International Personality Item Pool Values in Action Character Strength Scales (IPIP-VIA-R)
The IPIP-VIA-R uses 96 statements from the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) to assess the 24 character strengths of the Values in Action (VIA) classification.
You learn your top character strengths, such as curiosity, kindness or perseverance.
For anyone who wants to discover the character strengths they rely on most.
Report and PDF $6, paid after you finish.
Your answers stay private.
It comes from positive psychology research on virtues and strengths valued across cultures.
What this test is
Welcome. The IPIP-VIA-R uses 96 statements from the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) to assess the 24 character strengths of the Values in Action (VIA) classification.
The measure
The International Personality Item Pool Values in Action Character Strength Scales (IPIP-VIA-R) was developed by Bluemke and colleagues (2021). It has 96 items, each answered on a 5-point (Very Inaccurate … Very Accurate) scale. Its scores cover 24 separate scales.
Bluemke, M., Partsch, M. V., Saucier, G., & Lechner, C. M. (2021). Human Character in the IPIP: Towards Shorter, More Content-Valid, and Cross-Culturally Comparable IPIP-VIA Character Strength Scales (Draft v1.01). Items are public-domain, drawn from the International Personality Item Pool (Goldberg et al., 2006; https://ipip.ori.org).
At a glance
What it measures
Twenty-four character strengths are grouped under six broad virtues. Wisdom includes creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning and perspective; courage includes bravery, perseverance, honesty and zest; humanity includes love, kindness and social intelligence; justice includes teamwork, fairness and leadership; temperance includes forgiveness, humility, prudence and self-regulation; and transcendence includes appreciation of beauty, gratitude, hope, humor and spirituality. Statements describe each strength in everyday terms, such as finding new things to explore or always keeping one's promises.
Peterson and Seligman (2004) assembled the Values in Action (VIA) classification as part of positive psychology, aiming to describe what is good in people with the same care that diagnostic manuals give to what goes wrong. Their strengths were drawn from philosophical, religious and cultural traditions and selected for being valued in their own right across cultures. Bluemke, Partsch, Saucier and Lechner (2021) developed this revised public-domain version from items in the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP).
Each strength is scored separately, and the report ranks them. The highest-ranked strengths, sometimes called signature strengths, describe the qualities a person most readily brings to everyday life; lower-ranked strengths are less characteristic, not weaknesses. The ranking within a person is often more informative than comparison with others.
The strengths are used in positive psychology interventions, coaching, education and counseling, where people are encouraged to use their top strengths in new ways. On this site, the Mini-IPIP describes broad personality traits, the IPIP-HEXACO describes honesty and humility among six dimensions, and the Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) measures self-regulation in more detail.
Validity evidence
The IPIP-VIA-R operationalizes the 24 VIA character strengths using balanced-keyed public-domain items. Factor analyses support grouping the 24 strengths under the six VIA core virtues. Scales show expected convergent and discriminant validity patterns with personality and well-being measures (Bluemke et al., 2021).
Subscales
Originality/Creativity 4 items
how much you generate novel and useful ideas
Curiosity 4 items
how much you take an interest in ongoing experience
Judgment 4 items
how much you think things through and weigh evidence
Learning 4 items
how much you enjoy mastering new skills and knowledge
Perspective 4 items
how much you offer wise counsel and see the big picture
Valor/Bravery 4 items
how readily you face challenge, threat, or pain
Perseverance 4 items
how reliably you finish what you start
Integrity/Honesty 4 items
how truthful and genuine you are
Zest/Vitality 4 items
how much energy and enthusiasm you bring to life
Love 4 items
how much you value close, caring relationships
Kindness 4 items
how much you do good for others
Social Intelligence 4 items
how well you read your own and others' feelings
Teamwork 4 items
how loyal and committed you are to a group
Fairness 4 items
how evenhandedly you treat everyone
Leadership 4 items
how well you organize and encourage a group toward goals
Forgiveness 4 items
how readily you forgive those who do wrong
Modesty 4 items
how much you let your achievements speak for themselves
Prudence 4 items
how carefully you make choices to avoid undue risk
Self-Regulation 4 items
how well you manage your feelings and impulses
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence 4 items
how much you notice beauty and skill in the world
Gratitude 4 items
how aware and thankful you are for the good in life
Hope 4 items
how much you expect the best and work toward it
Humor 4 items
how much you bring laughter and lightness to others
Spirituality/Religiousness 4 items
how much you hold beliefs about meaning and purpose
Example item
“Am not considered to have new and different ideas.”
Illustrative only. During administration items are presented one screen-set at a time; response-key direction is never shown to respondents.
Scoring & interpretation
Your report explains each of your scale scores in plain language.
References
- Bluemke, M., Partsch, M. V., Saucier, G., & Lechner, C. M. (2021). Human Character Strengths: A Public-Domain IPIP Measure of the VIA Classification. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 37(1), 13-30.
- Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. American Psychological Association and Oxford University Press.
Sample report preview
The report opens with a profile of your scores on each of the 24 scales, drawn on a common scale so the highest and lowest areas stand out. Each one then receives a short plain-language explanation of what a higher or lower standing describes. It closes with guidance on reading the results and on the limits of self-report.
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Subscale scores | Your score on each of the 24 subscales. |
| Comparisons | How your scores compare with a published comparison group. |
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