Character Self-Construction and Moral Principles: Franklin’s Method and a Dialectical Model of Character (Cancelled)

The study starts from the premise that within the dynamic personality system character is mainly an acquired subsystem that is the outcome of self and social construction. On a continuum that represents the interaction between innate and acquired factors the study posits that character is mostly constructed while temperament is mostly given. The research is focused on long-term personal experiences that aimed explicitly to develop one’s own character. Taking into account the theoretical framework of Petersen and Seligman (2004) that distinguishes between strengths and virtues the present model of character includes three dimensions and an orienting principle. The three dimensions are: a) strength-weakness; b) goodness-evilness; c) transparency versus opacity. A strong character could be good or evil, transparent or opaque. All these dimensions are related to self-tested orienting principles such as (Truth, Love, Justice, Non-violence. The study analysis three personalities who generated self-records for a long period of time on their personality development and especially on character questions. The autobiographies of Franklin, Gandhi and Thoreau’s Walden experiment are studied as paradigmatic modes of enhancing intentionally one’s own autonomy as a necessary condition to increase the personal ability to cope with major social conflicts for the sake of common good. The educational value of Franklin’s methods for character training is discussed based on practical exercises carried with students