Defining Character with Aakash Chowkase: A Way to Understand Our Virtues

The "character" is often used freely, assuming everyone knows and agrees what it means to have "good character" or to act "out of character." Yet, the average person might have a difficult time defining it. The concept may feel both deeply personal and universally understood at the same time.

Aakash Chowkase, PhD, research scientist at Yale Child Study Center and Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, has the expert’s perspective on what makes a good person. He is currently co-editing the upcoming Cambridge Handbook of Character with Robert J. Sternberg, PhD, Professor of Psychology at Cornell. In this Q&A, Chowkase proposes that we think less about a rigid definition and more about visualizing a personal mosaic of virtues.

Great question.

We decided not to define it. The idea of character varies greatly among individuals. It looks different across cultures and geographies. Instead of being prescriptive, my co-editor and I are taking a more descriptive approach.

Let's think about character as a mosaic comprised of different tiles. These tiles (or virtues) can, for example, include courage, compassion, honesty, integrity, humility, and discipline.

We can arrange these tiles in diverse ways. That's why character development is complex and looks different from person to person. Mosaics can be different and still look beautiful.

What helps us shape our mosaic are our moral beliefs. Like virtues, moral beliefs can be diverse and shaped by a bigger set of ethical principles. Ideas about what’s right and wrong and what's desirable or not are where the conversation about character strength begins.

Individuals, groups, and societies place value on different aspects of morality. Some might put more weight on values such as care and fairness. Others might place more emphasis on loyalty, authority, and purity/sanctity as their foundations of morality.

Across time and cultures there are shared ideas about what makes a person good. Values such as compassion, honesty, and self-discipline appear in philosophical and religious traditions. No culture, for instance, tends to value greed or dishonesty as a marker of strong character. Aspects of our moral compass are largely universal.

Virtues and moral beliefs are rooted in a desire to contribute to society's long-term greater good. What counts as good character depends on the person, their interactions with the world, real life experiences, and their belief system.

It’s defined by both. Like most things in psychology, it is an interaction between the individual and their environmental factors such as family and culture. A naturally caring child (person) might become deeply compassionate in a culture (environment) that values compassion.

A naturally less courageous person might demonstrate great courage in an authoritarian regime (environment) in an attempt to bring about positive social change. Character evolves in response to inner and external conditions. If character is like a tree, the seed (personality, temperament) matters, but so does the soil and weather (environment). Growth (character development) comes from the interaction of the two, facilitated by repeated practice and reflection.

If character is a moral and ethical mosaic we aspire to build, how does that differ from personality traits?

In Part 2 of our series with Aakash Chowkase, we explore the critical differences between character and personality, and how emotional intelligence supports its development.