Do you want to build a good character but are stuck…where to begin from? Well, I have got your back! In this segment, we will be learning about character strengths in positive psychology and how to build them to live a happy and positive life. So, let’s get started!
What is Character Strength?
According to positive psychology, character strengths are a list of positive traits which are commonly expressed through behaviors, feelings, and thoughts of people. There are 24 main character strengths in psychology that can help children and adults maintain a substance for self-confidence with self-awareness.
Character strengths make children understand why we all are different and why we must all appreciate each other’s uniqueness. Character strengths do not talk about skin color, weight, or height but it talks about important values that require constant discussion and reflection.
When we start understanding and reflecting on character strengths, we start seeing people based on their uniqueness. This helps enhance self-confidence, self-awareness, interpersonal relationships, and more. Most importantly, character strengths are not only about focusing on the positive but mostly emphases on the inevitable adversities we all have been through.
Classification of 24 Character Strengths in Positive Psychology
24 Character strengths were first developed by Martin Seligman. Generally, the 24-character strengths are the positive characteristics that we all have (varies on degrees). Character strength can be identified by strengths and the way we use strengths while facing difficulties. Building or improving the 24-character strengths helps improve emotional well-being and address the challenges effectively.
The 24-character strengths mentioned in the positive psychology are used across different cultures and the qualities are associated with essential components of social wellbeing. For example, building or improving these character strengths such as self-regulation, and social intelligence can provide protection again stressors of life such as trauma or anxiety. Additionally, research shows that when we work on increasing humor, kindness, or bravery, it can help with successful recovery from chronic and physical illnesses.
In positive psychology, the 24-character strengths are classified into six important virtues:
Wisdom
Courage
Humanity
Justice
Temperance
Transcendence
Let’s take a closer look at the 6 main virtues of 24 character strengths:
1.Wisdom
Psychology says that if you’ll score high in the field of wisdom, you’ll likely have improved cognitive strengths that can be really useful for professional and personal areas. Wisdom allows us to acquire knowledge and make use of knowledge creatively or usefully. Generally, there are 5 important wisdom character strengths classified in positive psychology:
Creativity
Innovative thinking and creativity
Curiosity
Interest and creativity in different ways that innate curiosity within
Open-Mindedness
Investigating things from all perspectives and allowing different thinking patterns
Love of learning
Excelling or learning new skills, topics, or research
Perspective
Providing wise counseling to others or looking at the world from mindful lenses that make everything sensible
2.Courage
To have courage means having an emotional character. Courage allows people to reach goals despite challenges or difficulties they face (be it external or internal). According to positive psychology, there are 4 main courage character strengths classified:
Honesty
Being authentic, genuine, or speaking the truth directly
Bravery
Embracing difficulties, challenges, or pain. Not being threatened by pain or pressures
Persistence
Being consistent and finishing things energetically or excitedly
Zest
Approaching life and other important things with excitement or energy
3.Humanity
Humanity in positive psychology consists of a wide range of interpersonal traits that involve befriending or caring for others with the whole heart. According to 24 character strengths, there are 3 main character strengths under the virtue of humanity:
Kindness
Doing good deeds or favors without expecting something in return
Love
Valuing and respecting all relations
Social Intelligence
Self-awareness and awareness towards others motives and feelings
4.Justice
Justice means treating others fairly and impartially. People who have this character strength are well-known for knowing their importance in building a healthy community. According to 24-character strengths, there are 3 main character strengths under the virtue of justice:
Fairness
Treating all people fairly and impartially
Leadership
Taking ownership of your actions and organizing things for people
Teamwork
Working well with others and coming out as a great leader
5.Temperance
Temperance is all about protecting against excesses. Those people who have high degrees of temperance are really great at self-regulating themselves. According to 24 character strengths, there are 4 main character strengths under the virtue of temperance:
Forgiveness
Moving towards self-forgiveness or forgiving people even when they have done something wrong to you
Modesty
Being genuinely happy about other’s successes or happenings on your own
Prudence
Making good choices or avoiding making bad things that you might regret in future
Self-regulation
Controlling emotions, being disciplined, or being aware of your emotions, feelings, and thoughts
6.Transcendence
People who excel in the field of transcendence have large positive connections with religion, god, and people. Such connections often provide them with purpose, meaning, and understanding. According to 24-character strengths, there are 5 main character strengths under the virtue of transcendence:
Appreciation of beauty
Observing and appreciating beauty within.
Gratitude
Being grateful for everything you have or taking genuine time to express gratitude to others
Hope
Making things happen, believing in the right things, and always expecting the best
Humor
Enjoying funny jokes or making others laugh or smile intentionally and unintentionally
Religiousness
Serving meaning and purpose with a solid belief
How to Use Your Strengths for Improving Mental Wellbeing?
It is really important to assess your positive character strengths to understand yourself better, identify your real self, and build on more positive character strengths. If you want to excel professionally, you can focus on developing diversity, gratification, or tolerance. The combination of all character strengths makes us unique and opens a scope for better outcomes and improving situations. In order to improve your character strengths, you can take the help of the below-mentioned ways:
Focus on enhancing your strengths
Reflect on your actions
Observe other’s traits and reinforce values
Identify and implement each strength every day
Review the outcomes mindfully
Visualize your strengths successfully
Build virtues mindfully
Reflect on what you love
Spot your strengths and take actions
Find the right balance between love and energy
Give and receive love intentionally
I hope this blog helps you understand the 24-character strengths based on 6 virtues in positive psychology. Comment down and share your views on assessing your character strengths.
For more such content, connect with us through all social media platforms.
Thanks for reading!
The post Exploring The 24 Character Strengths: Let’s Improve Your Emotional Well-Being appeared first on Calm Sage – Your Guide to Mental and Emotional Well-being.