Character Strengths and Virtues of Developing Military Leaders: An International Comparison

Abstract

Positive character strengths, virtues, and values are touted in military doctrine as critical for effective leadership, yet little evidence exists describing such traits in military samples. This study compared West Point cadets (N = 103), Norwegian Naval Academy cadets (N = 141), and U.S. civilians aged 18 to 21 (N = 838) with respect to 24 character strengths. Results generally showed that the absolute scores of West Point cadets were higher than either of the other 2 groups. However, when the rank orders of character strengths were compared, the 2 military samples were more highly correlated with each other than either was with the U.S. civilian sample. The greatest strengths evident among the military samples were honesty, hope, bravery, industry, and teamwork. Implications for multiforce military operations are discussed.