VIA Character Strengths

What are Character Strengths?
Character strengths describe what is best in human beings. They represent the greatest potential within us for thinking, feeling, and behaving in ways that are morally valued. Using these highly valued traits more consistently can bring about several positive life outcomes. Character strengths are not fixed, but malleable, they can be learned and acquired through practice. They can also be influenced, by yourself or others, and by the current situation that you find yourself in.

Knowing and using your Character Strengths will help you:

• Define your Identity: Your positive traits, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
• Find ways to improve your choices everyday
• Flourish as you tap into PERMAH – Positive emotions, Engagement, Positive Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment, Health

Who Classified the 24 Character Strengths?
Positive Psychology has identified 24 character strengths that lead to a flourishing life through the The Values in Action Institute (VIA). VIA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the science of character strengths to the world, through surveys, research and practical tools for both individuals and wellness practitioners.  The word “via” in Latin, means “the way” or “by means of,” and represents the bridge between science and practice and the path to a fulfilling and meaningful life.

With positive psychology founders Martin Seligman, Mihai Csikszentmihalyi, and Christopher Peterson, the VIA Institute set out to define “what is good in a human being” based on their findings. Their research produced the Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification (CSV). The handbook is seen as a counterpart to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) used in traditional psychology to identify and classify psychiatric disorders and abnormalities of human behavior. While traditional psychology tends to focus on distress, illness, and dysfunction, positive psychology is focused on optimum functioning, satisfaction, happiness, and wellbeing.

This positive psychology handbook is not intended to replace the approach of traditional psychology but to provide balance, to focus on what is strong - not just what is wrong. Prior to it’s development, there was no common language for researchers and practitioners to study the various human strengths that help people to grow and thrive. Today the Character Strengths and Virtues Handbook has created a way for researchers to systematically name, define and group the 24 character strengths within 6 virtues. This has led empirically based measurements of each character strength, based on the ten criteria that captures the most pertinent features of each. The research has led to the creation of several strengths-based assessments and evidence-based interventions. They are now used throughout the world for improved overall health and wellbeing, and to increase performance-based activities at work, school, and in the community.

What is a Virtue?
Throughout history moral philosophers and religious thinkers have sought to define the key characteristics of virtuous human behavior, that lead to optimal living. As the VIA scientists began to study all the great works across different religions, philosophies, and regions of the globe, they summarized their findings of virtue into six broad categories: Wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence. A virtue is a natural quality within yourself that can help you navigate the best course of action and direction in life.

In the Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle defined a virtue as the point between deficiency and excess, the golden mean between two opposite extremes of a trait. It is a representation of your personal excellence, doing your best "at the right times, about the right things, towards the right people, for the right end, and in the right way, is the intermediate and best condition, and this is proper to virtue."  (en.wikipedia.org)

As Aristotle stated we should strive for "highest good in all matters of action" what he called eudaimonia, or a happy life, more accurately translated as "flourishing." In this way you are being your best self, and most authentic to your path or purpose.

The six universal virtues help you to know what kind of person you want to be, and the kind of values and character strengths you want to possess.
Virtues are expressed by your character strengths, in your ways of thinking, feeling and acting that benefit you and the community. Virtues can counteract certain aspects of your identity - your beliefs, desires, temptations and motivations that need to be re channeled into something more useful or good and are integrated into every part of the change process of ARIA.