The Contextual Nature of Virtue as an Interpersonal Trait

Guiding Greenbrier Academy for Girls in West Virginia, L. Jay Mitchell informs a therapeutic boarding school that provides a safe, supportive environment to young women for regaining a sense of balance and confidence. One of the core attributes emphasized at the school L. Jay Mitchell oversees is “virtue.”

Defined in general terms, virtue represents an act or quality that works to promote the “greater good” in a lasting way. Examples of this include behaviors that are helpful, honest, forgiving, compassionate, and dependable. In many cases, virtue is contextually defined, as behaviors that would not be tolerated in one situation are acceptable in another. For example, while skipping class is generally not virtuous, it is viewed as normal in when undertaken in response to the passing of a loved one.

Within the context of learning at Greenbrier Academy, when one girl passes in confidence information about her personal struggles to another, she assumes that it will not be shared with others. Respecting this request builds trust and serves as a virtue. On the other hand, when that girl confides that she is harming herself through cutting as a way of relieving internal pain, virtue shifts to placing safety as a core value over interpersonal relations. Thus, informing a trusted adult such as a nurse becomes the virtuous action.