APPROACH TO THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN STRENGTHS OF CHARACTER AND FRIENDSHIP: TWO QUALITATIVE STUDIES WITH TWO STAKEHOLDERS
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Alberto Lindner, alindner@unimet.edu.ve
Metropolitan University, Caracas
Summary:
The present work was based on the qualitative analysis of the strengths raised by Positive psychology and that appeared in two groups of interest studied; the first, directly related to knowledge in Positive Psychology and the second, in a group of Architecture professionals who have maintained friendly relations for more than 40 years.
The first group voluntarily applied the VIA character strengths test from VIA Character.org, (1), while the second group was asked to voluntarily answer a survey whose questions were the 24 strengths of character. Then proceeded to compare.
The strengths that are most mentioned in both groups are love, gratitude and honesty, followed by the strengths of empathy, kindness and humor. The interesting thing is that in both cases, they all belong to the virtues of courage, transcendence and humanity. If friendship is a virtue that is achieved through the prolonged effort of actions, then friendship could be a "virtue or followed by virtue" and be obtained through habits (2)
Keywords: Friendship, character strengths, positive psychology, VIA, virtues, qualitative study
Introduction:
Friendship has been studied throughout history and with special emphasis on the Aristotelian proposal (2), about the formation of virtues and the distinctions it makes with respect to it. It is presented as pleasant, utilitarian or kind. It also tells us that friendship is a "virtue or followed by virtue." It also indicates that virtue has vices on both sides of the continuum; such is the case of bravery, which has cowardice at one extreme and recklessness at the other. Currently Positive Psychology works with the "golden point", just the midpoint that leads to virtue. It is now a matter of distinguishing whether the strengths could be underused or overused.
In 2011, the United Nations Organization (3) declares July 30 as the "International Day of Friendship" and whose objective is,
“Transmit this feeling as a tool to achieve peace, end violence and poverty, contributing to a fairer and more sustainable society. In short, let there be harmony within the peoples and between them.”
Positive Psychology (12) presents in its VIA (Values in action) model, (1) 24 strengths of character that converge in six virtues, which somehow recall the approaches of ancient thinkers. There are numerous empirical studies that show the correlation between strengths and other aspects of well-being, such as resilience, agreeableness, or life satisfaction (5). In this qualitative work, it has been proposed to investigate the relationship of friendship with the strengths that could be present or that appear important. The research was conducted in two interest groups. The first is a group of like-minded people, all graduates of a Positive Psychology Diploma, who write, meet and carry out joint wellness projects. The second group are graduates of the School of Architecture who have maintained emotional ties for more than 40 years. The author belongs to both interest groups.
When applying the VIA-24 instrument to a voluntary sample of the first group, strengths appear, which are repeated. The second interest group was asked to select the six words (24 strengths) that were related to friendship. Likewise, they were asked to add words that were not or appeared as important in the list and attached at the end of this work.
Interest groups.
The first group is made up of 22 people from different professions but united by the study of Diplomas in Positive Psychology. After finishing their studies, a group enrolled in Diplomas in Creative Writing and Positive Psychology that led to the so-called "Caracas Writers Club" CEC. (4) The goal of this interest group is to promote wellness through writing sharing, based on positive emotions, character strengths, and wellness elements.
The CEC is made up of 28 people, 7 men, 25%, and 21 women, 75%, aged between 35 and 70 years old, all graduates in Positive Psychology, and from various professions. After the voluntary request for participation, 11 character VIA tests were obtained. The measurement was made in the years 2019 and 2020. The professions they practice show that 66% work accompanying other people.
Summary:
Coaches: 41%
Psychologists: 25%
66% work in accompaniment
34% exercise their professions
100% with Diplomas in Positive Psicology
The voluntary sample of 22 active members was 11 members, which represents 50% of the total active members. Their professions are:
Architect
urban planner
Engineers, 3
Chemical
pharmacist
Licensed in letters
Psychologists, 2
Nutritionist
This interest group, for the most part, studied together between 2012 and 2014 in the Diploma in Positive Psychology. The Writers Club of Caracas has completed 8 years of being integrated and consolidated. All the members recognize it as a club of friends, a space for convergence and volunteering.
