Though I have been troubled, I am not distressed; though I have been perplexed, anguish eluded me; though persecuted, not forsaken; subjugated, but not destroyed; I have felt what it was like to be in dire need… And so I now know, faith in spite of doubt, hope in spite of despair, and love in spite of fear… I now know that in darkness there is light. (2 Cor 4:8-9; Phil 4:12-13; 1 Cor 13:13)
There has always been a wondering within me: Where does endurance come from? Surely there is a drive based on more than simple survival? Paradoxically, perhaps the question should be: Where does human potential come from? Indeed, what is our human potential, and how do we come to attain it, or at least strive toward it? These questions are not new questions. I believe they have been lying-in-want since the dawn of humanity, yet before the 21st century these questions attained little scientific based insight (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). My aim is to address these questions in relation to the field of Positive Psychology by examining my own strengths of character and discussing their development, impact on my life, and future growth.
It was at the turn of this century that the field of Positive Psychology revolutionised the way human potential was understood and studied (Peterson, 2006). In contrast to the models of psychology that sought only to heal the suffering, Positive Psychology sought a holistic approach to human potential that encompassed a duality of holistic restoration and formation (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Peterson, 2006). Positive Psychology has developed into an approach that concentrates less on weaknesses and more on strengths, as well as a balance of methodologies that strives toward full potential (Peterson, 2006). With this in mind, I posed a question to myself: How can I see my past, present, and future in terms of valued subjective experiences (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Peterson, 2006)? Further, how can I cultivate these experiences into an integrated sense of energy and information flow within (intrapersonally) and between (interpersonally) (Siegel, 2017)? So too, how can I cultivate these experiences in a manner that fosters human goodness and excellence (Ahuvia et al., 2015; Bonaiuto, et al., 2016; Peterson, 2006)? The answer is within the cyclic continuum of my virtues: the cultivated strengths of character that nurture meaning, resilience, and ultimately happiness (see Appendix A & B)
Though I have always seen my virtues as an important aspect of who I am, I have never really associated them with a flexible sense of self: character strengths or positive traits open to cultivation (Peterson, 2006; Carr, 2013). That is, while virtues are settled dispositions to act in particular ways that may elicit stability in identity (Carr, 2013; Peterson & Seligman, 2004), character strengths are indeed tangible personal assets can be acquired and nurtured to produce meaning, resilience, and ultimately happiness in life (Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Fredrickson, 2005). Based on this notion, Peterson and Seligman’s (2004) VIA Classification of Character Strengths are found in a ubiquitous core set of virtues: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence, with 24 morally valued specific strengths organised under the six virtues.
The aim of the VIA Classification of Character Strengths is to elicit discovery, creation, and ownership of character strengths in order to nurture an enduring repertoire of thought-action resources (Seligman, 2002; Peterson, 2006, Fredrickson, 2005) that facilitates aspiration toward full potential (Peterson, 2006). Accordingly, with this insight, my mind began wandering into the depths of my past, eliciting the strengths I see in myself, specific strengths I had attributed more to an inherent being, rather than by choice (Seligman, 2002). Yet, with perspective, attributing the significance of role context, momentary and prolonged affective experiences (Bleidorn & Denissen, 2015), as well as through an objective assessment (see Appendix B), I began to understand with more appreciation that my highest strengths are willingly cultivated. Through the want and desire to achieve more than simply overcoming my traumatic past (Peterson & Seligman, 2004), my highest strengths of appreciation, fairness, spirituality, gratitude, open-mindedness, and a love for learning are strengths I have purposely cultivated though specific intervention.
