Chinese Virtues Questionnaire – Chinese Version

Description

In 1999, American psychologists Hilsen and Mary first proposed the concept of “positive personality” and classified it into two dimensions: positive self traits and positive relationships with others. Later, Seligman used terms such as “positive personal traits,” “positive qualities,” “character strengths,” and others, believing that positive qualities are the core of individual positive personality research. They represent the psychological processes and mechanisms through which individuals acquire virtues. Researchers in China translated terms like “Character Strength” into positive qualities, character strengths, psychological qualities, and character advantages.

In 2009, Meng Wanjin and others utilized the term “positive psychological qualities” in their “Report on the Compilation of Positive Psychological Quality Scale for Chinese Primary and Secondary School Students,” proposing a concept based on the interaction between innate potential and environmental education, resulting in relatively stable positive psychological traits. Qian Tongzhou defined positive psychological qualities as relatively enduring, positive emotions and experiences. Liu Xiangping and colleagues defined it as cognitive and emotional traits related to positive behavior, which require continuous practice to learn and solidify. The systematic classification of positive psychological qualities is an essential part of positive personality theory.

In 2001, Peterson and Seligman collaborated on this work, creating the Values in Action Classification of Strengths (VIA-CS), which includes 24 kinds of positive psychological qualities and six major virtues: Wisdom (curiosity, love of learning, creativity, open-mindedness, insight); Courage (bravery, perseverance, integrity, vitality); Humanity (love, kindness, emotional intelligence); Justice (social responsibility, fairness, leadership); Temperance (forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation); Transcendence (appreciation of beauty, gratitude, optimism, humor, spirituality). Peterson and Seligman emphasized that cultivating positive psychological qualities is a vital means by which individuals can acquire good virtues, which are keys to health and happiness. Moreover, one does not need to possess all the positive psychological qualities contained within a virtue but only one or two to cultivate that virtue, which also requires support from education, social environment, family culture, and other conditions.

Within the cultural context of China, research on the classification of positive psychological qualities is also in full swing. Considering the commonalities and particularities of various national cultures, Duan Wenjie and others explored and validated the VIA-CS dimensional structure in Chinese contexts, ultimately resulting in a three-dimensional structure containing 24 positive psychological qualities: qualities like fairness, love, integrity, leadership, forgiveness, kindness, teamwork, and gratitude were grouped under a dimension of Affection, reflecting positive emotions and cognition exhibited in interpersonal interactions; qualities such as hope, social wisdom, enthusiasm, creativity, insight, aesthetic appreciation, bravery, humor, curiosity, and spirituality fell under a dimension of Vitality, referring to positive traits that an individual pursues for a higher self in the world and society; qualities like judgment, prudence, self-management, perseverance, love of learning, and humility were placed in a dimension of Willpower, indicating traits related to self-management and self-restraint.

Framed by the VIA-CS theory, Peterson and Seligman compiled a self-assessment questionnaire for adult positive psychological qualities—the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS)—with 240 items measuring six virtues corresponding to 24 positive psychological qualities, with each quality having 10 items (including 3 reverse-scored items). Duan Wenjie and others conducted a study on the applicability of VIA-IS among college students, finding its dimensional structure unsatisfactory. In 2012, through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, they simplified and revised the questionnaire to obtain a three-dimensional structure with a total of 96 items, known as the Chinese Virtues Questionnaire (CVQ).

In 2013, they comprehensively examined the reliability and validity of CVQ with surveys of 878 college students and 153 ordinary workers, revealing internal consistency reliability ranging from 0.87 to 0.92, and test-retest reliability between 0.70 to 0.76; after EFA, a three-factor structure was obtained, with acceptable fit indices for the second-order structural equation model; the aggregate validity and discriminant validity were between r = 0.12 to 0.52, demonstrating time stability and invariance of factor structure across male and female samples. In 2014, Zhang Yonghong and others evaluated the applicability of CVQ in a group of 1120 Chinese adolescents, revealing internal reliability for each subscale ranging from 0.878 to 0.923, and test-retest reliability six weeks later ranging from 0.738 to 0.826, with acceptable structural equation fit indices for all three subscales.

Authors and Contact Email

Information not available.

Purpose

To evaluate positive psychological qualities and virtues within individuals as a means to enhance well-being and personal development.

Test Year

2009 (initial report by Meng Wanjin), subsequent development in 2012 and evaluations through 2014.

Administration Method and Scoring

Participants rate items on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (very unlike me) to 5 (very much like me).

Reliability and Validity

The CVQ demonstrated internal consistency reliability between 0.87 to 0.92 and test-retest reliability of 0.70 to 0.76. The exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure with acceptable fit indices in the structural equation model.

