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
- Take the free VIA Character Strengths Survey at viacharacter.org (takes 15–20 minutes).
- Read your top five results. For each, ask: "Does this feel like me? Do I feel energized when using it?"
- Energy and authenticity are better markers of a signature strength than position in the ranking.
- 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. Park, Peterson and Seligman (2004) found specific strengths — notably hope, zest, gratitude, curiosity and love — correlated most strongly with life satisfaction, giving the profile predictive weight beyond mere self-description. (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
- 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.
- Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. Washington, DC / New York: American Psychological Association & Oxford University Press.
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.
Practice this with IX Coach
7 days free, then $40/month (~$1.30/day).
More practices for VIA Character Strengths, Made Practical
- Use a signature strength in a new way each day for one week
Apply one of your top character strengths to a context or relationship where you don’t normally use it.
- Spot and name character strengths in others
Notice and explicitly name the character strengths you observe in people around you.
- Map how your strengths distort under stress
Identify the "overuse" and "underuse" of each signature strength — how they show up when you’re at your worst.
- Set goals that build on your signature strengths
Design goals that let your top strengths be the primary vehicle rather than your weak spots.
- Connect individual strengths to the broader virtues they serve
Understand which of the six VIA virtues your signature strengths express, and what that reveals about your character.
- Apply strengths consciously in your most important relationships
Identify how your signature strengths are showing up — or failing to show up — in the relationships that matter most.
Related concepts
- Positive Psychology, Made Practical
PERMA and the well-being exercises, graded honestly on the evidence
- Broaden-and-Build, Made Practical
Using positive emotions not just as rewards but as resources that build lasting psychological strength
- Self-Determination Theory, Made Usable
The three needs that make motivation self-sustaining