At the heart of the cultivation of my strengths, after recognising that my life was on a downward spiral of hopeless dark despair, was the desperate desire to forge a future of faith, hope, and love – not only for myself, so too for my daughter. There was a want to find that which made me feel fully alive, competent, and creative (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). There was a deeper sense within me that “knew” that there were virtues of justice and transcendence seeking expression within the group culture I resided in (Peterson, 2006). Specifically a feeling of fairness and spirituality eluded my sense of being; I was surrounded in individualism, materialism, and racism. There was a distinct lack of differentiation and integration (Seigel, 2017) within the group culture causing complex entanglement and enmeshment; this pervasively suppressed my individuality and unique potential (Siegel, 2017; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Peterson, 2006). I was indeed living in some sort of “hell” whereby my soul was separated from a holistic “flow of life” causing me to deny identity and fail to recognise that I was desperately clinging to “safety of inertia” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997, p. 147). Ironically, I was clinging to a false sense of security that was inhibiting my freedom to potential through social oppression of talents and strengths (Csikszentmihalyi, 2014; Ahuvia et al., 2015).
In the wake of desperation and realisation I found connection that allowed safety enough to begin to explore the depths of my strengths alongside my pain (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). I found a source of wisdom in the previously punished strengths of open-mindedness and a distinct love for learning, and began the quest to make positive change at multiple levels (Ciarrochi, Kashdan, & Harris, 2013; Csikszentmihalyi, 2014). It took volition and, dare I say, courage, to acknowledge and cultivate meaning through attention to my spirituality, gratitude, and to an overt appreciation of all that was inside of me; and more so, to continually choose to live in accordance with these strengths (Peterson, 2006; Seligman, 2002; Hayes, 2013).
Though self-defining activities that elicited a harmony of challenge and competence in strengths of fairness, learning, appreciation, and spirituality, in an environment that supported my virtues, natural abilities, and goals (Bonaiuto, et al., 2016; Csikszentmihalyi, 2014), transformation toward an integrated sense of energy and information flow within and between emerged (Siegel, 2017). Through my strengths, I was beginning to allow the self-organising, ever-evolving nature of wide-open potential to unfold into actualities: to get out of my own way and to fall into moment-by-moment flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 2014; Siegel, 2017). The past may have been fixed, yet in open-mindedness, observation, and objectivity, I was able to begin to unite both hedonistic and eudemonic experiences (Peterson, 2006; Ahuvia et al., 2015; Siegel, 2017). This allowed for a cultivation of an upward spiral of positive emotions (Garland et al., 2010). In turn, this facilitated a broadened scope of presence and mindfulness, knowledge and wisdom, as well as emotional and social resources that led to a shift toward resilience despite continued persecution (Fredrickson, 2005; Siegel, 2017; Garland et al., 2010; Garland & Fredrickson, 2013). I was able to counter old ways and to attune to my mind and body; to integrate a sense of energy and information flow that perpetuated a cyclic continuum of my virtues (see Appendix A; Fredrickson, 2005; Siegel, 2017). Peterson (2006) elaborated this concept by surmising that the ungrounded grounder – happiness – is paradoxically grounded in integrated valued experiences of strength.
More personally, it was, and still is, the cyclic continuum of my virtues (see Appendix A & B) that accentuates an impact on my life that to this day is immeasurable in worth. Through the recognition of my strengths, I have elicited a sense of self that was formed in integrated positive experiences of engagement, intrinsic reward, autonomy, clear goals, and optimal challenges (Csikszentmihalyi, 2014). Furthermore, though I am not strong in all virtues (Peterson, 2006), I have attained an increased self-efficacy for the capacity for growth in improved relationships (love, kindness, social intelligence, fairness, leadership, teamwork); openness to new possibilities (creativity, curiosity, love of learning, open-mindedness, perspective); greater appreciation of life and spiritual development (gratitude, appreciation of beauty and excellence, hope, humor, religiousness/spirituality); as well as enhanced personal strength (authenticity, bravery, persistence, zest, forgiveness, modesty, prudence, self-regulation) (Peterson, Park, Pole, D’Andrea, & Seligman, 2008; Peterson, 2006).
Not only is the increased self-efficacy one that generates an impact on my life, so too will it affect my daughter’s life. The innate complexity of such a self-organising and emergent process is that to affect it to full potential within and between, is to choose and choose again until change is intrinsic, and virtue is characteristic in multiple strengths (Wright, 2010; Siegel, 2017; Csikszentmihalyi, 2014). This seemingly autotelic personality a direct action influence on a sense of safety in exploration, trust, and the connection of others to life for myself, my daughter, and those I embrace with positive regard (Csikszentmihalyi, 2013; Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Carr, 2013).
