character
now more commonly referring to person in a book or film in the sense of participant, but more substantial sense with moral connotations persists in: 'a person of real character' or requests for 'a character reference'. The notion that each individual has a distinctive character which should be nurtured and developed is taken for granted by some and challenged by others. Certainly, there is research evidence which demonstrates that actual behaviour does not always conform to how people appear or to what people say. Nevertheless, the combination of habitual inclinations and consistent intentions does convey something of a person's identity. For Christians, the model for this is the life of Jesus of Nazareth and and the communal vitality associated with him. These are sources for character building.