积极心理学英文课件：chapter6 character strengths

1、Chapter6 Character StrengthsBackground “Happiness is the aim of life, but virtue is the foundation of happiness”-Thomas Jefferson Director of Virtue-an ongoing project the author have been conducting on character strengths and virtues. “How can we help youth to realize their full potential?”-Mayerso

2、n Foundation Conference in 1999, lacked common ways of characterizing optimal development and agreed upon strategies for assessing the effectiveness of their intervention. VIA: the Values in Action Institute VIA classification of character strengthsBasic issues in studying good character1. How to ap

3、proach good character?As a family of positive dispositions, characteristics like perspective, teamwork, kindness, and hope.Character strengths, trait-like,Good character is more than bad character negated or minimized.2. Because good character and its components are morally esteemed, is it possible

4、to have a nonarbitrary classification of ubiquitously valued character?Basic issues in studying good character3. Whether to wed our emerging classification to an a priori theory of good character, drawn from philosophy or psychology?A classification, not a taxonomy 4. How detailed we wanted the entr

5、ies in our classification to be?Six core virtuesEach define a coherent family of character strengthsIdentification of character strengths The character strength: Is ubiquitous Is fulfilling Is morally valued Does not diminish others Has a nonfelicitous opposite Is trait-like Is measurable Is distinc

6、t Has paragons Has prodigies Can be selectively absent Has enabling institutionsThe VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues 24 strengths of character organized under the six core virtues.1. Strengths of wisdom and knowledge Creativity Curiosity Love of learning Open-mindedness Perspect

7、iveThe VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues2. Strengths of courage Authenticity Bravery Persistence ZestThe VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues3. Strengths of humanity Kindness Love Social intelligenceThe VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues4. Stre

8、ngths of justice Fairness Leadership TeamworkThe VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues5. Strengths of temperance Forgiveness/mercy Modesty/humility Prudence Self-regulationThe VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues6. Strengths of transcendence Appreciation of beauty an

9、d excellence Gratitude Hope Humor Religiousness/spiritualityWhat about talents? What is the difference between talents and character strengths? Character strengths differ from talents and abilities because they fall into the moral domain. Other two distinctions: The role played by effort and will in

10、 the exercise of these characteristics. A second distinction between character strengths and talents is that the latter seem valued more for their tangible consequences (acclaim, wealth ) than are the former.Assessment of character strengths The VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) The VIA Inventory

11、of Strengths for Youth (VIA-Youth) The VIA Structured Interview Identifies what we call “signature strengths” by talking to someone about the situations in which these strengths are most likely to be shown. 30 minutes to complete The Strengths Content Analysis technique Assess strengths that relies

12、on content analysis of spontaneous spoken or written descriptions of someone.Empirical Findings1. First: The most commonly endorsed strengths are: kindness, fairness, authenticity, gratitude, and open-mindedness The lesser strengths consistently include: prudence, ,modesty, and self-regulation.2. A

13、comparison of strengths profiles between U.S. adults and U.S. adolescents revealed:Hope, teamwork, and zest were more common among U.S. adolescents than among U.S. adults.Appreciation of beauty, authenticity, leadership, and open-minded were more common among U.S. adults.3. Strengths “of the heart”-

14、zest, gratitude, hope and love-are more robustly associated with life satisfaction than the more-cerebral strengths like love of learning.4. After 9.11, the character strengths of faith (religiousness), hope, and love showed increases, a pattern not evident among European respondents.5. What people

15、most valued was a job, a relationship, and a hobby congruent with their own strengths of character.6. Look at the effects on character strengths of previous life crises.Crisis may or may not be the crucible of character, but it certainly allows the display of what virtue ethicists refer to as “corre

16、ctive strengths of character”Is it possible to develop and use as many strengths of character as possible? “Have it all” “Practical wisdom” People make these tradeoff in characteristic ways. “circumplex model” The X axis corresponds to a focus of the strength on the self versus others, and the Y axi

17、s corresponds to strengths that entail intellectual restraint versus emotional expression. Two strengths close together on the graph comfortably co-occur, but two strengths that are far apart are more likely to be traded off. They do imply that people display good character in habitually different ways.Using signature strengths in new ways E.g Appreciation of beaut