This text is a co-publication of the American Psychological Association.This groundbreaking handbook of human strengths and virtues is the firstprogress report from a prestigious group of researchers in the Values in ActionClassification Project, which has undertaken a systematic classification andmeasurement of universal strengths and virtues. This landmark work makespossible for the first time a science of human strengths that goes beyondarmchair philosophy and political science. The handbook begins with thebackground of the VIA classification scheme and defines terms before describingin thorough detail the current state of knowledge with respect to each of the 24character strengths in the classification. Addressing issues of assessment andmeasurement, practical applications, and directions for future research, thiswork will demand the attention of any psychologist who is interested in positivepsychology and its relevance to clinical, personality, and socialpsychology.