Positive Character Traits: Types & List with 100+ Examples
Name three positive character traits that define who you are. Kind? Self-confident? Brave? Productive? These and other positive personality traits indeed define who we are.
Positive character traits are what help us to thrive in whatever we do. It doesn’t matter whether it’s assertiveness, independence, reliability, or adaptive problem-solving manner, all these positive character traits help us pursue our dreams and express ourselves.
However, we also have some negative character traits that are also part of our personality. But the most interesting thing about your personality is that it’s not constant.
As you gain new experiences, your character traits change. And you are the one who chooses what kind of person you’d like to become. By finding out the meaning of positive qualities and taking a look at the examples of positive character traits, you’ll become more aware of the person you want to become.
In this article, we’ll define the meaning of positive character traits and introduce examples of positive traits, attributes, and skills separately for students, kids, and the workplace. In the end, we’ll also review the most common negative character traits.
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What Are Positive Character Traits and Qualities?
Positive character traits are personal attributes or strengths that reflect our positive thought patterns, feelings, and behaviors. Generally, people possess both positive and negative personality qualities. If character traits are relatively stable and consistent, then they’re considered personality traits.
The American Psychological Association (APA), defines personality traits as stable, enduring internal attributes “inferred from a pattern of behaviors, attitudes, feelings, and habits in the individual”.
While personality traits are neutral characteristics of an individual, positive character traits help us develop an optimistic attitude towards ourselves. This, in turn, leads to a high level of self-esteem and confidence.
Understanding your own positive character traits is useful to explain your thoughts, predict your future behavior and focus on your strengths to grow either personally or professionally.
For example, knowing you’re an introvert may help you focus on your social skills and develop them to feel more natural while interacting with other people. Although many people believe that positive qualities are stable, the latest studies prove that personality may change over time.
Respectively, by focusing on your growth, you can develop positive qualities and become more energetic, kind, optimistic, or generous.
Take a look at this three-step process if you want to develop positive character traits:
- Identify personality traits you don’t like in yourself. For example, you may get angry too easily, you may judge people for no reason, or behave too shy in some situations.
- Choose one specific positive trait that you want to develop. Take a look at the various positive character traits below and see which one you want to focus on.
- Be aware of your thoughts and actions during the day. Look at your behaviors from the perspective of someone who has this one particular positive quality.
Types of Positive Qualities
To focus on developing positive qualities, you should know that there are several types of them.
While some of these categories are more relevant to interpersonal relationships or everyday life, others are more suitable for either a career path or academic life. Some of the major categories of positive qualities are traits, skills, and attributes.
Let’s start reviewing positive qualities by providing a list of traits.
Positive Character Traits
Possessing any type of positive trait helps people focus on their goals, become more productive, and realize their plans.
However, categorizing your positive qualities into interpersonal, intellectual, and emotional traits will help you become more aware of your positive characteristics in different situations.
Take a look at the list of personality traits below in order to explore some of the most useful positive interpersonal, intellectual, and emotional traits.
10 Examples of Positive Interpersonal Traits
- Sincere
- Reliable
- Easygoing
- Friendly
- Perceptive
- Talkative
- Cooperative
- Joyful
- Observer
- Cheerful
10 Examples of Positive Intellectual Traits
- Creative
- Diligent
- Inquisitive
- Resourceful
- Technological
- Clever
- Practical
- Problem-solver
- Effective
- Intelligent
10 Examples of Positive Emotional Traits
- Empathetic
- Brave
- Warm
- Enthusiastic
- Calm
- Optimistic
- Curious
- Self-aware
- Truthful
- Forgiving
Positive Personal Attributes
Personality is usually defined by our character traits or behaviors. However, it doesn’t mean that personal attributes are less important in the process of assessing people.
In fact, studies prove that personal attributes significantly determine the perceived effectiveness of both academic and career situations. People usually form first impressions of others based on their physical appearance and bodily attributes.
Below you can take a look at the list of positive personal attributes by appearance and by bodily attributes.
