Do Friends Self-Select on the Basis of Virtue?

Abstract

This study explored the role of signature strengths (e.g., leadership, appreciation of beauty and excellence, social intelligence) in close friendships. Specifically, it was hypothesized that college-aged individuals' signature strengths would be similar to those of their closest friends, and also that the closer and more intimate the friendship, the more similar would be the friends in their signature strengths. It was also hypothesized that the strength of the relationship between best friends' signature strengths would be associated with an individual's level of identity development; with the length of the friendship; and with the gender of the persons reporting. College students were administered the Values In Action Signature Strengths Inventory (VIA-IS), the Berndt Adult Friendship Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Affectivity Schedule, the Ego Identity Process Questionnaire, and an open-ended measure assessing perceptions of friends' positive qualities. Results indicated several trends for data in predicted directions, although the small sample size precluded any conclusions based on statistical significance.