Thursday, 22 May 2014

Strengths














Strengths

Many people are familiar with the “DSM IV”: the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition. This volume, published by the American Psychiatric Association, categorizes and codes mental disorders and their symptoms.

Psychologists Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterman wondered why we couldn’t catalog and measure strengths as well. They argue that people have character strengths which contribute to a happy life and are protective in times of trouble. Their nonprofit, founded to study character strengths, is called the VIA Institute on Character.

The character strengths identified by Seligman and Peterman
:
  • Wisdom and knowledge: includes creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, perspective
  • Courage: includes bravery, persistence, honesty, zest
  • Humanity: includes capacity to love and be loved, kindness, emotional intelligence
  • Justice: includes teamwork, fairness, leadership
  • Temperance: includes forgiveness, modesty, prudence, self-control
  • Transcendence: includes appreciating beauty, gratitude, hope, humor, purpose, faith

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