Lesson 7

Lesson 7: Virtue and Strength

Attention

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material:

Students will gain insight and understanding into what constitutes the most effective use of human energy across the life span.
Students will better understand what personal characteristics and resources are most conducive to flourishing.
Students will learn how do institutions such as families, schools, and workplaces help or hinder the unfolding of human potentialities.

Teaching

In his book Authentic Happiness, Seligman (2002) describes the drafting of a team to begin this positive focus, illness-ideology diminishing, effort. He collaborates with individuals other than Csikszentmihalyi. In fact, an excited endeavor in the book explains the creation of the antithesis of the DSM, a compilation of strengths and virtues to be considered when resurrecting the positive paradigm in order to allow happiness to emerge. Christopher Peterson was charged with the arduous task of reviewing texts and identifying universally accepted core strengths.

Peterson and colleges "read Aristotle and Plato, Aquinas and Augustine, the Old Testament and the Talmud, Confucius, Buddha, Lao-Tzu, Bushido (the samurai code), the Koran, Benjamin Franklin, and the Upanishads—some two hundred virtue catalogues in all (Seligman, 2002, p. 132).
In the course of study, "across three thousand years and the entire face of the earth" (p. 132) six core virtues were universally agreed upon.

Carr (2011) lists these with the following vocabulary:

Within positive psychology, character strengths have been classified under the headings of six main virtues identified in an international review of philosophical and religious literature on morality. These virtues are wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, prudence, and transcendence (p.79).

Peterson's list, in Seligman's (2002) Authentic Happiness, appears with slightly different wordings of the virtues, though carries with each the same essential factors of human essence:

Wisdom and knowledge
Courage
Love and humanity
Justice
Temperance
Spirituality and transcendence (Seligman, 2002, p. 133).

Though definitional differences occur amongst these virtues, the ubiquity with which they appeared in the reviewed literature allowed a starting point for Positive psychology to further expand virtues into strengths.

Christopher Peterson, in conjunction with Seligman and the growing field of Positive psychology created a list and psychometric measurement for 24 core strengths, implying that life lived in congruence with these strengths would result in a greater experience of happiness. If a counselor can assist with the identification of strengths, the client can then self-possess and incite action to change.

The 24 strengths are arranged for psychometric measurement in the Values-In-Action survey (TAKE THE core strengths questionnaire, the survey can be taken at www.authentichappiness.org). Without favoritism or prioritization, the 24 strengths on which Positive psychology concentrates are:

Curiosity/Interest in the World
Love of Learning
Judgment/Critical Thinking/ Open-Mindedness
Ingenuity/Originality/Practical Intelligence/Street Smarts
Social Intelligence/Personal Intelligence/ Emotional Intelligence
Perspective
Valor and Bravery
Perseverance/Industry/Diligence
Integrity/Genuineness/Honesty
Kindness and Generosity
Loving and Allowing Oneself to Be Loved
Citizenship/Duty/Teamwork/Loyalty
Fairness and Equity
Leadership
Self-Control
Prudence/Discretion/Caution
Humility and Modesty
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence
Gratitude
Hope/Optimism/Future-Mindedness
Spirituality/Sense of Purpose/Faith/Religiousness
Forgiveness and Mercy
Playfulness and Humor
Zest/Passion/Enthusiasm (Seligman, 2002, pp. 140-158)

According to Ross (2011) the strengths are summarized and described as follows:

Creativity: Identifying novel and productive avenues to complete tasks
Curiosity: An interest in all ongoing experiences
Open mindedness: Examining every position and perspective thoroughly
Love of learning: Mastering novel skills and developing expertise
Perspective: The capacity to provide counsel and guidance to other individuals
Authenticity: Behaving in a genuine, truthful way
Bravery: Not shirking a responsibility or goal merely because of threats, difficulties, or pain
Persistence: Completing the tasks they begin
Zest: Experiencing excitement and energy during life
Kindness: Engaging in altruistic acts for other individuals
Love: Cherishing close relationships
Social intelligence: An awareness of the motives and feelings of individuals
Fairness: Treating other individuals equitably and fairly, without prejudice or favor
Leadership: The capacity to organize group activities and to provide direction and inspiration
Teamwork: The ability to collaborate effectively in team settings
Forgiveness: The tendency to forgive wrongdoers
Modesty: Abstaining from the need to inflate or highlight achievements
Prudence: Avoiding statements or activities that might be regretted later
Self regulation: The regulation of emotions, motivations, and actions
Appreciation of beauty and excellence: The recognition and respect towards skill, excellent, and beauty
Gratitude: Feeling thankful to the positive facets of life
Hope: Expecting positive outcomes, and recognizing pathways to achieve these outcomes
Humor: The capacity to laugh, tease, and elicit smiling in other individuals
Spirituality: A sense of purpose and meaning in life

Seligman furthers the idea of strengths identification by highlighting "signature strengths" as the top five strengths in the measurement if they feel authentic and accurate. He indicates that building one's life around the exercise and expression of these signature strengths leads to the good life: "Using your signature strengths every day in the main realms of your life to bring abundant gratification and authentic happiness" (Seligman, 2002, p. 161) is essential.

We must ask ourselves: where do we thrive and under what conditions? Answering those questions can assist in the formation of goals and future-minded hope, the positive re-framing of the past as 'mentor' and allow for the possibility of transcending pathology to see that our strengths can serve us in a manner that does not presume illness.

Kwan (2010) begins an article with a brief review of hope, as it pertains to his work. He writes:

In 1979, Howard John Clinebell's 'Growth Counseling: Hope-Centered Methods of Actualizing Wholeness' appeared. In 1995, he published another book, 'Counseling for Spiritually Empowered Wholeness: A Hope-Centered Approach.' Accordingly, 'growth' referred to 'any change in a direction of greater wholeness and the fulfillment of one's potentialities,' while 'counseling and therapy' referred to the 'process of enabling persons to liberate themselves from whatever is diminishing the fullest use of their potentialities.' Clinebell tried wholeheartedly to incorporate the human potential movement that was very popular at that time into his own theology. He took resolute and daring action to abandon a pathology orientation, and he regarded people as being able to stride proudly toward a beautiful future (Kwan, 2010, p. 49).

Click HERE to view this directly on YouTube

Assessment

Lesson 7 Assignment

After completing your VIA signature strength assessment on the authentic happiness website: https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/testcenter create a video vignette - see the YouTube video presentation above (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDoEogW63fY) and present your top strengths with an explanation of how you are seeing your top strengths manifesting in your daily life and how your lesser developed strengths play a role in your life.

You can use your computer or mobile device to create a video and upload it to YouTube or Facebook...provide a link to the video in this discussion board. Comment on each others' presentations.