880
Views
8
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

The promising but challenging case of humility as a positive psychology virtue

&

References

  • Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A psychological interpretation. New York, NY: Holt.
  • Allport, G. W., & Odbert, H. S. (1936). Trait-names: A psycho-lexical study. Psychological Monographs, 47, 211.
  • Ashton, M. C., & Lee, K. (2005). Honesty-humility, the big five, and the five-factor model. Journal of Personality, 73, 1321–1353. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2005.00351.x.
  • Ashton, M. C., Lee, K., & de Vries, R. E. (2014). The HEXACO honesty-humility, agreeableness, and emotionality factors: A review of research and theory. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18, 139–152. doi:10.1177/1088868314523838.
  • Baltes, P. B., & Staudinger, U. M. (2000). Wisdom: A metaheuristic (pragmatic) to orchestrate mind and virtue toward excellence. American Psychologist, 55, 122–136.10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.122
  • Barenbaum, N. B., & Winter, D. G. (2008). History of modern personality theory and research. In O. P. John, R. W. Robins, & L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: theory and research (3rd ed.). (pp. 3–26). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Collins, J. (2001). Level 5 leadership: The triumph of humility and fierce resolve. Harvard Business Review, 79, 67–76.
  • Collins, J. (2007). Level 5 leadership: The triumph of humility and fierce resolve. In R. p.Vecchio (Ed.), Leadership: Understanding the dynamics of power and influence in organizations (2nd.ed., pp.394–406). South Bend, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
  • Crocker, J., & Park, L. E. (2004). The costly pursuit of self-esteem. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 392–414. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.130.3.392.
  • Davis, D. E., Hook, J. N., Worthington, E. L., Van Tongeren, D. R., Gartner, A. L., Jennings, D. J., & Emmons, R. A. (2011). Relational humility: Conceptualizing and measuring humility as a personality judgment. Journal of Personality Assessment, 93, 225–234.10.1080/00223891.2011.558871
  • Davis, D. E., Worthington, E. L., Jr, & Hook, J. N. (2010). Humility: Review of measurement strategies and conceptualization as personality judgment. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4, 243–252.10.1080/17439761003791672
  • Davis, D. E., Worthington, E. L., Jr, Hook, J. N., Emmons, R. A., Hill, P. C., Bollinger, R. A., & Van Tongeren, D. R. (2013). Humility and the development and repair of social bonds: Two longitudinal studies. Self and Identity, 12, 58–77.10.1080/15298868.2011.636509
  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1995). Human autonomy: The basis for true self-esteem. In M. Kernis (Ed.), Efficacy, agency, and self-esteem (pp. 31–49). New York, NY: Plenum.
  • Doris, J. M. (1998). Persons, situations, and virtue ethics. Nous, 32, 504–530.10.1111/nous.1998.32.issue-4
  • Doris, J. M. (2002). Lack of character: Personality and moral behavior. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9781139878364
  • Dow, P. E. (2013). Virtuous minds: Intellectual character development. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • Emmons, R. A. (1999). The psychology of ultimate concerns: Motivation and spirituality in personality. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
  • Epstein, S. (1979). The stability of behavior: I. On predicting most of the people much of the time. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1097–1126.10.1037/0022-3514.37.7.1097
  • Exline, J. J. (2012). Humility and the ability to receive from others. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 31, 40–50.
  • Exline, J. J., Baumeister, R. F., Zell, A. L., Kraft, A. J., & Witvliet, C. V. O. (2008). Not so innocent: Does seeing one’s own capability for wrongdoing predict forgiveness? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 495–515.10.1037/0022-3514.94.3.495
  • Exline, J. J., & Geyer, A. L. (2004). Perceptions of humility: A preliminary study. Self and Identity, 3, 95–114.10.1080/13576500342000077
  • Exline, J. J., & Hill, P. C. (2012). Humility: A consistent and robust predictor of generosity. Journal of Positive Psychology, 7, 208–218.10.1080/17439760.2012.671348
  • Funder, D. C. (2008). Person, situations, and person-situation interactions. In O. P. John, R. W. Robins, & L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: theory and research (3rd ed.). (pp. 568–580). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Funder, D. C., & Ozer, D. J. (1983). Behavior as a function of the situation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 107–112.10.1037/0022-3514.44.1.107
  • Harman, G. (1999). Moral philosophy meets social psychology: Virtue ethics and the fundamental attribution error. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 99, 315–331.10.1111/paso.1999.99.issue-3
  • Harman, G. (2000). The nonexistence of character traits. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 100, 223–226. doi:10.1111/j.0066-7372.2003.00013.x.
