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Little research has explored the role of attachment in predicting virtues. In the present study, we provide an initial investigation testing the theory that virtues develop from having secure attachment relationships and the ability to bounce back from adversity. Specifically, we examined attachment and ego resilience as predictors of humility, gratitude and forgiveness. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses on a community sample of 245 participants found that both attachment and resilience were significant predictors of humility, gratitude, and forgiveness, even after controlling for religiosity. These results indicate the importance of the role of attachment and resilience in the development of virtues.

Research demonstrates that Evangelical Christians generally hold more negative attitudes toward gays and lesbians, and are less supportive of gay rights than the general U.S. population. To assess these attitudes, undergraduate students at an Evangelical Christian university in California (N = 319) completed the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) scale (Herek, 1984(Herek, , 1998 and other demographic and religiosity items. Results indicated that Evangelical Christian college students who are not homeschooled and know a gay or lesbian friend, relative, or acquaintance held significantly less negative attitudes toward gay rights than those who do not know a gay or lesbian person. Issues related to increasing respectful dialogue between groups are addressed.

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Adolescent character development is a high priority for educators, policymakers, and front-line youth workers. To meet this growing demand, and as exemplified in the five articles in this special section, character development scholars are drawing from a range of academic disciplines to push beyond the traditional boundaries of the science of character development. These articles highlight important trends in character research, including the codevelopment of a subset of character strengths, the articulation of developmental trajectories of character, the use of advanced methodological approaches, and the implications for education. Studies such as these are critically important for establishing the research base that will be used to design the character development programs of tomorrow.