Character Strengths in Old People: a Cross-Cultural Study

To analyze cross-cultural differences in character strengths (CS) of the elderly, the Values in Action 120 Survey was applied in 74 Brazilian (M=71.66; SD=7.34) and 74 Portuguese (M=72.01; SD=7.55) samples. CS associations with gender, age, schooling years and psychological well-being were also performed. CS profile had a considerable consistency between the two samples being remarkable that, in both samples, Authenticity was a signature CS and Curiosity was positively correlated with psychological well-being. Although there were more similarities between genders, it was possible to identify minor gender differences in the Portuguese samples CS. Further, very few CS were correlated with age or schooling years. Due to limitations of this and other investigations, it is suggested to intensify and to go deeper into cross-cultural research about CS of the elderly, mainly through longitudinal studies with more representative samples. To perform research with this design is fundamental to the development of the science of positive aging.