  • Hazlett, A. (2012). Higher-order epistemic attitudes and intellectual humility. Episteme, 9, 205–223. doi:10.1017/epi.2012.11.
  • Hilbig, B. E., & Zettler, I. (2009). Pillars of cooperation: Honesty-humility, social value orientations and economic behavior. Journal of Research in Personality, 43, 516–519.10.1016/j.jrp.2009.01.003
  • Hill, P. C., Laney, E. K., Edwards, K. J., Wang, D. C., Orme, W. H., Chan, A. C., & Wang, F. L. (in press). A few good measures: Colonel Jessup and humility. In E. L. Worthington, D. E. Davis, & J. Hook (Eds.), Handbook of humility. London, UK: Routledge.
  • Hopkin, C. R., Hoyle, R. H., & Toner, K. (2014). Intellectual humility and reactions to opinions about religious beliefs. Journal of Psychology & Theology, 42, 50–61.
  • Jankowski, P. J., & Sandage, S. J. (2014). Attachment to God and dispositional humility: Indirect effect and conditional effects model. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 42, 70–82.
  • Jankowski, P. J., Sandage, S. J., & Hill, P. C. (2013). Differentiation-based models of forgivingness, mental health and social justice commitment: Mediator effects for differentiation of self and humility. Journal of Positive Psychology, 8, 412–424.10.1080/17439760.2013.820337
  • Krause, N. (2010). Religious involvement, humility, and self-rated health. Social Indicators Research, 98, 23–39.10.1007/s11205-009-9514-x
  • LaBouff, J. P., Rowatt, W. C., Johnson, M. K., Tsang, J., & Willerton, G. M. (2012). Humble persons are more helpful than less humble persons: Evidence from three studies. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 7, 16–29. doi:10.1080/17439760.2011.626787.
  • Lewis, C. S. (1990). The Screwtape letters. Oxford, UK: Isis large Print Books.
  • MacIntyre, A. (2007). After virtue: A study in moral theory (3rd ed.). Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
  • Matthews, G., & Deary, I. J. (1998). Personality traits. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
  • McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T., Jr (2008). The Five-Factor theory of personality. In O. P. John, R. W. Robins, & L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (3rd ed.). (pp. 159–181). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • McElroy, S. E., Rice, K. G., Davis, D. E., Hook, J. N., Hill, P. C., Worthington, E. L. Jr, & Van Tongeren, D. R. (2014). Intellectual humility: Scale development and theoretical elaborations in the context of religious leadership. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 42, 19–30.
  • Meara, N. M., Schmidt, L. D., & Day, J. D. (1996). Principles and virtues: A foundation for ethical decisions, policies, and character. The Counseling Psychologist, 24, 4–77.10.1177/0011000096241002
  • Merritt, M. (2000). Virtue ethics and situationist personality psychology. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 3, 365–383. doi:10.1023/A:1009926720584.
  • Mischel, W. (1968). Personality and assessment. New York, NY: Wiley.
  • Mischel, W., & Shoda, Y. (1995). A cognitive-affective processing system theory of personality: Reconceptualizing situations, dispositions, dynamics, and invariance in personality structure. Psychological Review, 102, 246–268.10.1037/0033-295X.102.2.246
  • Mischel, W., & Shoda, Y. (2008). Toward a unified theory in personality: Integrating dispositions and processing dynamics within the cognitive-affective processing system. In O. P. John, R. W. Robins, & L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: theory and research (3rd ed.). (pp. 208–241). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Owens, B. P. (2009). Humility in organizations: Establishing construct, nomological, and predictive validity. Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings.
