Positive Psychology Studies of Signature Strengths and Character

Aug 29, 2010
Jerry Lopper

Positive Psychology Studies on Character Strengths - Sigridur Kristinsdottir

A brief summary of positive psychology's study of character strengths, including ten basic principles defining strengths.

Much has been written about personal strengths since Martin Seligman, PhD, first published Authentic Happiness (The Free Press, 2002). Seligman, who is often called the father of positive psychology identified a person's top energizing abilities with the term signature strengths, signifying that people's top strengths become the signature by which they are known.

Together with Christopher Peterson, PhD, Seligman published Character Strengths and Virtues (Oxford University Press, 2004), describing the process by which character strengths were identified and linked to the ubiquitous virtues of wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Since this initial work on strengths, positive psychology researchers have investigated linkages between strengths and well-being, finding that using one's strengths has a positive correlation to happiness, health, and longevity.

Further Benefits of Using Character Strengths

The excitement around strengths has expanded into the business world with psychology research studies finding that employees who are able to utilize strengths at work achieve higher performance levels and contribute greater productivity and creativity. The ability to utilize strengths correlates with engagement in an employee's work, and employee engagement has been found in research studies to correlate with improved business financial results, employee satisfaction, and customer satisfaction and retention.

More recent investigation with strengths and work by Alex Linley, PhD, identifies fertile areas for professional development by focusing on characteristics Linley calls "unrealized strengths." These are personal characteristics at which at person performs well, but under-utilizes. Greater utilization offers the potential for greater performance.

Linley's work also identifies probable causes of professional burnout caused by characteristics that allow an individual to excel, but which are energy draining. Linley terms these "learned behaviors."

With all this new information about strengths and their impact upon personal growth, professional success, and business performance, it's important to step back and consider what strengths are and how they link to a person's character.

What are Signature Strengths and Their Link to Character?

Perhaps the best definition of strengths comes from Linley, author of Average to A+. Linley defines strengths as "a pre-existing capacity for a particular way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is authentic and energising to the user, and enables optimal functioning, development, and performance." Seligman and Peterson identified strengths as paths to universally accepted virtues, the characteristics people demonstrate when at their best.

An article by Ryan Niemiec explores the properties of character strengths in "Ten Principles of Character Strengths" published in Positive Psychology News on May 26, 2010. According to Niemiec, people manifest character strengths in their thoughts, emotions, motivations, and behaviors. He describes ten principles applying to character strengths.

Ten Principles of Character Strengths

The ten principles of character strengths include:

Character, though often implying a person's degree of honesty or integrity, is much broader. Peterson coined the phrase, "character is plural," signifying that a person's character is composed of an array of unique strengths, with high and low variations.
Character strengths, though stable over time, can change as a result of significant events in a person's life.
Character strengths are elemental, in that they form the core of a person's behavior.
Character strengths can be measured with tools such as the VIA Questionnaire and Realise2 . A strength is not simply present or absent, but is present in various degrees in all people. The characteristics at which one is best and which are energizing are identified as signature strengths or realized strengths.
The expression of strengths is situational. A person may utilize a particular characteristic to great advantage at work, but with much less effectiveness at home.
Strengths are interdependent. In any situation, a person will likely demonstrate a combination of strengths. Some strengths logically pair with others, such as curiosity with creativity.
Character strengths can be developed and polished through the intentional use of identified interventions.
Strengths can be over-used, leading to negative results. Over use of perseverance in beliefs can be viewed as stubbornness, refusing to consider other alternatives or viewpoints. Over use of curiosity can lead a person into negative situations. Aristotle described the concept of the golden mean, utilizing a character strength to just the right degree, neither too little nor too much.
Character strengths are important. Utilizing strengths has been identified with greater happiness, productivity, and career success. Businesses good at utilizing employee strengths are more successful.
Strengths are universal. Identical character strengths can be found in people of different races, cultures, languages, and locations. Recognizing one's strengths in others, even though widely separated by geography and language, can encourage empathy and compassion among people.

Character Strengths Define a Person

Strengths, the unique combination of a person's abilities which simultaneously yield high performance and are energizing become the core of a person. Strengths are variously known as signature strengths, character strengths, personal strengths and realized strengths.

Personal growth and development benefit from understanding strengths, how to utilize them, how to grow them, and how to avoid over-using them. Organizations benefit when able to fully utilize employee strengths.