Age Group: Adult and Adolescent versions available.

Population Details: Developed in the US, but validated globally. Research has utilized data from over one million participants across 75 nations, confirming its cross-cultural applicability.

Test Methodology: Participants respond to statements reflecting the 24 strengths. The output is a comprehensive, ranked profile of the 24 strengths, highlighting the individual’s highest-ranking traits (signature strengths).

Keywords

VIA-IS, character strengths, virtues, assessment, positive psychology, psychometric properties, clinical application, resilience, self-esteem

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material. Developed by researchers affiliated with the positive psychology movement.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) was first published in 2004 by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman. The questionnaire is available for free at www.viacharacter.org. The tool is intended to be freely accessible to the public for personal insight; therefore, **no permission** is required for non-commercial use by the general population.

However, specific rules govern the publishing, reproduction, and commercial use of the materials. Detailed guidelines and permission requirements can be found on the official website: www.viacharacter.org/www/About-Institute/Guidelines-and-Permission-for-Use.

Reference’s

• LaFollette, A. M. (2010). The Values in Action Inventory of Strengths: A test summary and critique. Graduate Journal of Counselling Psychology, 2(1), 1–8. Retrieved from: http://epublications.marquette.edu/gjcp/vol2/iss1/3
• Lopez, S. J. & Snyder, C. R. (Eds.) (2011). The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (2nd Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
• McGrath, R. E. (2014). Scale-and-item-level factor analyses of the VIA Inventory of Strengths, Assessment, 21(1), 4–14. doi: 10.1177/1073191112450612
• Niemiec, R. M. (2013). VIA character strengths: Research and practice (The first 10 years). In H. H. Knoop & A. Delle Fave (Eds.), Well-being and cultures: Perspectives on positive psychology (pp. 11-30). New York: Springer.
• Peterson, C. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
• VIA Institute of Character. (2017, March 13th). Retrieved from https://www.viacharacter.org

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Items of the VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Items are presented in statements, such as “I am a spiritual person”.