Putting virtues in context: engaging the VIA classification of character strengths in caregiving for orphans and vulnerable children across cultures

ABSTRACT

The VIA Classification of Character Strengths has broken important ground for measuring character strengths across cultures. Because the VIA Classification is a closed system of abstract strengths, however, it is unknown how end-users engage strengths in particular cultural and practical contexts, define strengths for themselves, or identify additional strengths. In this study, residential care directors (n = 18) and other caregivers (n = 64) for orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) in five distinct global locations prioritized with a card-sort the VIA Character Strengths most important for the work of caregiving, defined these strengths, and proposed additional strengths. Supervisors were then asked how caregivers embodied their prioritized strengths. Participants most frequently prioritized Love, Honesty, Forgiveness, and Kindness as important for caregiving; demonstrated high concordance but also some deviation from the definitions of the VIA Classification; and proposed additional strengths (e.g. Caring, Self-drive, and Initiative) that were perceived not to overlap with existing VIA Character Strengths.

KEYWORDS:

• Character strengths
• virtue
• culture
• caregiving
• orphans and vulnerable children

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a grant from Saint Louis University and the John Templeton Foundation as part of their Happiness & Well-Being: Integrating Research Across the Disciplines Project. The authors are grateful to Robert McGrath and the VIA Institute on Character for permission to use the VIA Classification of Character Strengths in this study. We would like to thank: Augustine Wasonga, Ira Madan, Misganaw Eticha, and Mao Lang for their leadership at international child well-being NGOs; Chimdi Temesgen, for data collection, as well as for tailoring the data collection to their sites’ cultures and language; Dean Lewis, Tewodros Abera, and Lynn Akinyi for their financial oversight; the study participants for their time and insight; Morgan Barlow and Andy Elkins for project coordination and data coding and organization, and Nneka Molokwu and Malik Sohail Muhammed for their work in support of this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation [Happiness & Well-Being: Integrating Research Acros].