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Character Strength at Its Worst and Best: Mediating Effect of Coping Strategies

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Abstract

Positive psychology studies mostly focus on positive aspects of character strengths (CSs) and their role in optimal human functioning, thereby leaving the strengths’ imbalance model and its impact on negative outcomes behind. The study aims to explore the under/over and optimal use of character strengths in relation to positive and negative coping strategies and to define how the different degrees of strengths contribute to psychological resilience and negative emotional states. A total of 306 respondents (60% male) from Georgia participated in the study. The following measures were used to assess different aspects of character, coping mechanisms, and positive and negative outcomes: Underuse/Optimal Use Inventory of Strengths; Ways of Coping Questionnaire; Brief Resilience Scale; Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. The results revealed that underuse and overuse of character strength are positively related to negative coping strategies and negative emotional states, whereas optimal use of character strength is associated with positive coping strategies and resilience. Positive and negative coping strategies play a mediator role in these relationships. The results call for support for a theoretical model of the dark sides of character strengths by providing insights into how each degree of character strength corresponds to positive or negative aspects of human well-being and coping strategies. A novel mechanism for explaining character strength and positive and negative outcomes relationship is explored.

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Data Availability

The dataset generated and analyzed during the current study is not publicly available due to the fact that it constitutes an excerpt of research in progress but it will be available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

The study was funded by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia (PHDF-18–1532).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia

    Tamar Kamushadze & Khatuna Martskvishvili

Authors
  1. Tamar Kamushadze
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  2. Khatuna Martskvishvili
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Contributions

T.K. conceived the presented idea, developed the theory and design of the study, carried out the experiment, and performed the computations. Kh. M. verified the analytical methods and supervised the findings of this work. Both authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Tamar Kamushadze.

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The ethical evaluating committee of National Science Foundation assessed the ethical aspects of the project.

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Not applicable.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Kamushadze, T., Martskvishvili, K. Character Strength at Its Worst and Best: Mediating Effect of Coping Strategies. Trends in Psychol. 29, 655–669 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-021-00085-z

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