I began by asserting that within the cyclic continuum of my virtues lies the answer to seeing my past, present, and future in terms of valued subjective experiences, as well as in an integrated sense of energy and information flow within and between that fosters human goodness and excellence. Through identification and reflection of experiences based on the results of the VIA Survey of Character Strengths, I came to acknowledge and express previous development and impact as well as the capacity for future development and impact in improved relationships, openness to new possibilities, enhanced personal strength, greater appreciation of life, and further spiritual development. Discussion considered safety in community, presence and mindfulness, and self-defining activities that allowed for a cultivation of an upward spiral of positive emotions. This cultivation nurtures a life of meaning, resilience, and ultimately happiness. I conclude my reflection by further asserting that the notion of a cyclic continuum of virtues leads to nothing less than an integrated life worth living.
References
Ahuvia, A., Thin, N., Haybron, D. M., Biswas-Diener, R., Ricard, M., & Timsit, J. (2015). Happiness: An interactionist perspective. International Journal of Wellbeing, 5(1), 1-18. doi:10.5502/ijw.v5i1.1
Bleidorn, W., & Denissen, J. J. (2015). Virtues in action – the new look of character traits. British Journal of Psychology, 106(4), 700-723. doi:10.1111/bjop.12117
Bonaiuto, M., Mao, Y., Roberts, S., Psalti, A., Ariccio, S., Ganucci Cancellieri, U., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2016). Optimal Experience and Personal Growth: Flow and the Consolidation of Place Identity. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01654
Carr, A. (2013). Positive psychology : the science of happiness and human strengths. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow: The psychology of engagement with everyday life. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Flow and the foundations of positive psychology :the collected works of mihaly csikszentmihalyi. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2013). Flow: The classic work on how to achieve happiness. London, Great Britain: Rider.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2005). The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. In F. A. Huppert, N. Baylis, & B. Keverne (Eds.), The science of well-being (pp. 217-238). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Garland, E. L., Fredrickson, B., Kring, A. M., Johnson, D. P., Meyer, P. S., & Penn, D. L. (2010). Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: Insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(7), 849-864. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.002
Hayes, S. (2013). The genuine conversation. In T. Kashdan & J. Ciarrochi (Eds.), Mindfulness, acceptance, and positive psychology: The seven foundations of well-being (pp. 301-319). Oakland, CA: Context Press.
Kashdan, T., Ciarrochi, J., & Harris, R. (2013). The foundations of flourishing. In T. Kashdan & J. Ciarrochi (Eds.), Mindfulness, acceptance, and positive psychology: The seven foundations of well-being (pp. 1-29). Oakland, CA: Context Press.
Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Peterson, C., Park, N., Pole, N., D’Andrea, W., & Seligman, M. E. (2008). Strengths of character and posttraumatic growth. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 21(2), 214-217. doi:10.1002/jts.20332
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Seligman, E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive Psychology: an introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14. doi:10.1037//0003-066X.55.1.5
Seligman, M. E. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York, NY: The Free Press.
Siegel, D. J. (2017). Mind: A journey to the heart of being human. New York, NY: W.W. Norton.
Wright, N. T. (2012). After you believe: Why Christian character matters. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Appendix A – The Cyclic Continuum of Values in Action
Appendix B – Reflection of VIA Survey of Character Strengths Results
Top Strength: Appreciation of beauty and excellence
I am often captivated by the simplistic beauty that surrounds us: The paradox that anything and everything can be both something that so easily is dismissed against complexities that reach far beyond what human minds can fathom. I find awe in a sunrise, yet at the same time my mind ponders on the unfathomable nature of the self organising systems involved to produce such awe.
This has been a strength I have seen to be natural. Not a day goes by where I do not choose, for pleasure, to attune to the world around me. It is rare that I cannot find something that has the innate power to captivate and inspire me towards greater openness, receptivity, creativity, and compassion.
Read more about my strengths in my analysis of character strengths
