Christopher Peterson & Martin Seligman
Character Strengths · VIA
The two psychologists who cataloged what is right with people.
Learning & Growth cluster · 7 entries in the library
One entry in the expert directory — an editorial profile. Last updated: September 27, 2026.
In short
Christopher Peterson (1950–2012) and Martin Seligman led the three-year Values in Action project that produced the VIA classification of character strengths: 24 strengths grouped under 6 virtues — wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence — as positive psychology's answer to "what is right with you?"
1. The framework
The project deliberately inverted psychology's diagnostic habit: instead of cataloging disorders, it cataloged the traits that cultures across history and continents had consistently valued, then built a self-assessment to locate a person's signature strengths.
Research on strengths use links it to engagement and meaning at work — which is why this cluster overlaps with the flow entries elsewhere in the library.
2. Where critics push back
The VIA is a self-report of preference, not a validated ability measure, and virtue taxonomies carry cultural load. As a reflection tool for "what to build on", it holds up well; as a claim about moral character, it overreaches.
3. Explore in the library
Entries in this library built on Character Strengths · VIA — each with its honest limits.
Character Strengths (VIA)
The guide behind the strengths entries.
Strengths (General)
Locate your signature strengths.
Strengths Career
Build a role around what already works.
More frameworks and tools in the Learning & Growth cluster.
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This is an editorial profile of a published framework — referenced, not affiliated. Scene photos are illustrative, not portraits.