The Concept of Character
(Illustration: Najeebah Al-Ghadban)
By Kenna Caprio
Robert McGrath, professor of psychology and a psychologist, has spent the past 10 years researching and teaching about the concept of character.
“These qualities — including kindness, humor, perseverance, curiosity, fairness and creativity, among others — make individuals effective both personally and as members of communities. These are the personality traits that people tend to admire most in one another and in ourselves. As a result, I’ve spent a good deal of time thinking about how individuals become better people.”
This work has led McGrath to help establish FDU’s new Institute for Character and Leadership where he is director of the Center for Character Development (see below). It also inspired his new book, Bringing Fire: How Innovation Helps Us Grow and Makes Us Fight, which explores humanity’s “tremendous built-in capacity for good.”
His research reveals how character can change over time. “Today,” he says, “humans demonstrate more character than at any other time in history. We are far less likely to turn to war than in the past. We tend to take better care of the poor and the needy. We often think we have little self-control, but when you realize how many temptations are available to us today, we are remarkably effective at controlling our impulses. We also tend to be more reflective, fairer and more objective than our ancestors.”
Much of his character research has been conducted in collaboration with the VIA Institute on Character. This work includes a questionnaire about character, which was developed at FDU with his students, and which has been completed more than 13 million times.
“My graduate students have had the opportunity to become intimately involved in the research process, with many of them serving as the lead authors in our research,” says McGrath. “So far, we’ve published 50 papers on character, and at any time we have 7–10 studies in process, so we keep ourselves busy!”
Ashley Hall–Simmonds, MA’17, PhD’21 (Metro), who contributed to the character survey, says, “While psychology has traditionally focused on symptoms, disorders and dysfunction, character research broadens our understanding by examining the strengths that can contribute to resilience, well-being and personal growth.” She worked on research involving character strengths, personality and psychological functioning.
Her dissertation built upon the survey and other research, examining how signature strengths may influence the relationship between depression and functional impairment.
Caroline Ames looked at character strengths to predict student success at West Point. Sarah Dweck dug into the surprising finding that, despite American history, Black people show the highest levels of hope and resilience. Kayla Huntington plans to examine the positive psychological features found in people with traumatic brain injuries. All three are currently students in the clinical psychology doctoral program.
“What the test says may surprise you, and it often teaches people about their character,” says McGrath.
“Respondents gain insight into their natural patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. Results help people understand how their strengths contribute to relationships, work, personal goals and well-being. They may also discover strengths that are underused, overused or overlooked and consider how to apply them more intentionally and effectively,” says Hall-Simmonds.
The VIA survey includes 96 questions asking respondents if they agree with sentiments like these:
• I am never bored. (measuring creativity)
• I do my best work when I’m part of a group. (measuring teamwork)
• I always think about the consequences before I act. (measuring prudence)
• Thinking things through is part of who I am. (measuring judgment)
• I wake up excited about the day’s possibilities. (measuring zest)
McGrath says, “This research suggests the qualities humans value most tend to fall into three groups. The first is our capacity for morality. No other species treats each other as fairly as we do, or commits so strongly to taking care of the needy and vulnerable. The second is our capacity for self-control. When we skip the gym or spend too much time on a video game, we tend to think we have little self-control. Yet we control most of our impulses and pursue demanding and complex goals. Finally, we have intellectual virtues. We show a remarkable ability to think objectively and deeply. Studying these virtues has given me a deep appreciation for what amazing creatures humans can be.”
Through his research, McGrath has also learned more about himself. “Completing the questionnaire helped me see myself in new ways. Having my students rate elements of my character helped me see myself as they saw me, and encouraged me to further develop my character as a team leader.”
Interested readers can take the full survey for free at viacharacter.org.
FDU’s new Institute for Character and Leadership is an exciting step forward for the University, with a focus on personal as well as intellectual development.
The institute will develop character and leadership programs for FDU students, corporations and other universities. Scott Parsons is the founding executive director.
Under the new Institute for Character and Leadership are several centers including: a Center for Character Development, led by Robert McGrath, professor of psychology; a Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Leadership, led by Scott Behson, professor of management; the Empathy Center for Research and Training, led by Stephen Dranoff, co-founder and director; and Benjamin Freer, co-founder, and dean of the Marion Turpan College of Psychology and Counseling; and a Stigma Free Center also led by Freer.
Together, these four units provide substantial expertise on personal growth for those in and outside the FDU community.