Abstract
Abstract:
The psychological conceptualisation of the character strength of citizenship as a trait
ubiquitous across cultures is examined within the context of a diverse South African
sample. The theoretically supposed elements common to the definition of citizenship
as a dispositional trait (rather than a situational or cultural phenomenon) are examined
by means of considering Peterson and Seligman’s (2004) conceptualisation of
citizenship as espoused in their work on character strength and virtues. Using the
Rasch model of item response theory the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP)
Value in Action Inventory (VIA) Citizenship scale was examined for fit and differential
item functioning (DIF). A diverse sample of 902 South African university students who
completed the Citizenship scale was examined for DIF as a function of self-asserted
ethnicities and home language groups, which serve as indicators of culture within the
South African context. The findings of the study suggest that while certain conceptual
aspects of trait-based citizenship as espoused by Peterson and Seligman (2004) are
common across the heterogeneous cultures (as defined by ethnicity and language
group) examined, there is sound evidence that there are also qualitative distinctions
that are exclusively a function of cultural grouping, suggesting difficulties with the
exclusive conceptualisation of citizenship as an individual trait. The implications of
these findings speak to the importance of considering citizenship as a nuanced and
complex notion that requires further consideration in terms of the philosophical,
theoretical and empirical qualification of its conceptualisation.