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

@article{Matthews2006CharacterSA,
  title={Character Strengths and Virtues of Developing Military Leaders: An International Comparison},
  author={Michael D. Matthews and Jarle Eid and Dennis R. Kelly and Jennifer K. S. Bailey and Christopher Peterson},
  journal={Military Psychology},
  year={2006},
  volume={18},
  pages={S57 - S68}
}
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… 
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