character strengths & the golden mean
Last week in my Positive Psychology course I taught one of my favourite units: Character Strengths. Developed by Dr. Martin Seligman and Dr. Chris Peterson, the development of character strengths is a key to building what Dr. Seligman refers to as 'the good life' – a life in which one uses one’s “signature strengths every day in the main realms of your life to bring abundant gratification and authentic happiness” (Peterson & Seligman, 2004).
Character strengths are the positive parts of your personality that make you feel authentic and engaged. You possess all 24 character strengths in varying degrees, giving you a unique character strengths profile. When we identify our character strengths, we can capitalize and build upon them. Our character strengths are critical in building resilience, handling problems, and buffering future struggles from happening.
Ryan Niemiec's research (2019) takes this one step further and identifies that every character strength can be underused, overused, or optimally used, with the latter being the 'sweet spot' or, what Niemiec refers to as the golden mean. The golden mean encourages us to reflect on how we use our strengths in a balanced way; how we use it at the right time and in the right amount is key.
I invite you to take the VIA character strengths quiz (https://www.viacharacter.org/account/register) to identify your character strengths and then, keeping in mind the concept of the golden mean, reflect on whether you might be overusing, underusing, or optimally using your core strengths. If you're underusing or overusing a strength, how can you bring more balance to it?
~Kate
Niemiec, R.N. (2019): Finding the golden mean: the overuse, underuse, and optimal use of character strengths, Counselling Psychology Quarterly, DOI: 10.1080/09515070.2019.1617674
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University Press and Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
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