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Strengths
Orla ShanahanHazel KidneyJ. K. Moran
Tom McGuire
Brainstorm
Take a moment to write down what do we know about Strengths already?
Overview of seminarO Definitions O Theories O HistoryO Character StrengthsO Criteria for strengthsO Difference between
strengths and talentsO 6 Virtues, 24
Strengths O Everyday Strengths
O Education and strengths
O Children and strengths
O Sport and Strengths O ActivityO Politics and strengthsO Activity O Summary O Suggested Readings
Learning OutcomesO Understand strengths in positive
psychologyO Know your own strengthsO Knowledge of strengths in everyday
occurrence O Be able to use them in a positive
useful mannerO Cite main theorists and their theories
DefinitionO Character strengths:
positive traits reflected in thoughts, feelings and behaviors. They exist in degrees and can be measured as individual differences.
(Chung, 2008)
O “The truth is that all of us attain the greatest success and happiness possible in this life whenever we use our native capacities to their greatest extent.” Dr. Smiley Blanton, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (1882-1966)
Main TheoristsO Jonathan Haidt
O Christopher Peterson
O Martin Seligman
HistoryO World War II psychological mission:
O Cure mental diseaseO Help people live more productive livesO Identifying and nurturing high talents
O Used APA presidency shift focus from curing mental illness to fulfilment
O Out of 17,000 articles, 61% about negative issues
(Czapinksi, 1985, cited in Chung, 2008)
ImprovementO Higher gain in life satisfaction when
strengths and weaknesses worked on rather than strengths alone
(Rust, Diessner & Reade, 2009)
O Excess in one strength does not cause a drop in life satisfaction
(Park, Peterson & Seligman, 2004)
What are your character strengths?
O http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-3IjNr1gCg&feature=related- Character strengths
O Take a minute to write down your character strengths.
List of strengths
O http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNEu2jp_go8
Criteria for a strengthO Criteria for character strengths:
Ubiquity = recognized across cultureFulfilling = contributes to individual fulfillment, satisfaction and
happinessMorally valued = valued in its own right and not for the outcomes it
may produceDoes not diminish others = elevates others who witness it,
produces admiration not jealousInfelicitous opposite = has negative opposites
Trait-like = is an individual difference with demonstrative generality and stability
Measurable = can be measured by researchers as an individual difference Distinctiveness = is not redundant with other character strengths Paragons = strikingly embodied in some individuals Prodigies = precociously shown by some children Selective absence = is missing all together in some people Institutions = deliberate target of social practices and rituals that try to cultivate it
Difference between strength and talents
O Strengths such as valour, courage, honesty should not be mistaken for talents such as rhythm, accuracy or pitch.
O Main difference is that strengths are moral traits, talents are non-moral
O Talents are innate, have it or you don't
O You can’t improve talents as much as you can improve strengths
O talents are easy, strengths require choice and action(Seligman, 2002)
Activity Most reported, least reported
O KindnessO FairnessO HonestyO PrudenceO Self-regulation O GratitudeO JudgmentO Humility/modesty
Peterson & Seligman (2005):
O 6 VirtuesO 24 strengths
O Take the surveyO The VIA-IS can be taken for free at
http://www.viasurvey.org/, a site run by the VIA institute. You need to register and then the site will save your results so you can always revisit and check your strengths.
O http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-Lo-hofLGc&feature=related?
6 Virtues, 24 strengths
Everyday strengths
We use our strengths in our day to day life.
O Education
O Sport
O Politics
Strengths In education O Incorporating a focus on strengths in the school
mission. Focusing on character strengths offers a step towards 1. greater engagement 2. greater achievement3. greater well-beingJust naming the strengths of a teacher or a student is an uplifting experience. O When we are able to use our strengths, we are
satisfying our natural urges. O We feel good about ourselves, we thrive and we
feel energized.
Education and strengths
O Using your strengths to perform the best of your educational ability
O Learning through strengthshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZYveRLtXXY-
Strengths In EducationO We perform better, we are more productive. We
have greater contentment and satisfaction. There is a sense of accomplishment and meaning in our work and personal life.