Factors and Subscales

– Affection (亲和力维度): fairness, love, integrity, leadership, forgiveness, kindness, teamwork, gratitude.
– Vitality (生命力维度): hope, social wisdom, enthusiasm, creativity, insight, aesthetic appreciation, bravery, humor, curiosity, spirituality.
– Willpower (意志力维度): judgment, prudence, self-management, perseverance, love of learning, humility.

Keywords

Positive personality, positive psychological qualities, VIA-CS, CVQ, virtues.

Items in Chinese

1. 我从来不会在任务没有完成前就放弃。
2. 我一向遵守承诺。
3. 我总是对事物抱着乐观的态度。
4. 我总是会从事物的正反两面去考虑问题。
5. 我知道如何在不同的社交场合下扮演适合自己的角色。
6. 我做事从不虎头蛇尾。
7. 我的朋友认为我能够保持事情的真实性。
8. 能为朋友做些小事让我感到很享受。
9. 我身边有人像关心自己一样关心我，在乎我的感受。
10. 我非常喜欢成为团体中的一份子。
11. 作为一个组织的领导，不管成员有过怎样的经历，我都对他们一视同仁。
12. 就算美食当前，我也不会吃过量。
13. 当别人看到事物消极的一面时，我总能乐观地发现它积极的一面。
14. 我喜欢想一些新的方法去解决问题。
15. 我尽力让那些沮丧的人振作起来。
16. 我是一个高度自律的人。
17. 我总是思考以后再讲话。
18. 即使面对挑战，我也总对将来充满希望。
19. 在困难的时刻，我的信仰从来没有离弃过我。
20. 我有能力令其他人对一些事物产生兴趣。
21. 即使会遇到阻碍，我也要把事情完成。
22. 对我来说，每个人的权利同样重要。
23. 我会控制自己的情绪。
24. 我能看到被别人忽视的美好事物。
25. 我有明确的生活目标。
26. 我从不吹嘘自己的成就。
27. 我热爱自己所做的事情。
28. 我一向容许别人把错误留在过去，重新开始。
29. 我对各式各样的活动都感到兴奋。
30. 我是个真正的终身学习者。
31. 我的朋友认为我能客观地看待事物。
32. 我总能想出新方法去做事情。
33. 我总能知道别人行事的动机。
34. 我的承诺值得信赖。
35. 我给每个人机会。
36. 作为一名领导者，我一视同仁。
37. 我是一个充满感恩之心的人。
38. 我试着在所做的任何事情中添加一点幽默的成分。
39. 我希望人们能学会原谅和遗忘。
40. 我有很多兴趣爱好。
41. 朋友们认为我有各种各样的新奇想法。
42. 我总能看到事物的全部。
43. 我总能捍卫自己的信念。
44. 我不言放弃。
45. 在朋友生病时，我总会致电问候。
46. 我总能感受到自己生命中有爱存在。
47. 维持团体内的和睦对我来说很重要。
48. 行动前，我总是先考虑可能出现的结果。
49. 我总能觉察到周围环境里存在的自然美。
50. 我的信仰塑造了现在的我。
51. 我从不让沮丧的境遇带走我的幽默感。
52. 我精力充沛。
53. 我总是愿意给他人改正错误的机会。
54. 在任何情形下，我都能找到乐趣。
55. 我常常阅读。
56. 深思熟虑是我的特点之一。
57. 我经常有原创性的思维。
58. 我对人生有成熟的看法。
59. 我总能直面自己的恐惧。
60. 我非常喜欢各种形式的艺术。
61. 我对生命中所得到的一切充满感激。
62. 我很有幽默感。
63. 我总会权衡利弊。
64. 别人喜欢来征询我的建议。
65. 我曾经战胜过痛苦与失望。
66. 我享受善待他人的感觉。
67. 我能够接受别人的爱。
68. 即使不同意团体领袖的观点，我还是会尊重他。
69. 作为一个团体领导，我尽量让每一个成员快乐。
70. 我是个非常小心的人。
71. 当审视自己的生活时，我发现有很多地方值得感恩。
72. 别人告诉我，谦虚是我最显着的优点之一。
73. 通常情况下，我愿意给别人第二次机会。
74. 我认为我的生活非常有趣。
75. 我阅读大量各种各样的书籍。
76. 我总是知道说什么话可以让别人感觉良好。
77. 在我的邻居、同事或同学中，有我真正关心的人。
78. 尊重团体的决定对我来说很重要。
79. 我认为每个人都应该有发言权。
80. 作为团体领导者，我认为每个成员都有对团体所做的事发表意见的权利。
81. 我总是谨慎地做出决定。
82. 我经常渴望能感受伟大的艺术，比如音乐，戏剧或绘画。
83. 每天我都心怀深刻的感激之情。
84. 情绪低落时，我总是回想生活中美好的事情。
85. 信仰使我的生命变得重要。
86. 没有人认为我是一个自大的人。
87. 早晨醒来，我会为了新一天中存在的无限可能性而兴奋。
88. 我喜欢阅读非小说类的书籍作为消遣。
89. 别人认为我是一个聪明的人。
90. 我是一个勇敢的人。
91. 别人相信我能帮他们保守秘密。
92. 我相信聆听每个人的意见是值得的。
93. 我定时锻炼身体。
94. 别人都因我的谦逊而走近我。
95. 我因富于幽默而被众人所知。
96. 人们形容我为一个热情洋溢的人。

