Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T08:31:13.441Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Strengths of character, orientations to happiness, life satisfaction and purpose in Singapore*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 May 2015

Janice Niann Tsyr Lee ,
Koong Hean Foo ,
Austin Adams ,
Robert Morgan  and
Amie Frewen
Janice Niann Tsyr Lee*
Affiliation:
The Centre for Psychology, Singapore
Koong Hean Foo
Affiliation:
James Cook University
Austin Adams
Affiliation:
James Cook University
Robert Morgan
Affiliation:
Morgan Foundation Publishers, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Amie Frewen
Affiliation:
James Cook University
*
address for correspondence: Janice Lee Niann Tsyr, The Centre for Psychology 491B, River Valley Road #04-01 Valley Point, Singapore248373. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Positive psychology has identified six virtues comprising 24 character strengths of humans. This study examines the relationships among these character strengths, including Happiness, Life Purpose and Life Satisfaction as valued by Singapore Chinese, Malays, Indians and Other Asians and Caucasians. A sample of Singapore adults (N = 304) completed an online survey in English comprising four measures, the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths, the Orientations to Happiness Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Life Engagement Test. Results show that Zest, Hope, Curiosity, Capacity to Love and Gratitude are the top five character strengths of the sampled Singaporeans. Happiness orientation through pursuing a Life of Meaning is preferred by all four ethnic groups. Ethnic differences are found for character strengths of Kindness, Humour, Gratitude, and Religiousness and Spirituality. Life of Meaning and Life of Engagement, Happiness orientations and character strengths of Curiosity and Perseverance are direct predictors of Life Purpose. In turn, Life Purpose and character strengths of Capacity to Love and Gratitude are found to be direct predictors of Life Satisfaction. Despite its other limitations, this study lays the groundwork for future studies using more robust sampling strategies and greater participation from the major ethnic groups in Singapore.

Keywords

Strengths of CharacterHappinessLife SatisfactionSingaporeEthnic groups
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Tropical Psychology , Volume 5 , 2015 , e2
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

This research was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee and sponsored by James Cook University.