O In contrast, a continual focus on trying to fix weaknesses leaves us frustrated, suppressing our natural tendencies. This can lead to anger and becoming psychologically and physically drained.
O Overtime, these negative kinds of emotions can lead to depression.
Strengths In Education O Elizabeth Hurlock’s (1925) creative work
highlighted how praise of students’ work has a more powerful effect on math performance than criticism of students’ efforts.
O DON’T focus on the weaknesses.
O A good character is what parents want to encourage in their children, what teachers attempt to communicate with their pupils, and what friends look for in each other.
Education and strengths
O Teachers have found that storytelling, festival-type celebrations, and character strengths have a particular interaction in schools.
O It brings them together to create a program that helps students and teachers notice strengths in themselves and others.
O It also brings celebration and strengths into the life of the whole school as well as the classroom.
Educational Tools as strengths
O Comics are used as the most frequently mentioned strength as an educational tool along with the ability for comics to motivate students.
O Haugaard (1973) said that comic books were the only way to motivate her son to read.
O Versaci (2001) finds that comics can quite literally put a human face on a subject resulting in an intimate, emotional connection between his students and characters of a comics story.
ActivityO Write your name in the middle of a piece
of paper and leave it on the desk.
O Write down what you feel the main strength(s) of each person in the class are on their piece of paper.
O Everyone should feel great after this, take this piece of paper home and treasure it !!
Children and Strengths O Children are developing their
strengths as they grow up. O Some children would naturally have
good character strengths but other may need to work on them.
Marshmallow Experiment
O http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_oy9614HQ
Take a Break
Sport and StrengthsO Sport got there first, of course, and got there
many decades earlier.
O Even before Freud and Kraepelin had begun constructing their contrasting disease models of mental illness, athletes and footballers had come to a basic conception of positive psychology.
O Meaning, significance and life satisfaction could be found in a context of team, in the refusal to give up, and in the deliberate exercise of courage.
A Window in Stirling, Scotland 1929
O The APA defines exercise and sport psychology as the study of psychological influences on performance and participation in sports, exercise and other forms of athletic activity.
O It is divided into three sections: O (i) sport psychology O (ii) exercise psychology O (iii) human performance.
(Salama-Younes, 2011)
Sport PsychologyO Addresses the interactions between
psychology and sport performance O Optimal athletic performance
O Well-being of coaches, referees, and athletes
O The connection between physical and
psychological functioning
Exercise PsychologyO The behavioral, social cognitive and
psychobiological antecedents
O The consequences of physical activity
O Focus on adoption and maintenance of physical activity and its effects on psychological well-being
Performance Psychology
O In essence, the psychology of human performance
O Particularly looks at professions that demand excellence in psychomotor performance (e.g surgeons, firefighters, military operations –bomb squad).
O Also addressed are work environments in which teamwork and motivation are important to human performance (Weinberg, & Gould, 1995).
Prodigies in SportO The term, ‘child prodigy’, is generally used
to describe children under the age of 13 who show exceptional ability, comparable to that of the most skilled adults, in a particular field of human endeavor.
O There exist prodigies with respect to a strength: children who show a strength at a much earlier age than typical or at a much more sophisticated level than typical.
O Usually categorized in math or music
ExamplesO Name: Alberto
"Baby" ArizmendiO Sport: BoxingO Turned Pro: 13O Known For:
Being the youngest boxer to turn pro
ExamplesO Name: David
BeckamO Sport: footballO Turned Pro: 13O Known For:
Football…His hair
ExamplesO Name: Ryan
ShecklerO Sport:
SkateboardingO Turned Pro: 13O Know For:
Skateboarding, MTV
ExamplesO Name: Victor De
Leon III, a.k.a. Lil Poison
O Sport: GamingO Turned Pro: 6O Known For: Halo
Skills. The youngest-ever pro gamer when he signed to Major League Gaming (MLG) at age 6
ExamplesO Name: Tiger WoodsO Sport: GolfO Turned Pro: 8O Known For: Formerly
the World no.1 he is the highest-paid professional athlete in the world, having earned an estimated US$90.5 million from winnings and endorsements in 2010.[6][7]
ExamplesO Name: Michael
PhelpsO Sport:
SwimmingO Turned Pro: 15O Known For: 8
gold medals in Beijing and holds 39 world records.
