Take the VIA survey and identify your signature strengths

Discover your top five to seven character strengths using the validated VIA survey.

Why it works

Self-assessment using a validated psychometric tool produces more accurate and stable strength identification than introspection alone, because people are often blind to their own signature strengths — they feel so natural that they seem unremarkable. Having a named, normed profile creates a cognitive anchor that supports deliberate strength deployment and builds a more accurate self-concept.

How to do it

1. Take the free VIA Character Strengths Survey at viacharacter.org (takes 15–20 minutes).
2. Read your top five results. For each, ask: "Does this feel like me? Do I feel energized when using it?"
3. Energy and authenticity are better markers of a signature strength than position in the ranking.
4. Identify your top three that pass this test — these are your signature strengths for the exercises below.

Evidence

The VIA survey has been validated across cultures and age groups, with reasonable psychometric properties. Signature strengths identified this way predict well-being outcomes in subsequent intervention studies. (observational)

The survey is reliable for top strengths; lower-ranked strengths have less stability. Cross-cultural validity is established but some strength profiles vary by context.

Sources

• Peterson & Seligman (2004), Character Strengths and Virtues (APA/Oxford University Press)
• Park, Peterson & Seligman (2004), "Strengths of character and well-being," Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology

Common mistake

Taking the survey once and treating the results as fixed — character strengths are dispositional tendencies, not permanent traits, and usage context matters as much as ranking.