References

Baumeister, R. F., & Vohs, K. D. (2002). The pursuit of meaningfulness in life. In Snyder, C. R. and Lopez, S. J. (Eds.), Handbook of Positive Psychology (pp. 608–618). London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bermant, G., Talwar, C., & Rozin, P. (2011). To celebrate positive psychology and extend its horizons. In Sheldon, K. M., Kashdan, T. B. & Steger, M. F. (Eds.), Designing Positive Psychology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward (pp. 430–438). New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Biswas-Diener, R. (2006). From the equator to the North Pole: A study of character strengths. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7, 293–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brdar, I., & Kasdan, T. B. (2010). Character strengths and well-being in Croatia: An empirical investigation of structure and correlates. Journal of Research in Personality, 44, 151–154. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2009.12.001Google Scholar
Compton, W. C. (2005). An Introduction to Positive Psychology. Belmont: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.Google Scholar
Diener, E. (1994). Assessing subjective well-being: Progress and opportunities. Social Indicators Research, 31 (2), 103–157.Google Scholar
Diener, E., Emmons, R.A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75.Google Scholar
Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R.E. (2003). Personality, culture, and subjective well-being: Emotional and cognitive evaluations of life. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 403–425.Google Scholar
Diener, E., & Scollon, C. (2003, October). Subjective well-being is desirable but not the summum bonum. Paper presented at the University of Minnesota Interdisciplinary Workshop on well-being. Minneapolis.Google Scholar
Duckworth, A. L., Steen, T. A., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Positive psychology in clinical practice. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 629–651.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Helliwell, J. F. (2011). Institutions as enablers of wellbeing: The Singapore prison case study. International Journal of Wellbeing, 1 (2), 255–265. doi:10.5502/ijw.v1i2.7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1993). A dark side of the American dream: Correlates of financial success as a life aspiration. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 65 (2), 410–422.Google Scholar
Kraut, R., Olson, J., Banaji, M., Bruckman, A., Cohen, J., & Couper, M. (2004). Psychological research online: Report of board of scientific affairs advisory group on the conduct of research on the Internet. American Psychologist, 59, 105–117. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.59.2.105CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linley, P. A., Malty, J., Wood, A. M., Joseph, S., Harrington, S., Peterson, C., Park, N., Seligman, M. E. P. (2007). Character strengths in the United Kingdom: The VIA inventory of strengths. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 341–351. doi:110.1016/j.paid.2006.12.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacDonald, C., Bore, M., & Munro, D. (2008). Values in action scale and the Big 5: An empirical indication of structure. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 787–799.Google Scholar
Marsh, A., Smith, L., Piek, J., & Saunders, B. (2003). The Purpose in Life Scale: Psychometric properties for social drinkers and drinkers in alcohol treatment. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 63 (5), 859–871.Google Scholar
Park, N., Park, M., & Peterson, C. (2010). When is the search for meaning related to life satisfaction. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 2 (1), 1–13.Google Scholar
Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2009).Character strengths: Research and practice. Journal of College & Character, 10 (4), 1–10.Google Scholar
Park, N., Peterson, C., & Ruch, W. (2009). Orientations to happiness and life satisfaction in twenty-seven nations. Journal of Positive Psychology, 4 (4), 273–279.Google Scholar
Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2006). Character strengths in fifty-four nations and the fifty US states. Journal of Positive Psychology, 1 (3), 118–129.Google Scholar
Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Strengths of character and well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23 (5), 603–619.Google Scholar
Peterson, C., Park, N., Pole, N., D’Andrea, W., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2008). Strengths of character and posttraumatic growth. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 21 (2), 214–217. doi: 10.1002/jts.20332Google Scholar
Peterson, C., Park, N., & Seligman, M.E. P. (2005). Orientations to happiness and life satisfaction: The full life versus the empty life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6 (1), 25–41. doi: 10.1007/s10902-004-1278-zGoogle Scholar
Peterson, C., Park, N., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2006). Greater strengths of character and recovery from illness. Journal of Positive Psychology, 1 (1), 17–26.Google Scholar
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Peterson, C., Ruch, W., Beermann, U., Park, N., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2007). Strengths of character, orientations to happiness and life satisfaction. Journal of Positive Psychology, 2 (3), 149–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Proctor, C., Maltby, J., & Linley, P. A. (2010). Strengths use as a predictor of well-being and health-related quality of life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12 (1), 153–169. doi:10.1007/s10902-009-9181-2Google Scholar
Scheier, M. F., Wrosch, C., Baum, A., Cohen, S., Martire, L. M., Matthews, K. A., . . .Zdaniuk, B. (2006). The Life Engagement Test: Assessing purpose in life. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 29 (3), 291–298.Google Scholar
Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfilment. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55 (1), 5–14.Google Scholar
Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60 (5), 410–421.Google Scholar
Seligman, M. E. P., & Peterson, C. (2003). Positive clinical psychology. In Aspinwall, L. G. & Staudinger, U. M. (Eds.), A Psychology of Human Strengths: Fundamental Questions and Future Directions for a Positive Psychology (pp. 305–317). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Sirgy, M. J. (1998). Materialism and quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 43 (3), 227–260.Google Scholar
Singh, K., & Choubisa, R. (2010). Empirical validation of values in Action-Inventory of Strengths (VIA-Is) in Indian context. Psychological Studies, 55 (2), 151–158. doi: 10.1007/s12646-010-0015-4Google Scholar
Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53 (1), 80–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suh, E. M., & Oishi, S. (2002). Subjective well-being across cultures. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, Unit 10. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol10/iss1/1Google Scholar
Tafarodi, R. W., Bonn, G., Liang, H., Takai, J., Moriizumi, S., Belhekar, V., & Padhye, A. (2011). What makes for a good life? A four-nation study. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11 (2), 17–21. doi: 10.1007/s10902-011-9290-6Google Scholar
Tambyah, S. K., Tan, S. J., & Kau, A. K. (2010). The Wellbeing of Singaporeans: Values, Lifestyles, Satisfaction and Quality of Life. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte Ltd.Google Scholar
Tamir, M., & Gross, J. J. (2011). Beyond pleasure and pain? Emotion regulation and positive psychology. In Sheldon, K. M., Kashdan, T. B. & Steger, M. F. (Eds.), Designing Positive Psychology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward (pp. 89–100). New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Teng, S. (2011). Conflict and Harmony in Multi-Ethnic Societies. Retrieved from: http://libguides.nl.sg/conflictandharmonyGoogle Scholar
Trach, C., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006). How do people pursue happiness? Relating personality, happiness-increasing strategies and well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7 (2), 183–225.Google Scholar
Vaingankar, J. A., Subramaniam, M., Chong, S. A., Abdin, E., Edelen, M. O., Picco, L., . . .Sherbourne, C. (2011). The positive mental health instrument: development and validation of a culturally relevant scale in a multi-ethnic Asian population. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 9, 92–110. doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-9-92Google Scholar
Veenhoven, R. (2011). Greater happiness for a greater number: Is that possible? If so, how? In Sheldon, K. M., Kashdan, T. B. & Steger, M. F. (Eds.), Designing Positive Psychology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward (pp. 396–409). New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wrosch, C., Scheier, M. F., Miller, G. E., Schulz, R., & Carver, C. S. (2003). Adaptive self-regulation of unattainable goals: Goal disengagement, goal re-engagement and subjective well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29 (12), 1494–1508.Google Scholar