The second group of interest is made up of Architecture graduates (from 1981 to 1988), from the Simón Bolívar University of Caracas, who have maintained ties called "friendship" for 40 years and who are regrouped thanks to the technological tools such as a WhatsApp group. Although they studied in Venezuela, they are now residents in many parts of the world, highlighting Spain, USA, Italy, and Chile. Many created various links, among which we find marriages, partnerships, or sponsorships. They meet frequently in Europe and share joint activities.
The group is made up of 90 people with 54% women and 46% men. The ages are between 60 and 66 years old, not counting three professors who are invited, who are around 70 years old.
This interest group was sent a survey by electronic means, where they were asked to select from 24 character strengths, the 6 that they thought were related to friendship. 45 responses were received, representing 50% of the members, but representing 90% of the active members, which is why it is representative. In addition, they were asked to write other words to describe friendship that they had not found on the list of 24 words.
In this case, 100% are architects
Without knowledge of Positive Psychology, only the author
The group has interacted for more than 40 years and for 8 years remotely, which has led to a more constant and international relationship.
Qualitative and appreciative results.
These results are based on numerical observation and the repetition of character strengths that could be related to the word "Friendship", which is presented as a habit, a virtue or followed by a virtue, a feeling or a universal value.
Interest Group #1
Gratitude: 63%
Kindness: 54%
Honesty: 45%
I appreciate beauty: 45%
Love:45%
Love learning: 45%
The associated virtues are:
Transcendence
Courage
Humanity
Interest Group #2
Honesty, 88.9%
Empathy, 80%
Love, 69.4%
Gratitude, 58.3%
Humour, 47.2%
As for the virtues that group such strengths, we have,
Transcendence
courage and
Humanity
Conclusions:
In both groups we could conclude that the three great strengths are Gratitude, Honesty and Love, followed by the strengths of empathy, Kindness and Humor, all somehow belonging to the VIA virtues of transcendence, courage and humanity.
#1 Gratitude
Gratitude is a strength of character but it is also one of the 10 positive emotions mentioned by Barbara Fredrickson. (7) In this double condition it is a deep strength that can connect us with well-being together with positive emotion. Giving thanks daily allows us to connect with the present time by being aware of what happens to us and it is a good closing of the day in an expansive way. We feel grateful and show gratitude
#2 Honesty.
It is a strength of the virtue of Courage and bravery. With honesty as a strength we can show ourselves as we are without the effects of the ego or cultural or social demands. Feeling honest connects with the genuine way of being and allows us to develop interpretations about truth, fairness and empathy. In some cases, the virtue of courage is developed, only with the presence of honesty. The honest comes across as sincere, trustworthy, and kind, all factors that we can intuitively recognize in friendship.
#3 Love.
Love also has a double or triple condition in this case; it is a strength, it is a positive emotion and it is also a virtue. For a few years in America, Valentine's Day has been celebrated on February 14, which in recent years has been called the Day of Love and Friendship. It is a form of acknowledgment of brotherly love that appears important. In fact, UNESCO places it as a value that must be incorporated into teaching practices in schools and colleges. According to Maturana, (6), the Chilean biologist, love is one of the primary emotions that causes the species to be protected, to live in community, cared for and sheltered. In this relationship of "biological stickiness", he proposes that language was born (he calls it "language") and then, communication. Love is a strength of human relationships. Already the ancients, he distinguished her in her four forms, Phlia, Eros, Agape and Sparza.
We conclude with the Aristotelian proposal, (2) that friendship, when presented as goodness, is the product of having developed a virtue, or something followed by virtue. Character strengths are the object of deliberate and permanent work; there appears the habit that follows virtue. Virtue is a state of the soul that lies in the will and in deliberate and constant action. (10) The Ontology of Language offers us a way of understanding the “observer” and the ontological principles, where as we are we act, but as we act, we are. Action generates being, which brings us closer to a way to reach our best version (11) and through the deliberate use of character strengths. (9)
Recommendations:
It is recommended to carry out quantitative work in the same interest groups. It is also proposed to correlate it with existing instruments that measure "satisfaction with life" such as the work of Porto and Fonseca (2016). (5)
It cannot be concluded that the strengths and virtues obtained are conclusive, since on the one hand, both groups of interest are relatively homogeneous, either because of studies in positive psychology, or because they all have the same university degree. Also the age ranges, location of ways of communicating, have an impact. The psychometric analysis could be further explored, in order to obtain correlations. At the moment it is indicative that people recognize friendship as a source of well-being, and this is already corroborated by studies from Harvard University that have completed 80 years of follow-up and that have proposed that the most important thing in life in society and that produces greater well-being are positive social relations. (8)
Strengths are personality traits. Its deliberate, expansive, focused and permanent use leads us to virtue. Some authors have already explained about the daily actions to be carried out, to achieve well-being. The disciples of Peterson, co-author with Seligman, highlighted in a work published as a book, those actions related to each of the strengths. (13). From there to being virtuous and having a full life, there is only one step.
