1. To Be Your BEST
During Good and Challenging Times
USE YOUR
Strengths

2. My flight in a glider in August
made me reevaluate
my strength of bravery.
Susanne Murtha
ESC Student, Wellness Coach,
Yoga Instructor & Graphic Designer
Community and Human Services
Susanne@livingwellcoaching.com
Welcome!

3. Agenda
1 What are character strengths?
2 What are YOUR top strengths?
3 How can you use your strengths to your advantage?

4. VIA Character
Strengths
HISTORY | D E VE LOPMENT | RESEAR CH
ABOUT

5. The Values In Action (VIA) character strengths were developed
to provide a classification system that would allow discussion
and understanding of what was right about people,
equivalent to the American Psychological Association’s
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
and the World Health Organization’s International Statistical
Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)
that specify what is wrong with people.
HISTORY

6. Marty Seligman, and over 50 scientists under the direction of
Chris Peterson, spent 3 years analyzing:
• World religions (including Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, Judeo-
Christian traditions and Hindu philosophies)
• Virtues (such as Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Lao-Tze, Ben
Franklin, Charlemange and the Boy Scouts of America).
• Psychologists (Erickson, Maslow, Thorndike, Greenberger,
Jahoda, Thurstone, Gardner and others) (Niemiec, 2013)
HISTORY

7. In 2004 the book Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook
and Classification was published (Seligman & Peterson, 2004,
Oxford University Press).
Since that time the character strengths have been used around
the world and proven relevant in different countries, cultures
and with various religions and belief systems.
HISTORY

8. • Positive characteristics that define our identity and influence
how we think, feel, act, relate, and live in the world.
• They are relatively stable but can change as life unfolds.
• They have an affinity with personality characteristics and
traits but they can be developed and are most effective
when they are not taken for granted (Niemiec & Diener, n.d.)
• Low strengths are still strengths and should not be looked at
as weaknesses. (Niemiec, 2014, p. 26–30)
Thanks to the VIA Institute for granting permission for me to use their exact
definitions and handout for consistency.
What are Character Strengths?

9. {
}
6 Virtues
24 Character Strengths
The VIA Classification of Character Strengths
© Copyright 2012, VIA Institute on Character; www.viacharacter.org
Used with permission.

10. Wisdom &
Knowledge
V I R T U E

11. WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE
cognitive strengths that entail
the acquisition and use of knowledge
Creativity | Curiosity | Judgment | Love of Learning | Perspective

12. [originality, ingenuity]
Thinking of novel and productive ways
to conceptualize and do things;
includes artistic achievement but is not limited to it
CREATIVITY

13. [interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience]
Taking an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake;
finding subjects and topics fascinating;
exploring and discovering
CURIOSITY

14. [open-mindedness, critical thinking]
Thinking things through and examining them
from all sides; not jumping to conclusions;
being able to change one’s mind in light of evidence;
weighing all evidence fairly
JUDGMENT

15. Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge,
whether on one’s own or formally;
related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it
to describe the tendency to add systematically
to what one knows
LOVE OF LEARNING

16. [wisdom]
Being able to provide wise counsel to others;
having ways of looking at the world
that make sense to oneself/others
PERSPECTIVE

17. COURAGE
V I R T U E

18. COURAGE
emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will
to accomplish goals in the face of opposition—internal or external
Bravery | Perseverance | Honesty | Zest

19. [valor]
Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain;
speaking up for what’s right even if there’s opposition;
acting on convictions even if unpopular;
includes physical bravery but is not limited to it
BRAVERY

20. [persistence, industriousness]
Finishing what one starts; persevering in a course
of action in spite of obstacles;
“getting it out the door”;
taking pleasure in completing tasks
PERSERVERANCE

21. [authenticity, integrity]
Speaking the truth but more broadly presenting
oneself in a genuine way and acting in a sincere way;
being without pretense; taking responsibility
for one’s feelings and actions
HONESTY

22. [vitality, enthusiasm, vigor, energy]
Approaching life with excitement and energy;
not doing things halfway or halfheartedly;
living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated
ZEST

23. Humanity
V I R T U E

24. HUMANITY
interpersonal strengths that involve
tending and befriending others
Love | Kindness | Social Intelligence

25. [capacity to love and be loved]
Valuing close relations with others,
in particular those in which sharing and
caring are reciprocated; being close to people
LOVE

26. [generosity, nurturance, care, compassion,
altruistic love,“niceness”]
Doing favors and good deeds for others;
helping them; taking care of them
KINDNESS

27. [emotional intelligence, personal intelligence]
Being aware of the motives/feelings of others and oneself;
knowing what to do to fit into different social situations;
knowing what makes other people tick
SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE

28. Justice
V I R T U E

29. JUSTICE
civic strengths that underlie healthy community life
Teamwork | Fairness | Leadership

30. [citizenship, social responsibility, loyalty]
Working well as a member of a group or team;
being loyal to the group; doing one’s share
TEAMWORK

31. Treating all people the same according
to notions of fairness and justice;
not letting feelings bias decisions about others;
giving everyone a fair chance
FAIRNESS