Positive Appearance: 10 Examples
- Attractive look
- Stunning smile
- Fit body
- Gorgeous face
- Good-looking
- Lovely dimples
- Stunning eyes
- Shiny hair
- Small waist
- Smooth legs
Positive Bodily Attributes: 10 Examples
- Flexible
- Quick runner
- Well-built
- Strong
- Muscular
- Great metabolism
- Fresh genes
- Athletic build
- Skinny
- Toned
List with 20 Examples of Positive Qualities
- Individualistic
- Progressive
- Consistent
- Interesting
- Curious
- Mature
- Realistic
- Adventurous
- Polite
- Self-confident
- Wise
- Constructive
- Attentive
- Innovative
- Modest
- Clever
- Romantic
- Honest
- Open-minded
- Productive
Positive Qualities for Workplace
Positive qualities help employees to realize their full potential at the workplace and succeed. The most common positive qualities for the workplace are focused on fostering productivity, developing workplace ethics, and establishing accountability.
List of 15 Positive Qualities for Workplace
- Time management
- Teamwork
- Public speaking
- Problem-solving
- Effective communication
- Flexibility
- Conflict resolution
- Active listening
- Collaboration
- Eagerness to learn
- Loyalty
- Work ethic
- Ambition
- Adaptability
- Accounting
Positive Character Traits for Students
Positive qualities for school overlap with positive character traits for the workplace to some extent. For example, having teamwork skills is useful for both school children and employees.
However, usually, workplace qualities are focused on achieving the collective goal whereas, in school, individual growth is more important. Therefore, positive character traits for school are more personal adjectives that are advantageous for students to perform better and stand out in class.
List of 7 Positive Character Traits for Students
- Punctual
- Responsible
- Team player
- Self-disciplined
- Diligent
- Educated
- Confident
Positive Character Traits for Kids
Positive qualities for school overlap with positive character traits for the workplace to some extent. For example, having teamwork skills is useful for both school children and employees.
However, usually, workplace qualities are focused on achieving the collective goal whereas, in school, individual growth is more important. Therefore, positive character traits for school are more personal adjectives that are advantageous for students to perform better and stand out in class.
List of 7 Positive Character Traits for Kids
- Honest
- Respectful
- Kind
- Curious
- Loving
- Warm
- Sincere
Negative Character Traits – What is it?
All the positive personality traits, qualities, and skills we discussed above help people to focus on their strengths and flourish. However, people also have some not-so-positive character traits that slow down their progress.
Just like positive qualities, negative character traits are part of every individual’s personality. But being aware of negative qualities and balancing them with positive ones helps people grow.
What are the Most Common Negative Qualities of a Person?
Considering the fact that negative qualities are integral parts of our personality, some negative personality traits are very common among people. For example, it’s hard to imagine a person who hasn’t been lazy or selfish at some point in their lives or hasn’t doubted their own competence.
Moreover, everyone has pessimistic attitudes sometimes and everyone has been angry at others. Still, it doesn’t mean we can’t work on our negative qualities and rely on them to grow. Here is the list of the most common negative character traits.
List of 7 Most Common Negative Qualities of a Person
- Selfishness
- Self-doubt
- Pessimism
- Violence
- Unreliability
- Dishonesty
- Arrogance
Frequently Asked Questions About Positive Character Traits
What are your 3 best qualities?
If that’s the question employers ask you at the interview, you can say that excellent communication skills, loyalty, and eagerness to learn are your 3 best qualities. However, these 3 qualities can be different depending on the situation.
The 3 best qualities for students can be being helpful, motivated, and dedicated, while the 3 best qualities for children can be curiosity, empathy, and creativity.
What are unique qualities?
Unique qualities are things that characterize a particular individual only. Usually, unique qualities are things that make us different from everybody else in the world, things that make us remarkable.
Personality is one of the unique qualities a person possesses, alongside attitudes, habits, experiences, genetics, and physical characteristics.
What are admirable qualities?
Some of the most admirable qualities a person can have are responsibility, humility, compassion, empathy, or integrity.
People that are considered admirable usually have positive characteristics such as generosity, politeness, kindness, and enthusiasm.
