This paper examines conceptualizations of ‘virtue’ which emerge in literature drawn from positive psychology and the Bahá’í Faith, exploring the relationship between the two approaches. While positive psychology draws upon a range of religious and philosophical approaches to inform its classification of virtues and strengths (known as the ‘Values-In-Action (VIA) Classification of Strengths’), it has not yet drawn upon or been studied in relation to the Bahá’í Faith.
This paper considers how the approaches may complement and inform one another as distinct bodies of knowledge, contrasting the ways in which their respective empirical and theological frameworks shape the concepts of virtue which emerge. It further highlights the syncretic and ‘integrative’ approach of positive psychology (which integrates specific aspects of religion) with the ‘inclusive’ approach of the Bahá’í Faith (based upon the principle of the oneness of religion). In turn, it considers the unique potential for future dialogue between the approaches.