32. Encouraging a group of which one is a member
to get things done and at the same time
maintain good relations within the group;
organizing group activities and seeing
that they happen.
LEADERSHIP

33. Temperance
V I R T U E

34. TEMPERANCE
strengths that protect against excess
Forgiveness | Humility | Prudence | Self-Regulation

35. [mercy]
Forgiving those who have done wrong;
accepting others’shortcomings;
giving people a second chance;
not being vengeful
FORGIVENESS

36. [modesty]
Letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves;
not regarding oneself as more special than one is
HUMILITY

37. Being careful about one’s choices; not taking undue risks;
not saying or doing things that might later be regretted
PRUDENCE

38. [self-control]
Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined;
controlling one’s appetites and emotions
SELF-REGULATION

39. Transcendence
VIR TUE

40. TRANSCENDENCE
strengths that forge connections to the universe
and provide meaning
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence
Gratitude | Hope | Humor | Spirituality

41. [awe, wonder, elevation]
Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence,
and/or skilled performance in various domains of life,
from nature to art to mathematics to science
to everyday experience
APPRECIATION OF
BEAUTY AND EXCELLENCE

42. Being aware of and thankful for the good things
that happen; taking time to express thanks
GRATITUDE

43. [optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation]
Expecting the best in the future and working
to achieve it; believing that a good future
is something that can be brought about
HOPE

44. [playfulness]
Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles
to other people; seeing the light side;
making (not necessarily telling) jokes
HUMOR

45. [religiousness, faith, purpose]
Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose
and meaning of the universe;
knowing where one fits within the larger scheme;
having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape
conduct and provide comfort
SPIRITUALITY

46. WHAT ARE YOUR
TOP STRENGTHS?
(SIGNATURE STRENGTHS)
“ “
For a FREE, evidence-based assessment go to viacharacter.org

47. PARTNER SHARING
SPEAKER: Talk about a time when you stepped up to the occasion—
either when things were going well or to overcome a challenge.
LISTENER: Listen and write down the strengths you hear
in your partner’s story even if they don’t name them.
WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE: Creativity | Curiosity | Judgment | Love of Learning | Perspective
COURAGE: Bravery | Perseverance | Honesty | Zest
HUMANITY: Love | Kindness | Social Intelligence
JUSTICE: Teamwork | Fairness | Leadership
TEMPERANCE: Forgiveness | Humility | Prudence | Self-Regulation
TRANSCENDENCE: Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence | Gratitude | Hope | Humor |
Spirituality

48. • How do your combination of signature strengths affect each other?
• Which of your top strengths are expressed in relationships and
which are expressed individually?
• Are your strengths are more cognitive-oriented or feeling-oriented?
• Do your strengths reflect a more structured or planned tendency
(prudence, self-regulation) or a more spontaneous tendency
(creativity, curiosity)?
• How do your strengths affect your view of the world and of others
with different and seemingly opposite strengths?
• How can you use your strengths in different ways to live the life you
dream of?
Working with Character Strengths

49. PARTNER SHARING
SPEAKER: Envision being in your dream job 5 years from now faced with a
challenge. How are you using your strengths, perhaps in new ways, to meet
the challenge, maintain well-being (manage stress) and thrive?
LISTENER: Listen actively for strengths and think about how your partner’s
combination of strengths benefit them. Save your comments.
WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE: Creativity | Curiosity | Judgment | Love of Learning | Perspective
COURAGE: Bravery | Perseverance | Honesty | Zest
HUMANITY: Love | Kindness | Social Intelligence
JUSTICE: Teamwork | Fairness | Leadership
TEMPERANCE: Forgiveness | Humility | Prudence | Self-Regulation
TRANSCENDENCE: Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence | Gratitude | Hope | Humor | Spirituality

50. Adams Miller, C. & Frisch, M. B. (2009). Creating your best life: The ultimate life list guide. New York: Sterling.
Biswas-Diener, R., & Dean, B. (2007). Positive psychology coaching: Putting the science of happiness to work for your clients. Hoboken, NJ:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2009). Positivity: Top-notch research reveals the 3-to-1 ratio that will change your life. New York: Three Rivers Publishing.
Kashdan, T. (2009). Curious?: Discover missing ingredient to a fulfilling life. New York: Harper Collins..
Niemic, R. (Interviewer) & Biswas-Diener, R. (Interviewee). (n.d.). VIA Strengths in Advanced Issues. Retrieved from VIA Character website:
http://www.viacharacter.org/www/Reports-Courses-Resources/Courses/VIA-Pioneer-Speaker-Series/VIA-Pioneer-Speaker-Library
Niemiec, R. (2014). Character Strengths At Work—Using Strengths to Engage Employees, Clients and Students. Course lecture from VIA
Institute on Character, Cinninati, OH.
Niemiec, R. (2014). Mindfulness and character strengths: A practical guide to flourishing. Cincinnati, OH: VIA Institute on Character.
Niemiec, R. (2013). VIA character strengths: Research and practice (The first 10 years). In H. H. Knoop
& A. Delle Fave (Eds.), Well-being and cultures: Perspectives on positive psychology (pp. 11–30).
New York: Springer.
Peterson, C. & Seligman, M. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association and New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.
References:

51. THANK YOU