Unit 2: Character strengths

Throughout this course you are introduced to some of the ways you can boost your happiness and wellbeing, and that of your children, using six key themes that have been shown to improve wellbeing through the way we think about the past, present and future potential.

The first of these six themes is illustrated in the diagram below.

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A diagram with three boxes across the top saying past, present and potential. Below these boxes are six circles, grouped in pairs. Below the box saying past, the two circles say character srengths and gratitide. Below present, the circles say savouring and kindness. Below potential, the circles say hope ans meaning. All of the boxes and circles are greyed out except for past and character strengths.

For this first theme, you are shown some practical activities that you can try at home. The benefits of these have all been supported scientifically and can be attempted by yourself during the course. They can also be adapted to work with children of all ages within the home. Being a good role model to our children is also a great way to help enhance their wellbeing.

One of the key aims of positive psychology is to help people to experience more positive emotions and build more positive relationships.

During the pandemic, it may be that you have spent more time with family members, which in some ways may have been a positive experience. It is also true that due to the pandemic you may have experienced additional pressure and stress, whilst trying to balance the competing demands of work, caring responsibilities and financial uncertainty.

These demands, as well as the uncertainty and fear surrounding the virus, may have caused you to find that maintaining positive emotions and relationships has been challenging.

A key area of positive psychology looks at building more positive emotions and relationships by knowing and using our strengths, rather than our possible weaknesses, in order to apply these to situations in our lives.

Alternatively, if you feel that you would like to do that at another time, the activity below provides a set of statements to help you to identify some of your main character strengths (Rashid & Seligman2018).

A lovely activity is the one Michelle mentioned in her video in section 1.1.

Try to identify the character strengths of people you care about and then let them know what these are. It can be an extremely rewarding experience to hear loved ones talk about your strengths and qualities, and they sometimes may pick up on strengths that you have not been able to recognise in yourself.

You can continue to build on this activity to help create more positive relationships within your home. When dealing with conflict between family members, it can be more useful to try to focus on appealing to their strengths to resolve tensions.

For example, you might not like what is being said, but the way it is said might show honesty or fairness. This can offer a ‘pause’ during conflict which can help individuals to feel calmer. Feeling appreciated and noticed can go a long way to helping to build more positive relationships.

Another great way to spot strengths in others in to do this whilst watching a movie. This is also something you can do as a family.

Ryan Niemiec, another well-known name in the field of positive psychology, produced some research looking at the benefits of watching ‘positive psychology’ movies as a form of therapy (Niemiec, 2013).

By observing character strengths in action, individuals experience a range of feelings and connections that can lead them to positive behaviour.

In this unit you have explored why a knowledge of your character strengths and of those around you can be more helpful than focusing on your weaknesses.

Hopefully you have enjoyed identifying your character strengths and you are able to see some ways that you will be able to apply them with your family.

In the next unit we explore the character strength of gratitude and look at how developing this strength can have significant benefits on wellbeing.

Now go to Unit 3: Gratitude, where you explore the second of our six principles.

References

Carr, A. (2020) Positive Psychology and You, A Self-Development Guide, Oxford, Routledge, pp. 40-42.

Niemec, R.M. (2018) Character strengths interventions: A field guide for practitioners, Boston, MA, Hogrefe.

Niemiec, R.M. (2020) 'Character strengths cinematherapy: Using movies to inspire change, meaning, and cinematic elevation', Journal of Clinical Psychology, 76(8), pp.1447-1462.

Niemiec, R.M. & Wedding, D. (2013) Positive psychology at the movies: Using films to build virtues and character strengths, Hogrefe Publishing.Peterson C. (2006) A primer in positive psychology, Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 158-162.

Peterson, C. & Seligman, M.E.P. (2004) Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification, New York, Oxford University Press, and Washington, DC, American Psychological Association.

Rashid, T. & Seligman, M. P. (2018) Positive psychotherapy: Clinician manual, Oxford University Press.