In depth
How did he do it?O It is not difficult to trace the anatomy
of Phelps’ unprecedented success. It came from three concepts that are well-discussed in positive psychology:
O 1) engagement in his own strength O 2) goal-settingO 3) positive relationships with
significant others
Engagement in Strength
O Not many people are able to find their own strength and talents, and even fewer are able to engage in and develop them like Phelps has
O Diagnosed with ADHD
O “When I was in high school, one of my teachers said I am never going to be successful,”
O His passion and commitment also demonstrates that utilizing our strengths in the main areas of our lives will bring us gratification and authentic happiness, as proposed by Martin E.P. Seligman (2002).
Goal SettingO Keeps a list of his swimming goals on top of
his nightstand, near the alarm clock
O “The greatest thing is this proves that nothing is impossible and goals are what it takes, this is what I have learnt.” Michael Phelps
O Charles Noble – “You must have long range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short range failures”.
Positive RelationshipsO Gross (2001), social support fosters
positive emotions and can serve as buffer against stress.
O Just after winning his eighth medal, Phelps said, “There’s so much emotions going through my head, so much excitement. I guess I just want to see my mom.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekOGfxPH9oo
ActivityDivide into groups and answer the following questions. Each group is given one of five different sports teams below. Questions:
1. What are the group strengths needed to be a good team? 2. What individual strengths do you need to be a part of this
team? 3. How does this build on your own character strengths by
being apart of this team? 4. What group team would best suit you as an individual based
on your own character strengths?
The Five teams: O Rugby O Hockey O FootballO BasketballO Golf
6 Virtues, 24 strengths
Politics and strengths
Politics and strengthsO Positivity important in gaining votersO survey of voters in Virginia, 75% of the people
indicated that negative campaigns were likely to discourage people from voting (Freedman, 1999)
O Rudd and Julia Gillard – promoted a positive vision O People with head strengths such as innovation
and creativity voted for Obama and people with strengths related to the heart, such as humanity and courage, voted for McCain (Park & Peterson, 2010).
Politics and strengthsO Many psychological and political
observer agree that Obama has most if not all of the character strengths and virtues (Seligman & Peterson, 1950)
O Character strengths and virtues – very similar to what Obama calls his “values” (Obama 2006)
O The Audacity of hope
Politics and strengths O Primarily thanks to character
strengths and virtues that he became president (Ripley, 2008)
O empathy, compassion, fairness, emotional and social
O intelligence, generosity, and kindness
O He also has great self-confidence
Politics and strengthsO incredible perseverance, and “fierce
ambitions” (Obama, 2006a, p. 243)O Humour very important part of
Obama make upO http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=xVnk891ChPc
Activity Divide into groupsO Each person gives an example of
when they achieved a goal or accomplished something good in their life.
O Take it in turns discuss the strengths that would have been required to achieve these goals.
Summary O Know and identify your character
strengths.O Use your strengths to help you
achieve better results in your everyday life.
O Don’t focus on weaknesses.O Working in areas that requires your
character strengths to increase life satisfaction.
Any Questions ?
Suggested ReadingsO Positive psychology: the science of
happiness and human strengths, By Dr. Alan Carr (2004)
O Authentic Happiness: using the new positive psychology to realize your potential lasting fulfillment. Martin E. P. Seligman ( 2002)
O Seilgman character strengths and virtues
ReferencesO Chung, H. (2008). Resiliency and character strengths among
college students.
O Linley, P. A., Joseph, S., Harrington, S. & Wood, A. M. (2006). Positive psychology: Past, present, and (possible) future. The Journal of Positive Psychology; 1, (1), 3-16.
O Rust, T., Diessnar, R. & Reade, L. (2009). Strengths only or strengths and relative weaknesses? A Preliminary Study. The Journal of Psychology; 143, (5), 465–476
O Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic Happiness. The Free Press; New York.
O Nansook Park, Christopher Peterson, and Martin E. P. Seligman (2004). Strengths of Character and Well-Being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology: Vol. 23, No. 5, pp. 603-619.
