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Character Strengths Before and After September 11
Abstract
Did Americans change following the September 11 terrorist attacks? We provide a tentative answer with respect to the positive traits included in the Values in Action Classification of Strengths and measured with a self-report questionnaire available on-line and completed by 4,817 respondents. When scores for individuals completing the survey in the 2 months immediately after September 11 were compared with scores for those individuals who completed the survey before September 11, seven character strengths showed increases: gratitude, hope, kindness, leadership, love, spirituality, and teamwork. Ten months after September 11, these character strengths were still elevated, although to a somewhat lesser degree than immediately following the attacks.
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“Moreover, people’s character virtues (e.g., gratitude, hope, kindness, leadership, love, spirituality, teamwork) actually increased pre-to-post the 9/11 tragedy (e.g., Peterson, & Seligman, 2003).”
From Stress and coping in the time of COVID-19: Pathways to resilience and recovery (2020) · cites this paper as Peterson, & Seligman, 2003
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Metadata
- Authors
- Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Corresponding author
- Peterson, Christopher
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2003-07
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 381-384
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- OpenAlex
- W2130702316
- Cited by
- 310
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 13.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Leadership, Courage, and Heroism Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Optimism, Hope, and Well-being
- Keywords
- character strengths, September 11 attacks, gratitude, hope, kindness, leadership, love, spirituality, teamwork, positive psychology, terrorism
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aircraft, Character, District of Columbia, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, New York City, Personality Inventory, Psychometrics, Religion and Psychology, Social Values, Terrorism, Spirituality
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