Character Strength

The field of positive psychology lost a great friend and contributor today: Dr. Chris Peterson (1950-2012). [caption id="attachment_934" align="alignleft" width="321"] RIP CP.And thank you.[/caption] You may know Dr. Peterson as the guy who researched the VIA: the character strengths inventory we use often in SOMO Leadership Labs. (We're also using his book in SOMO 300!) He put a lot of work into this tool, combing the world's many moral texts for a ubiquitous classification of strengths and virtues. I know him as Chris, one of my professors in grad school. What an amazing teacher: humorous, zestful (in his own way) and wise -...

  Bringing Positive Psychology Home: There’s No Place Like It   “In these days of wars and rumors of wars, haven’t you ever dreamed of a place where there was peace and security, where living was not a struggle but a lasting delight?” (Capra, 1937) Louis J. Alloro   Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for                                             Character Strengths & Virtues, MAPP 701 Positive Psychology Center University of Pennsylvania   January 21, 2008  Friend of Dorothy I have always been a “friend of Dorothy” (even before I knew what it meant, or, was comfortable with my own gayness) so watching The Wizard of Oz through a positive psychology lens was a real...

➢ Use your VIA Strengths (measure them free by clicking here) to build energy and create momentum for how you be in the world. If you’re high on gratitutde for example, find innovative ways to use your gratitude, express your gratitude, be your gratitude. This will fuel your fire. ➢ Try not to let the pressure of time be against you. Time is highly paradoxical. It is not linear the way we have set it up to be. Love exactly where you are. After all, where else can you be? ➢ Remember the importance of clearing space to gain clarity and enlightenment - ending your...

Last week I had the great fortune of being with the Dalai Lama three days in two cities. The second of these visits brought me to Washington DC, where the Mind Life Institute presented an annual congress on learning called “Educating World Citizens” which brought together over 2,000 international voices. The Dalai Lama participated in all sessions over two days, which engaged western scientists concerned about the good life, particularly in regard to schooling (teaching/learning). Session topics included: Envisioning the World Citizen; Attention, Emotional Regulation, and Learning; Compassion and Empathy, and Future Directions and Policy. To sum, we discussed how to educate...

[caption id="attachment_97" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Grandma Liz at 93!"][/caption] After getting an email from my sister Lisa this week entitled, “secret to a long life,” I’ve been wondering really, what it’s all about - for me. Then, serendipitously, I had the chance to do some action research this past weekend, which I spent in Cleveland, Ohio at my friend’s grandmother’s 93rd birthday. NINTY THREE YEARS YOUNG. Her name is Liz and let me tell you - she's a spitfire. She can hear, she can see (after recent cataract surgery, where for the first time in 88 years, she can really see), she can...

BE YOUR BEST SELF The good you find in others, is in you too. The faults you find in others, are your faults as well. After all, to recognize something you must know it. The possibilities you see in others, are possible for you as well. The beauty you see around you, is your beauty. The world around you is a reflection, a mirror showing you the person you are. To change your world, you must change yourself. To blame and complain will only make matters worse. Whatever you care about, is your responsibility. What you see in others, shows you yourself. See the best in others, and you will be your...

“Life is an experiment and the more experiments you make the better." -Ralph Waldo Emerson * How about a strengths experiment? * Enough about weakness! One of the major contributions to Positive Psychology in the past decade has been the VIA Classification of Strength and Virtue (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). This work has been published in response to the DSM – the classification of mental disorders (like depression and anxiety) that mental health professionals have used for so long. * So then what about STRENGTH? * Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman have identified twenty-four character strengths that are ubiquitous across time and culture—from Jesus’...

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