MAPPING RESEARCH ON CHARACTER STRENGTHS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS FROM 2004 TO 2026

Abstract

This study aims to map the development, productivity, influence, and conceptual
structure of studies on character strengths and psychological well-being from 2004 to June 2026.
Data were obtained from Scopus. After filtering and metadata cleaning, 158 documents from 105
sources, 465 authors, and 43 countries or regions were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and
Bibliometric via Biblioshiny. The United States was the most productive country, with 95
contributions (25.5%); Frontiers in Psychology was the primary source, with 14 articles (8.86%);
and Weziak-Bialowolska was the most prolific author, with 6 articles. McCullough and
Willoughby obtained 879 citations, averaging 48.8 citations per year. Huber, Höfer, Höge, and
Strecker had the highest local h-index of 5, each with five articles and 223 citations. Dominant
themes included character strengths, well-being, positive psychology, mental health, life
satisfaction, gratitude, resilience, and social support. These findings illustrate the conceptual link
between character strengths, psychological well-being, mental health, and adaptive functioning.