Character strengths are positively valued personal traits that are related to a range of positive outcomes such as health behaviours, subjective wellbeing and academic achievement (Ruch et al., 2014). Character strengths are believed to help people bounce back from psychological adversity and achieve resilience. Ruch and colleagues highlight some of these strengths.
Creativity Curiosity Judgement Love of learning Perspective
Bravery Perseverance Honesty Zest
Love Kindness Social intelligence
Teamwork Fairness Leadership
Forgiveness Modesty Prudence Self-regulation
Appreciation of beauty and excellence Gratitude Hope Humour Religiousness
Signature strengths are character strengths that best define an individual (Hausler et al., 2017). Think about what your signature strengths, that have helped you attain positive wellbeing in times of stress, are.
References
Hausler, M., Strecker, C., Huber, A., Brenner, M., Höge, T., & Höfer, S. (2017). Associations between the application of signature character strengths, health and well-being of health professionals. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1307. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01307
Ruch, W., Martínez-Martí, M. L., Proyer, R. T., & Harzer, C. (2014). The character strengths rating form (CSRF): Development and initial assessment of a 24-item rating scale to assess character strengths. Personality and Individual Differences, 68, 53-58. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.03.042