  • Owens, B. P., Johnson, M. D., & Mitchell, T. R. (2013). Expressed humility in organizations: Implications for performance, teams, and leadership. Organization Science, 24, 1517–1538.10.1287/orsc.1120.0795
  • Paine, D. R., Jankowski, P. J., & Sandage, S. J. (2016). Humility as a predictor of intercultural competence: Mediator effects for differentiation of self. The Family Journal, 24, 15–22.10.1177/1066480715615667
  • Paine, D. R., Moon, S. H., Hauge, D. J., & Sandage, S. J. (in press). Cultural and racial perspectives on positive psychologies of humility. In T. Lomas, N. Brown, & F. Eiroa-Orosa(Eds.), Critical positive psychology: A synthesis for social change. London, UK: Routledge.
  • Paine, D. R., Sandage, S. J., Rupert, D., Devor, N. G., & Bronstein, M. (2015). Humility as a psychotherapeutic virtue: Spiritual, philosophical, and psychological foundations. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, 17, 3–25.10.1080/19349637.2015.957611
  • Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  • Roberts, R. C. (1988). Therapies and the grammar of virtue. In R. H. Bell (Ed.), The grammar of the heart: New essays in moral philosophy and theology (pp. 149–170). San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row.
  • Roberts, R. C., & Wood, W. J. (2003). Humility and epistemic goods. In M. DePaul & L. Zagzebski (Eds.), Intellectual virtue: Perspectives from ethics and epistemology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  • Rowatt, W. C., Powers, C., Targhetta, V., Comer, J., Kennedy, S., & Labouff, J. (2006). Development and initial validation of an implicit measure of humility relative to arrogance. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1, 198–211.10.1080/17439760600885671
  • Russell, D. C. (2009). Practical intelligence and the virtues. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199565795.001.0001
  • Sandage, S. J., Cook, K. V., Hill, P. C., Strawn, B. D., & Reimer, K. S. (2008). Hermeneutics and psychology: A review and dialectical model. Review of General Psychology, 12, 344–364.10.1037/1089-2680.12.4.344
  • Sandage, S. J., & Hill, P. C. (2001). The virtues of positive psychology: The rapprochement and challenges of an affirmative postmodern perspective. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 31, 241–260.10.1111/jtsb.2001.31.issue-3
  • Sandage, S. J., Paine, D. R., & Hill, P. C. (2015). Spiritual barriers to humility: A multidimensional study. Mental Health, Religion, and Culture, 18, 207–217. doi:10.1080/13674676.2015.1038229
  • Sandberg, C. (1970). Abraham Lincoln: The prairie years and the war years. New York, NY: Mariner.
  • Schimmel, S. (2000). Vices, virtues, and sources of human strength in historical perspective. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 19, 137–150.10.1521/jscp.2000.19.1.137
  • Singer, J. A. (2004). Narrative identity and meaning making across the lifespan: An introduction. Journal of Personality, 72, 437–459.10.1111/j.0022-3506.2004.00268.x
  • Snow, N. E. (2010). Virtue as social intelligence: An empirically grounded theory. New York, NY: Routledge.
  • Tangney, J. P. (2000). Humility: Theoretical perspectives, empirical findings and directions for future research. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 19, 70–82. doi:10.1521/jscp.2000.19.1.70
  • Tangney, J. P. (2009). Humility. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed., pp. 483–490). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  • Walker, L. J., Frimer, J. A., & Dunlop, W. L. (2012). Paradigm assumptions about moral behavior: An empirical battle royal. In M. Mikulincer & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The social psychology of morality: Exploring the causes of good and evil (pp. 275–292). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.10.1037/13091-000
  • Whitcomb, D., Battaly, H., Baehr, J., & Howard-Snyder, D. (2016). Intellectual humility: Owning our limitations. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/phpr.12228
  • Wolfteich, C., Keefe-Perry, C., Sandage, S. J., & Paine, D. R. (in press). Humility: Empirical psychological research in dialogue with practical theology. International Journal of Practical Theology.
  • Worthington, E. L., Jr (2008). Humility: The quiet virtue. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 27, 270–273.
  • Zagzebski, L. T. (1996). Virtues of the mind: An inquiry into the nature of virtue and the ethical foundations of knowledge. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9781139174763
  • Zell, A. L. (2007). Pride and humility: Possible mediators of the motivating effect of praise. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Florida State University.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.