Bibliographic references:
• Aristotle. “Nicomachean Ethics”. Book II. 6. Translation by José Luis Calvo Martínez Lianza. URL:
http://mastor.cl/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Etica-a-Nicomaco-Aristoteles-PDF.pdf (2)
• Writers Club of Caracas, CEC. (2022) Writers Club Blog. URL: https://writersclub.blogspot.com/
• Runner, T (2020). "The PERMA Model" Positive Growth Blog. URL: http://www.crecimientotrabajo.es/portal/teoria-del-bienestar-o- Modelo-perma-de-martin-seligman (4)
• Echeverria, R. (2003). “The Ontology of Language”, 6th edition. Chile: J-C_Saenz Editor. Free pdf version. URL: file:///C:/Users/alindner/Downloads/ontologia%20del%20lenguaje%20echeverria%20pdf.pdf (9)
• Fredrickson, B. (2009) Positive life. Madrid: Editorial Norma (7)
• Lindner, A. (2021) DEEP-3C MODEL. Model of the new coherence structure. Conscious and coherent brain. Based on Echeverría,R (2003), Subirana,M, Cooperrider,D (2013), and Doehner,S,(2019) (10)
• Maturana, Humberto. and Varela, Francisco. (2003). The tree of knowledge. The biological bases of human understanding. Ed. Lumen, Buenos Aires (Argentina) (6)
• Niemiec, R (2020). How to make your life more meaningful. Via Institute Blog. URL: (11)
https://www.viacharacter.org/topics/articles/how-to-make-your-life-more-meaningful
• Millan, V (2022) State of the study of the keys to happiness. Harvard University. URL: https://hipertextual.com/2022/01/estudio-harvard-happiness (8)
• Organization of the United Nations, UN. (2011) International Friendship Day. Resolution 65/275.
URL: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N10/529/07/PDF/N1052907.pdf?OpenElement (3)
• Porto, A; Da Fonseca D. ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN STRENGTHS OF CHARACTER AND SATISFACTION WITH LIFE: A STUDY WITH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. Colombian Act of Psychology, vol. 19, no. 2, p. 90-96, 2016. Catholic University of Colombia. (5)
URL: https://www.redalyc.org/journal/798/79847072005/html/
• Seligman, M (2002). "The real happiness." B.S.A editions for the Zeta Pocket label. (12)
• Seligman, M; Mayerson, N; Mayerson, D; Niemiec, R (2021) “The 24 Personal Character Strengths” VIA Institute on character.URL: https://viainstitute.org/about (1)
• Shannon P, Britton, K, (2015). “Character Strengths Matter. How to Live a Full Live”. Positive Phycology News (13)
Annexes:
Table 1. G5. Other concepts for FRIENDSHIP. Answers from the G5 group of architects. Own elaboration. (2021)
Would you like to contribute something that is not on the list, that helps us to know how friendship is formed?
21 answers
share, enjoy
Resonance
Loyalty
Compatible life projects
Friendship is a special relationship of affection, respect, unconditionality, acceptance and unconditionality between two beings, which goes beyond family ties...
Fellowship, school union, music.
Interests
Communication at different levels
Respect
Make the other person feel their value
Share
Complicity
The friendships that last are usually the ones you make in your youth, when you are forming, and end up being more like them
Dedication, time, trust
Recognize
similar tastes
hookup
Confidence
Delivery, reliability and availability
Feeling of security and trust.
Constancy
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