Items in English

1. I never give up before a task is finished.
2. I consistently keep my promises.
3. I always maintain an optimistic attitude towards things.
4. I always consider both sides of issues.
5. I know how to play suitable roles in different social situations.
6. I never quit halfway in my work.
7. My friends think that I can maintain the authenticity of things.
8. Doing small things for friends brings me joy.
9. There are people around me who care about me as I care about them.
10. I really enjoy being part of a group.
11. As a leader of an organization, regardless of the members’ backgrounds, I treat everyone equally.
12. Even in front of delicious food, I don’t overeat.
13. When others see the negative side of things, I can still find the positive aspect optimistically.
14. I like to think of new ways to solve problems.
15. I try my best to uplift those who are feeling down.
16. I am a highly self-disciplined person.
17. I always think before I speak.
18. Even facing challenges, I remain hopeful for the future.
19. In difficult times, my faith has never abandoned me.
20. I have the ability to spark others’ interest in different things.
21. Even if I face obstacles, I will complete my tasks.
22. To me, everyone’s rights are equally important.
23. I can control my emotions.
24. I can see the beautiful things that others overlook.
25. I have clear life goals.
26. I never boast about my accomplishments.
27. I love what I do.
28. I always allow others to leave mistakes in the past and start anew.
29. I feel excited about various activities.
30. I am a true lifelong learner.
31. My friends think I can view things objectively.
32. I can always come up with new methods to do things.
33. I can often discern others’ motives.
34. My commitments are trustworthy.
35. I give everyone a chance.
36. As a leader, I treat everyone equally.
37. I am a person full of gratitude.
38. I try to add a bit of humor to everything I do.
39. I hope people can learn to forgive and forget.
40. I have many hobbies.
41. My friends think I have a variety of novel ideas.
42. I can always see the whole picture.
43. I can always defend my beliefs.
44. I never say die.
45. When friends are unwell, I always reach out to check on them.
46. I can always feel the love present in my life.
47. Maintaining harmony in the group is important to me.
48. Before taking action, I always consider the possible outcomes.
49. I can always notice the natural beauty in my surroundings.
50. My faith shapes who I am today.
51. I never let disheartening situations take away my sense of humor.
52. I am full of energy.
53. I am always willing to give others the chance to correct their mistakes.
54. I can find joy in any situation.
55. I read often.
56. Thoughtfulness is one of my characteristics.
57. I often have original thoughts.
58. I have a mature perspective on life.
59. I can always confront my fears.
60. I really enjoy various forms of art.
61. I am grateful for everything I have in life.
62. I have a good sense of humor.
63. I always weigh the pros and cons.
64. People like to seek my advice.
65. I have previously overcome pain and disappointment.
66. I relish the feeling of being kind to others.
67. I can accept love from others.
68. Even if I disagree with the group’s leader, I still respect them.
69. As a group leader, I try to make every member happy.
70. I am a very cautious person.
71. When reflecting on my life, I find many things to be grateful for.
72. People tell me that humility is one of my most significant strengths.
73. Generally, I am willing to give others a second chance.
74. I believe my life is very interesting.
75. I read a lot of various books.
76. I always know what to say to make others feel good.
77. There are people among my neighbors, colleagues, or classmates whom I truly care about.
78. Respecting the decisions of the group is important to me.
79. I believe everyone should have the right to speak.
80. As a group leader, I believe every member should have the right to express their opinions regarding the group’s actions.
81. I always make decisions cautiously.
82. I often desire to experience great art, such as music, theater, or painting.
83. Every day I feel profound gratitude.
84. When feeling down, I always recall the beautiful things in life.
85. Faith gives my life significance.
86. No one perceives me as a conceited person.
87. When I wake up in the morning, I feel excited about the endless possibilities of a new day.
88. I enjoy reading non-fiction books for leisure.
89. Others consider me a smart person.
90. I am a brave person.
91. Others believe I can help them keep their secrets.
92. I believe it’s worthwhile to listen to everyone’s opinions.
93. I exercise regularly.
94. People get close to me because of my humility.
95. I am known for my humor.
96. People describe me as an enthusiastic person.

References

– information not available.